New York City pizza is iconic, something everyone must try when visiting the city. The giant, delicious slices are so large that they even need to be folded in half to fit in your mouth. With a pizza place on every corner, many selling slices for as little as 99 cents, choosing the best place to visit in New York can be a little daunting. Before even researching the top rated pizza shops in the city, there was one I knew we had to visit. This particular place was on our list not because it was considered to be the best, but because of a different distinction - it was the first. The first pizza place in the USA - Lombardi's Pizza.
Lombardi's Pizza is considered by many to be the first pizza shop in the USA. With a distinction like that, do you really need any other reason to try it? Well, the rave reviews don't hurt either, but there is something about this "first" distinction that had us wanting to visit. Sure, we are pizza enthusiasts, but it is hard to think of what it was like of a time before pizza was available on every corner. What would it have been like to be the first person to buy a pizza from Lombardi's? The first person in the USA to buy a pizza. Even if the recipe is nowhere near the original, eating at this restaurant for us is like eating a piece of history. Now you may understand why we had to go.
A Brief History of Lombardi's
Lombardi's did not start as a pizza restaurant. In fact, it wasn't even a restaurant. For the first 8 years, Lombardi's was a small grocery store. It wasn't until 1905 that pizzas started to be sold and were the first instance of pizzas being created in the USA. The only interruption in the sale of these delicious pies were between 1984 and 1994 when Lombardi's closed down. With the help of a close friend, Lombardi's grandson re-opened the restaurant about a block away from its original location - now at 32 Spring Street, adorned with awards and recognitions everywhere you look. But does it live up to the hype?
The Great Lombardi's Pizza
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, we did not visit Lombardi's because it was considered to be the best pizza in New York City. We went purely to try a bit of history with America's first pizza.
With that being said, Lombardi's is delicious. The flavors of the sauce, the consistency of the crust, and the fresh toppings are exactly like what I remember from my time in Italy, eating amazing pizzas just about every day. After trying dozens, if not hundreds, of "authentic" pizza places in the US only to leave disappointed, Lombardi's did not let us down. While it may not be the most gourmet pizza available in New York (Kesté on Bleecker Street was pretty good for that), everything about Lombardi's was authentic.
In keeping with that theme, we had to try the staple margherita; the most beautiful creation on the planet. There is something about a little bit of dough, fresh mozzarella, and basil that can't go wrong. Add a bit of prosciutto on half and you have a pretty devious combination.
The real shame of the Lombardi's experience is the cost, but that is true of most popular pizza shops in the city. A 14" margherita pizza costs a staggering $16.50 and a large 18" costs $20.50. Each topping is a few extra dollars and can make a deluxe pizza quite costly in the end. But with the type of business that Lombardi's receives, with long lines forming as early as around 4-5pm even on Sundays when we visited, the prices won't be going anywhere but up in the near future.
While Lombardi's isn't 99 cents a slice like some of the other pizza shops in New York City, you are not paying for the quantity. At Lombardi's you are quite literally paying for the history, and that is something we can't help but be happy to try and recommend. But if you have time, try a few other pizza shops in the city to get the true New York pizza experience. You won't be disappointed!
Thanks to our friends at Roomorama for providing a great apartment for our stay in NYC. To check out our full apartment review, click here!
