By JT
Hi readers, I go by JT and I am a lifelong Upper West Sider who loves exploring the neighborhood’s food options. But I also like to keep it brief, so enough about me.
Let’s get to the grub.
After a long-awaited opening, Village Square Pizza welcomed customers last week on Broadway between West 92nd and 93rd streets.
I ordered three slices to see how they compare to the plethora of New York City pizza options. The staff were very friendly and had me in and out the door in a matter of minutes.
Classic Sicilian: $4.95 for a slice or $32 for a pie
Just like the name implies, this is your classic Sicilian: thick, fluffy crust, tomato sauce, and whole milk mozzarella. There is a nice balance of cheese and sauce. This is the way to go if you are a fan of the classics.
You might want to get a drink with it, though, as it is a bit on the salty side.
Pepperoni: $5.50/slice or $35 per pie
If you love pepperoni like I do, you know the small and crispy ones in the above photo are the good ones! They may be on the smaller side, but they have the perfect kick to them.
Once again, the sauce shines through, but I would have wanted a bit more cheese on this slice. The pepperoni also had a nice spice, but if you don’t have a good relationship with heat, you might order a different option.
Sausage and Peppers: $5.50 for a slice or $35 for a pie
For the sausage and peppers slice, the main difference from the other two is this one comes without red sauce. But it was still a great bite. The slice was on the sweeter side, so if you want a meat option without any spice, this could be the selection for you.
JT’s Grubby Conclusion:
For me, the essential part of a pizza is the crust, and Village Square’s thick, fluffy crust both tasted great and filled you up at a quicker rate than a more typical New York City slice.
The crust also had a fantastic crunch on the bottom for an added bit of texture. The tomato sauce was simple and classic, with a little bit of an added tang that doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
Overall, I was very happy with my pizza night.
JT
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Do they first bake the Sicilian dough with a coating of olive oil, then sauce, before later saucing and cheesing it?
That pizza looks great. I love the small pepperoni pieces. I will not cave and get some.
May be less hassle and $$ than Mama’s Too, but doesn’t look nearly as good.
Thank you for the review. . Sounds good
Reading this review and realizing the crust on all is rather thick and fluffy – I think I am going to skip this place and go directly to Mama Too.
I too will pass on this place and go to Mama’s Too, which is superb.
No need to pit them against Mama’s Too; assuming they’re repeating the downtown formula, they are both excellent choices depending on personal preference and where you happen to be in the neighborhood.
They make similar style pizzas, so there’s every reason to pit them against each other. I know I have. It’s what any semi-serious pizza fan should do, especially in such a competitive market.
Well, while I’m not a “semi-serious pizza fan,” I fear, I’d reckon that such a person would probably try them both rather than decide from a picture that “I’ll stick with Mama’s Too” or whatever (and I quite enjoy MT! nothing against them!). (If nothing else, why are you spending NYC rents to never try new variants of things that you already know you like?)
The idea that two smallish family-run chain joints with a reasonably similar product that is somewhat close in quality will be so reliably consistent that it’s even meaningful to decide that one is “better” strikes me as optimistic, but what do I know. Absolute Bagels is my favorite if I’m standing right in front of it, but are there no other options in the neighborhood that I’d consider close enough if I were standing right in front of them? No. Pretending you can know the exact, unquestionable best from an inevitably variable product is…quixotic.
If you know food, a picture can tell you a lot things about how something is made and the quality of its raw materials. You learn to spot flaws. But you can spot the positives as well. In the end, you gotta try the slice to have a meaningful opinion. I never suggested otherwise. But comparisons are inevitable and necessary.
$30 and up for a pie? almost $5 a slice for thick crust. I’ll pass.
When I want my pizza burnt I’ll go to Mama’s Too. This place looks better.
Their store down on Christopher is a gem. You’re going to enjoy this addition to the UWS pizza-verse.
When a small business opens up in the neighborhood, the comments section of the local blog should be supportive. The internet is not a place to just say any old thing. Try to imagine if it was you or a family member who opened this spot.
L’Industrie should open a location on the UWS!
Gave it a try since it’s so close to home. The thin crust of the $4.95 slice of margharita was completely burnt (someone else picked it up for me); sauce was flavorless. The marinara square had a decent, not special, thick crust but the sauce lacked punch and flavor. Mama’s is too far for us to try but we like LaVera, especially the marinara sauce, which I’d buy if they sold it! $32 and up for a pie? Just not in our wheelhouse, nor is $5 a slice with less flavor than cheaper options. I think pizza will always be very subjective to whomever is eating it.
I tried it! I had a Grandma’s slice and an Eggplant slice and both were delicious . This place is not greasy like some others and the tomato sauce was way above average in my opinion.
[…] a $300 bill for pizza at Cafe Fiorello. That said, I’m keeping an open mind and planning to visit Village Square Pizza on Broadway […]