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In the Bronx there is one place to bite into a coal-oven-fired pizza—Tosca Café. Owner Ed Sujak restored his establishment’s circa 1922 oven (left over from the restaurant’s past life as a bakery), which turns out excellent chewy and charred crusts that support toppings like bresaola and arugula. The pizza is a high point, but other dishes, like the fried calamari, homemade orecchiette, and the toasted-almond dessert, are not to be missed. The huge lounge attracts youngish types with its expansive martini menu and cocktail bar, cushy sofas, retro lighting, TV, Internet station, and, yes, even a sushi bar (sushi is offered in the main dining room, too, but most people there tend to focus on pizza, not ponzu). Bistro-style mirrors and brick walls lend instant charm to the generously proportioned main room, which accommodates both small groups and larger families. Walls are hung with black-and-white photos of Audrey Hepburn and other stars, harking back to the days when the corner restaurant really provided a service to everyone in the neighborhood. Tosca keeps this spirit alive, and if that means miso soup with your manicotti, so be it. — Raquel Pelzel

Tosca offers belly-dancing classes on Monday nights.

Fried calamari, $11.95; bresola pizza, $13; orecchietti di casa, $16.95