Staten Island Pizza Tour
On Saturday, I joined Scott Wiener on a trip to Staten Island in search of pizza awesomeness. This would mark my third trip to Staten Island for pizza (I had previously visited the scrumptious Joe & Pat’s twice), but my first with such a knowledgeable guide. Scott has an unquestionable love of pizza. In fact, he loves pizza so much that he’s made it his profession to spread the love to others via his new pizza touring company, Scott’s Pizza Tours (I’m scheduled for the maiden voyage, this Sunday).
Now, I don’t need much of an excuse to take a pizza tour anywhere - but, I certainly wasn’t about to pass up the chance to ride along 1-on-1 with a licensed NYC tour guide and supreme (Pizza Hut Pun alert) pizza enthusiast. Scott picked me up Saturday morning and said he had three locations planned. The weather was fantastic, the tunes were cranked and hopes were high.
We rolled into DeNino’s Pizzeria Tavern right around noon. We walked through the bar area to the main seating area and grabbed a booth. A group of teenagers were finishing up a pie and I couldn’t help but hope they’d leave me a slice - it looked delicious. Our waitress sauntered over and before you could say lickity-split, a half sausage / half cheese pie was en route.
DeNino’s lighting doesn’t do the above photo any favors, but I can assure you their pie is a tasty treat! All of the pie elements were on their “A” game. The crust (thin and crispy), sauce (nice spice - is that oregano?) and cheese (flavorful aged mozz) were all winners in this pizza guy’s book. In my notes, I scribbled that “I could easily eat 45 slices.” That’s pizza praise, folks.
Alas, this was only our first stop and I had to employ my full will power to stop at two slices (1 cheese, 1 sausage). I distracted myself from eating more by taking in the surrounding scene: a family out for a saturday meal, old timers at the bar and little leaguers after a game. And, oh! Those Staten Island accents! It really is a different world down here.
Denino’s had set the bar super high for our next stop, Lee’s Tavern. Lee’s is the kind of corner place only locals go to. It’s hardly marked and there isn’t much inside that indicates they even serve pizza. The bartender doubles as the waiter and he doesn’t bring you menus - he just asks what you want. Brilliant. We ordered another half sausage / half cheese pie and played the waiting game.
Again, Lee’s is a dimly lit place that did my poor photo taking skills no favors. As I pulled my camera out to take pictures, two tables around us took note. It turns out Staten Islanders love their pizza and were quick to offer suggestions about more stops to take. At the urging of one table, we decided to add a fourth stop to our day. More on that later, though. On to the pizza!
One bite of Lee’s and I was instantly enamored. It was delicious. I’m not sure if it was the crackery, yet bready crust, the fruity sauce or the tasty morsels of sausage, but something about this pie reminded me of the things I loved about pizza as a kid. Lee’s is the place I wish I had as my neighborhood pie growing up. Consistently reliable, delicious pizza that would hold its own in any place on earth. Of all the places we visited on the Staten Island Pizza Tour, Lee’s is the one I am most anxious to get back to.
Our third stop was Nunzio’s. Originally opened in 1942, they underwent a renovation sometime in the last five years and the locals we met at Lee’s swear their slices haven’t been the same since. We kept an open mind and walked into the slice side of the restaurant (there is a dining room with table service around the corner) and ordered two slices. They had a fresh pie available - no need for a reheat.
Thanks to natural light, Nunzio’s fared much better in the photography department. Of course, that crust isn’t just pretty to look at, it was scrumptious. It was chewy and flavorful with a nice color and bubbles to boot. Unfortunately for me, I did not like Nunzio’s sauce at all. It was overly tart and there was lots of it. I encourage you to try a slice for yourself because Scott totally disagreed with me - he gobbled that slice right up.
With the suggestion from the folks we met Lee’s on our minds, we decided to make an unscheduled stop at Il Pomodoro. It helped that it was just up the road from Nunzio’s and directly on our return route.
While we waited for our slices to reheat, we noticed their interesting oven. It had multiple rotating cooking surfaces similar to ovens I had seen in Sbarro back in the day (I know, I know - let’s move on). It turns out the multiple brick surfaces allow them to cook 20 pies at a time. The manufactured was the Fish oven company, currently based in Illinois. I’m going to be keeping my eye out for these interesting beasts.
Il Pomodoro’s slice was easily the thinnest of the day. The crust didn’t contribute much to the pizza other than crispiness. Much like Nunzio’s, I found the sauce too tart. This would be an ok slice in a pinch, but with so many other options in a relatively small radius, this is easily a skippable stop on your next Staten Island pizza tour.
I didn’t want Il Pomodoro to be the slice lingering in my mouth and on my mind as we drove home. I opened up our pizza boxes and munched on another slice from Lee’s as we cruised. Windows down, sun in full effect, tunes pumping, delicious pizza. Now that’s the way to end a pizza tour.
DeNino’s Pizzeria Tavern (Rating: 4 slices)
524 Port Richmond Ave
Staten Island, NY 10302
(718) 442-9401
Lee’s Tavern (Rating: 4 slices)
60 Hancock St
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 667-9749
Nunzio’s (Rating: 3 slices)
2155 Hylan Blvd
Staten Island, NY 10306
(718) 667-9647
Il Pomodoro Ristorante (Rating: 2 slices)
1700 Hylan Blvd
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 351-5000
View my complete set of Staten Island Pizza Tour images on Flickr
