Mariella Pizzeria

Address: 965 Lexington Avenue between 70th and 71st
Purchase: 1 regular slice
Price: $2.25
Pizza Rating:


Mariella's caught my eye on a walk to the post office during my lunch break. It seems to be a pretty busy place, close to Hunter College. There were still some people in line even though it was already two o'clock. They have a very large, clean, and tiled seating section, and very friendly pizza-makers. My plain slice was served up quickly, scalding hot, which means it was nice and fresh... which unfortunately also means I can't blame its poor quality on its sitting under heat lamps too long, (which I like to do when I like the place but not the pizza). The cheese was seriously greasy (see photo), the crust was extremely thin, and the sauce was so hot that the cheese was just sliding all over the place. On my way out, however, I saw their takeout menu, boasting their "best GRANDMA in Manhattan." I didn't notice any grandma slices, so it is quite possible that this claim is true, and the grandmas sold out at 11:30. Maybe I'll go back and try it next time I'm over there.




That is one shiny slice of pizza!

Bravo Pizza

Address: 146 5th Avenue at 19th Street
Purchase: 3 plain slices, 2 bottles of water
Cost: $2.25 a slice (Water $1.80!)
Pizza Rating:


Slices of the City may have been on a rather long stretch of delicious speciality pizzas, but we are still on our mission for that perfect plain slice you can grab in whatever neighborhood you find yourself. So, last weekend, when we were pressed for time on the way to the New York Boston Terrier Meetup—this month at Madison Square Park—we stopped for a slice at the first place we saw on 5th avenue. Probably won't stop there again. For me, it was an altogether Sbarros-esque experience. Greasy, and overheated. Apparently, however, they have several other locations around the city, so maybe a trip to another Bravo would raise its score.


Bravo Pizza (one of six locations.)


Bruno scopes out his new friends at the New York Boston Terrier April Meetup.

New Roma Pizza, Lower East Side

Address: Essex Street at Delancey (LES)
Purchase: Three Plain Slices, Two Waters
Cost: $8.00
Payment: Cash only
Pizza Rating:


What attracted us to this particular place was, first, hunger, then, the humongous pizza slice towering over its bright red store front at corner of Delancey and Essex. While the customer service was quite friendly, the plain slices we had didn't make this any place to write home about. The crust was not a good texture, the sauce did not taste homemade, and the cheese was a little chewy and had that cheap reheated quality that becomes the deciding factor between a bad and a good slice. However, conveniently located at the Delancey Street Station on the F, J, M, and Z, New Roma served its purpose.


Photograph courtesy Lincoln Michel.