I rarely agree with Sietsema, but in this case, he’s absolutely correct. The Margherita here is as good as Neapolitan gets in NYC. The pies are larger than your typical Neapolitan here, but this is actually the same size as the original in Naples according to one of the owners (contrary to what Sietsema wrote).
The crust is outstanding, and the ingredients gel together beautifully. Its thin, very light, soft, and just the proper char without any burnt parts.
Cant imagine its for everyone but I like it. The Diavola is good too. Spicy salame that is actually spicy and delicious. We liked the Basil one too, even though the Burrata isnt really necessary.
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I’ve been noting this for a while out here in LA and happy to see you guys get that napoli love too.
I could not agree with you more. That margherita is as good as it gets. My numero uno out here. It cooks in less than a minute in that oven!
If you want to try something different and also delicious the Montanara is deep fried crust and then assembled, it’s tasty and not something you see in other spots often.
How’s the venue there? These aren’t delivery or take out pizzas.
Ive had a Montanara in another place here (Don Antonio). Agree, its very good. Its not on the menu here at da Michele yet. No kidding about the speed. We got the first pie so quick I thought it was a mistake.
The venue is beautiful. Spacious, multi-room, with a third room not quite ready yet downstairs. Nice looking bar. Maybe the most ambitious pizzeria to ever open in NYC.
Awesome, I wish them success, and you continued satistfaction!
The spot here has a fairly big menu with a bunch of other stuff i don’t order (pasta, seafood, burger, fries…). It’s really hard to just not get that marguerita. They do one like the marguerita with some smoked provolone that’s nice too.
Saw they also opened or are opening one in santa barbara too. glad to see it’s also great in NYC - you guys need some good pizza after all…
that looks pretty good, I’ve been wanting to go, how does it compare to Song’ E Napule?
Hard to say but I think Michele is better. I havent been to Song’ E Napule in about a year. Michele is a larger pie, softer, without losing much texture. And the space is much bigger and more comfortable
That looks amazing. I will have to check it out
I know you said “a proper char without any burnt parts” but it looks like the pesto pie got a little away from them. When we had our oven, my crust was much closer to their pesto, I don’t know how they manage that marg at 900F+
I think they had a small place pre-pandemic in nyc, my friend is a very knowledgable around pizza and his review was basically “there’s no longer a need to fly to naples”
i commend them on their consistency and implementation of the napoli quality to the usa.
Yes, I suppose they need to keep the pesto a few seconds longer, but I dont recall tasting much char. I think because of the size, and once you fold the slice, both ways in this case as the end gets floppy, any burnt parts get lost
Ziggy, now that looks wonderful!
The picture looks good, and @Ziggy is solid, but let me ask in what specific ways the pizzas here are better than the ones at Don Antonio, to pick my current NYC favorite.
Pizza, as a food, is an odd beast (mixing images like mad). Getting it hot and straight from an ultra-hot oven is crucial, as are the ingredients. These are all physical things.
But, pizza, by its ubiquity (=universality) and its price, is also metaphysical. Who were you with when you had that pizza? Where were you? …
The answers to questions such as these determine, I believe, your overall pizza experience.
For me:
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Pizza in Naples is transcendent because it’s always been very good – but also because the first time it happened was between our arrival from Florence by train in the late morning and an afternoon at Pompeii, followed by a night flight to Palermo (with the eerie mountainous earth/moonscape between airport and hotel). How to disentangle taste from the enveloping memory?
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John’s at Bleecker. The first “good” pizza, I’d ever had, and it’s still pretty good (last visit around 2018). But the taste and memory still linger, as does the image of the response-letter from Ed Koch to a support gesture from them: “Dear Mr. Pizzeria …” (if my memory serves me right).
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Mario’s on 25A. The memories! The first top-of-the-mouth pizza burn! The first intimation that I might be lactose-intolerant after an extra-cheese pizza there! The first space shuttle landing, watched from the Mario’s bar (my only knowledge of afternoon bars being from Raymond Chandler stories till then)! Those might well have been the best pizzas of my life.
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Sometimes its also about expectations, and I hope I didnt increase everyone’s to the point of setting up for disappointment. Its just a very solid pizza all around. Some may prefer a sturdier base, close to NY pizza, or a more complex homemade sauce. Thats not the case here.
Many critics rave about Lucia Pizza Of Avenue X and when I finally went I found the crust tasting like cardboard. Pizza is personal
I havent been to Don Antonio since the pandemic but I like the Soppressata at Don Antonio more than the spicy salame at Michele, even though I can eat the latter one all day.
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what are your top slice places in manhattan and brooklyn these days ?
nice to see above that Johns is still good in the village. been forever since i went there but i still remember how tasty it was too. that was an expensive treat even 3 decades ago.
Sacco in Hell’s Kitchen is good 9 out of 10 times. Scarr’s Pizza is solid but the secret is out so expect lines.
In Brooklyn I like “Best Pizza” in Williamsburg. F&F is really good tho only tried ones. I live in Staten Island so thats where I mostly eat pizza. But dont hold it against me!
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Thanks for the tips. I love a fabulous marguerita like at da Michele but my perfect pizza (and pizza experience noting @fooddabbler’s metaphysical insights) is just a simple cheese slice where everything comes together perfectly in the mouth at the right time and place.
What about Lenny’s?
Respect for the double decker.
I used to go to Staten Island’s Mandolin Bros as often as I could alas it’s also just another memory now. I enjoyed the part in the offer about the location for don corleone’s home in SI. What’s your favorite pie there?
+1
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arguably staten island has the best pizza in nyc. saccos is very good and flies under the radar, I thought Best overrated. hard to leave joe’s out of the discussion…,ny pizza suprema, patsys, como in washintron heights, spicy square at prince st, in brooklyn pizza wagon, europa, new park, j&v, luigis, L’industre, these are a few of my favorite things 
and we haven’t touched the other three boroughs!
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I am looking forward to a group pizza excursion (or a few) in better weather!
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