Coal-burning ovens are hot commodities for pizza makers. The only way to get one is to inherit it—which is what Charles LoPresto has done at Luzzo’s, his new East Village restaurant. Exceedingly thin and crisp, minimally slicked with a sweet and tangy tomato sauce, the pizzas don’t disappoint—and neither do the friendly service and the calm, anti-sceney ambience. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
I am really surprised by the reviews thus far. Luzzo's was ok. The crust was thin and held the pizza together well. The crust was soft and not very gummy. The sauce, cheese, and topping my date and I shared were completely unremarkable. The sausage was very dry. The "basil" was just a sprig placed on the top. I ended up tearing it up and putting it over the whole pie. This helped. The sauce was neither sweet nor savory, it tasted generic. All in all I was unimpressed.
Luzzo's
Delicious and authentic, even at the uptown branch
I recently discovered that there was a Luzzo's nearby after having heard so much about the 1st Ave. branch.
The first time I ordered, I chose a traditional "La Quadrata" Bufala (essentially the Neapolitan take on what we know as Sicilian pizza), and the "Ripieno" for delivery from the 96th St. location and was delighted with both. Both were ordered for lunch and arrived within the half-hour within which we were told to expect it.
In the case of the La Quadrata, the crust had a great sourdough flavor nicely augmented with islands of sweet, buttery buffalo mozzarella, basil and a tangy tomato sauce; the Ripieno had the same qualities, with a bit more mozzarella, thinner crust, along with sausage, olives, and slices of a nice, dense ricotta.
Having lived in Italy before I appreciated the authenticity of the pizze here and am lucky to have Luzzo's in the neighborhood.