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La Pizza Fresca Ristorante

31 E. 20th St., New York, NY 10003 40.739038 -73.989364
nr. Broadway See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
work212-598-0141 Send to Phone

Cuisine: Italian, Pizza
Price Range:
$$$
Key to Prices and ratings
Upscale

Almost Perfect

Exceptional

Generally Excellent

Very Good

Good

Cheap Eats

Best in Category

Excellent

Delicious

Very Good

Noteworthy
Very Expensive

Expensive

Moderate

Cheap
Reader Rating:
9.7 out of 10
|
3 Reviews | Write a Review

Map Rate & Review

Official Website

lapizzafresca.com

Hours

Mon-Sat, noon-3:30pm and 5:30pm-11pm; Sun, 5pm-11pm

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at 23rd St.; N, R, W at 23rd St.

Prices

$14-$31

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

Lunch
Notable Wine List
Romantic
Take-Out

Alcohol

Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Not Accepted

Profile

Most pizza places don't have an award-winning list of Italian wines that tops out at $2,000. Similarly, most oenophilic haunts don't offer certified-authentic Neapolitan pizza. La Pizza Fresca Ristorante, no ordinary pizzeria, does both. Exposed brick, low lighting, and framed wine ephemera—labels, corks, even crate tops—fill out the decor. And while the menu is a well-considered assortment, the talented Ligurian chef cooks numerous seafood dishes from his native region. Nearly half of the pasta dishes involve some form of frutti di mare: Vibrant, intensely flavored linguine comes with pesto and roasted shrimp; moist and mildly sweet roasted snapper, its skin crackly-crisp, arrives on a lusty bed of tomatoes, zucchini, capers, and olives. The pizza outshines everything else. The restaurant is one of only two pizzerias in New York (the other is Naples 45) to be certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, an Italian trade group that requires its members to combine Italian flour, fresh mozzarella, and San Marzano tomatoes with rigorous techniques. The result is a beautifully charred disk of chewy dough. The namesake pizza is judiciously topped with fruity sauce, tangy imported buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, salty black olives, and basil. The Margherita, the classic communion of dough, sauce, and cheese, elevates these humble ingredients to sublimity. Rare is the place that can satisfy both wine and pizza snobs while delighting those who are obsessed with neither, but La Pizza Fresca Ristorante pulls it off. — Debbie Koenig

Recommended Dishes

La Pizza Fresca with fresh buffalo mozzarella, Italian cherry tomatoes, and black olives, $17

Food:	9

Service:	8

Décor:	8

Value:	8

I have returned to this restaurant 8-10 times over the six years I have been in Manhattan. It is the perfect place for an excellent meal, good wine, and attentive service, in a comfortable environment without a lot of pretension. Feeling a little short of money but want to treat yourself? Get the superior pizza and a glass of house wine. Want to spend a few more dollars on a good friend from out of town? Don't hesitate to bring him/her here and order one of the excellent meals. The place is like a really fine sports jacket: you can dress it up for a party, or dress it down with jeans, and you still feel like you've got class.

La Pizza Fresca Ristorante

Another great find!

organicyogi from 02114 | Posted on 1/18/10

Overall Rating: 1010 (Highly Recommended)


Food:	10
Service:	10

Décor:	10

Value:	10

Chanced upon this gem in the flatiron district, and was pulled in by the list of awards posted in the window. I sat at the bar and had a glass of robust house red, $8, and then started with their sauteed spinach $9. It was simply plated with a generous and perfectly sauteed portion of spinach, toasted pine nuts, shaved garlic and parmesan, ringed with a tangy-sweet reduction of balsamic. Delicious! I followed with their tagliatelle and sausage in a rich cream sauce $19. The meaty saltiness of the sausage was balanced with the subtle sweetness of the cream sauce, and the pasta was al dente, of course (a peeve of mine)...unbelievable! I highly recommend this place!

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