Location: 93 MacDougal Street, New York N.Y. 10012
Cuisine: Italian (Pizza)
Best Dish: The pasta was tasty and the meatballs unforgettable but the pizza reigns supreme.
Price:$$
Overall: A quaint restaurant with old-school charm and amazing pizza. An ideal option for all pizza/pasta lovers.
New Yorkers know good pizza, we all possess the innate ability to ferret out the very best in saucy cheesy goodness. As a result, the argument over the best in the big apple is one that will rage on to infinity. Each boro has their go-to pizza place, one of Staten Island’s favorites is Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern. Their first location on Richmond Avenue has been up and running since 1937 and continues to delight locals and visitors alike. Recently, Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern expanded their reach in 2016, with a location in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Just a few short blocks from West 4th, the new eatery is casual and charming with a retro vibe. The zip code may have changed but the family-run business has promised to remain true to their roots by preparing dishes to order with fresh never frozen ingredients. Though we’ve never been to their Staten Island location we were anxious to sample their pies, with 80 years in business they have to be good.
Let’s dig in, shall we?
The Feast
Carlo’s Meatballs
Before digging into the pizza, we devoured a round of appetizers starting with the meatballs. These thick meaty orbs are served with fresh tomato sauce and a dollop of creamy ricotta.
Mozzarella Sticks
Alone the mozzarella sticks are superb but we recommend trying these with the meatballs for a truly luxurious experience. The combination is outstanding! These aren’t the mass-produced frozen sticks you expect, Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern makes them fresh using premium cheese. The outer layer is perfectly crisp and the inside warm and gooey.
Clam and Garbage Pie
For our first taste of Denino’s pizza, we chose a surf and turf duo of pizza pies. The surf half of our pizza was their signature clam pizza. The combination of clam and cheese isn’t one we would have expected. Cheese and seafood don’t often mix well but the Clam pizza is quite tasty and surprisingly popular. The crust is thin and crisp topped with fresh garlic, parsley and, olive oil instead of standard tomato sauce. The turf portion of our masterpiece was the infamous Garbage Pie; a mixup of mushrooms, meatballs, pepperoni, sausage, and onion. The crust held up perfectly beneath the meaty avalanche of toppings each bite was a savory treat.
Margherita and Vodka Pie
Our second pie was a popular meatless duo of half Margherita and half Vodka. Both versions are topped with creamy fresh mozzarella and feature a distinctive sauce. The Margherita is an herbaceous bite you can taste each ingredient from the fresh tomatoes in the sauce to the aromatic basil. The Vodka pie is equally tasty with the extra bonus of creamy vodka sauce.
We must say, a true test of how amazing their pizza is how it holds up the next day. Of course, we couldn’t finish it all in one night. The next day we warmed up our leftover pizza in the oven and it was just as tasty.
Farfalle Crema
In addition to pizza Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern also serves an assortment of classic Italian dishes. Among those is the farfalle crema, a hearty helping of al dente pasta, fresh cream sauce, pancetta, and mushrooms.
Shrimp Arrabbiata
For a little bit of spice, we recommend the Shrimp Arrabbiata. Large succulent shrimp are served with spaghetti in a peppery tomato-based sauce. The Shrimp Arrabbiata also makes for a great appetizer. Pair the Shrimp Arrabbiata with a glass of Pinot Noir.
In addition to its food offerings, Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern also has a fully stocked bar with an assortment of wines and cocktails, including a potent white or red Sangria which paired well with the briny clam pizza. True to its reputation, Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern serves up one of the best slices we’ve had in a while. The toppings are generous, the sauces are delectable and the thin crust is exceptional. While it may take two lifetimes to sample and rate all the pizza in New York, Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern is worthy of your consideration.
Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern is open Mon-Sun; 12pm-11pm.
To learn more about the history of this wonderful business, head over to www.