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In a city where countless high-end pizza joints tout their wood-burning ovens and artisanal toppings, Arturo's remains the same as it ever was. Worn leatherette booths in the crowded front dining rooms, long waits on weekend evenings, and jovial service separate Arturo’s from the posh spots across the street in Soho. Sidewalk seating gives you breathing space, but the tradeoff is that you can't hear the live jazz played nightly. Plenty of diners are content with red-sauce standards: veal cutlet parmigiana, shrimp marinara, and linguini with clam sauce. But here the coal-oven pizza's the thing. Fresh mozzarella is satiny on a 16" pizza (only a few dollars more than the 13"), and the lightly charred edges of the crunchy crust are pleasantly salty. Among toppings are sausage, pepperoni, calamari, lobster, spinach, and fresh basil. A large pie will feed two starving people, or as many as four if you share starters like the bitingly bitter, arugula salad with shaved parmesan or the baked clams—firm, fresh, and tasty under the bulk of bread crumbs. — Nancy Davidson

Reservations are not accepted for weekends