Of their kind (traditional Neapolitan–style) Anthony Mangieri's pies are as good as you can get in New York City. People carp about the price (more than $20 for an individual pie), but the fact is that Mr. Mangieri is slavishly devoted to each and every pie that comes out of his oven, and his devotion results in an ethereally light and tangy individual pie. His last-minute Sicilian sea salt shake is a stroke of pizza genius. Mr. Mangieri's individual pizzas are the definition of an affordable indulgence. It's silly to compare it to a slice at Di Fara or a coal-fired pie from Totonno's in Brooklyn. His pizza is simply a completely different animal and should be acknowledged as such.
Una Pizza Napoletana Address: 349 East 12th Street (just off First Avenue), New York NY 10003 Phone: 212-477-9950 Related: All Slice entries on Una Pizza Napoletana
I hate to say it, but I disagree wholehearted that this place is good! Especially when you have such a great place like Luzzo's just around the corner. I did not enjoy this style of pizza, and certainly didn't think he made a quality pie for the price that he is selling it for.
I agree with Scarboni, this place is completely overrated and yes, Luzzo's which is about 200 ft down the street is 100 times better. Una Pizza Napoletana's pies are mediocre at best, completely overpriced (it's barely the size of a NY slice, would you pay 20 dollars for any slice?). The tomatoes are lacking, and the pie is drenched in olive oil. The cherry tomato pie comes with a total of 4 cherry tomatoes. On top of it, the menu screams of arrogance as do the signs on the wall knocking other cheaper pizza places. The service is horrible. When we went there, the waiter seats his friends over people waiting in line. And he also has the nerve to put their orders ahead of everyone else as well. Apparently, this is a daily occurence. If you read the user reviews to this place on citysearch and other sites, you see that about 50% of the people that go to this place leave pissed off. I'm totally convinced Mr. Mangieri only decides to actually put effort into making a good pie when a food critic is visiting him.
I have to disagree with the previous comments. Obviously any thoughts on pizza are purely subjective, but I think the pizza at Una is the best I've ever had. As the original article mentioned - you shouldn't (and really can't) compare the pizza at Una to the average slice (or the place around the corner as the previous posters did). It really is an entirely different style of pizza. Personally, I have never had anything but a great tasting pie at Una Pizza. I personally love the olive oil on the pie and find myself soaking up any leftover oil with my crust (have you ever done that at another pizza?). The key with Una is to go in with the right perspective, I'm not expecting a 2 minute, reheated slice. I'm getting something made from scratch with fresh ingredients by the owner. To me that's quality (and results) worth paying for. For you it might not be.
I did go in with a different perspective. I knew I was going to get something different. And I did. It was like nothing I ever tasted. A pizza in a pool of olive oil with bland tomatoes. The cheese was good, that was about it. Oh, and horrible service.
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4 Comments:
I hate to say it, but I disagree wholehearted that this place is good! Especially when you have such a great place like Luzzo's just around the corner. I did not enjoy this style of pizza, and certainly didn't think he made a quality pie for the price that he is selling it for.
Scarboni at 3:03AM on 07/05/07
I agree with Scarboni, this place is completely overrated and yes, Luzzo's which is about 200 ft down the street is 100 times better. Una Pizza Napoletana's pies are mediocre at best, completely overpriced (it's barely the size of a NY slice, would you pay 20 dollars for any slice?). The tomatoes are lacking, and the pie is drenched in olive oil. The cherry tomato pie comes with a total of 4 cherry tomatoes. On top of it, the menu screams of arrogance as do the signs on the wall knocking other cheaper pizza places. The service is horrible. When we went there, the waiter seats his friends over people waiting in line. And he also has the nerve to put their orders ahead of everyone else as well. Apparently, this is a daily occurence. If you read the user reviews to this place on citysearch and other sites, you see that about 50% of the people that go to this place leave pissed off. I'm totally convinced Mr. Mangieri only decides to actually put effort into making a good pie when a food critic is visiting him.
benlee at 4:29PM on 07/05/07
I have to disagree with the previous comments. Obviously any thoughts on pizza are purely subjective, but I think the pizza at Una is the best I've ever had. As the original article mentioned - you shouldn't (and really can't) compare the pizza at Una to the average slice (or the place around the corner as the previous posters did). It really is an entirely different style of pizza. Personally, I have never had anything but a great tasting pie at Una Pizza. I personally love the olive oil on the pie and find myself soaking up any leftover oil with my crust (have you ever done that at another pizza?). The key with Una is to go in with the right perspective, I'm not expecting a 2 minute, reheated slice. I'm getting something made from scratch with fresh ingredients by the owner. To me that's quality (and results) worth paying for. For you it might not be.
NJ Zoo at 2:42PM on 07/06/07
I did go in with a different perspective. I knew I was going to get something different. And I did. It was like nothing I ever tasted. A pizza in a pool of olive oil with bland tomatoes. The cheese was good, that was about it. Oh, and horrible service.
benlee at 3:32PM on 07/09/07