Lucali

I'm not one to join a bandwagon, so I had my apprehensions about heading here, however, that just vaporized upon my first bite. I first learned about Lucali's over 10 years ago, and it was a place that I always had saved on my list of pizzerias to visit. Leading up to coming here, I kept on hearing seeing the things said about it which made think "oh god, hope this place is not all hype" It's not hype, it's elite af - Absolute love, admiration and respect for this place. It was delicious. Not enough superlatives could help describe this place. I was truly just happy to eat a pie that just tasted natural and great without any crazy complex flavor profile or "secret sauce" behind it. I honestly ate in silence and enjoyed the bites as I devoured the pies and calzone - each bite was a reminder of when you stick to your roots and don't sell out, your food will equally shine through. Honestly, it reminded my wife and I of Italy & Greece and the simplicity and love we found with every meal. Simply put - this place is like a masterclass in when you "keep it simple stupid" you achieve great things. The fact that they consistently put out pies that are of the same quality is even more impressive. Truly an elite restaurant. Great ingredients, staying simple, and keeping it real will easily create a great experience for the customer - they've nailed this. Definitely make a trip here, by far the best pie in the land. 5 stars doesn't do it justice and I'm not exaggerating on that. What we ordered for 4 adults: 1 Large traditional pie (standard Margherita and a must have) 1 Large traditional pie with hot peppers, peppers and onions on half and half fresh garlic 1 Small calzone with hot peppers, peppers and onions on half and half fresh garlic It is cash only as a fyi and byob for alcohol beverages - they've got the normal gambit of sodas and water. For 4 adults, we legit only had half a slice left. Thanks for great experience Lucali's - look forward to coming back one day!

The quality of the ingredients is what really makes this pizza shine. I ate half of pizza myself without feeling bloated afterward haha. My only critique is the pizza crust is too crispy; it’s definitely not a chewy pizza. So worth the hype and worth the wait. Come an hour before it opens, put your name down on the reservation list, and enjoy spectacular pizza.

Everyone hypes this pizza up so much that even I bought into it. Yes the basil is pretty nice on the pizza. The sauce and the cheese are good but not mind blowing. The pizza had a decent crisp and the slight char was good. The atmosphere is pretty great in the restaurant if you snag a spot. I had to wait 2 hours in the rain for that spot so I was very excited when I took my first bite but I quickly came down to earth and realized how ordinary the pizza was. You can find a lot of similar quality in queens and Brooklyn pizzerias except they don't have the hype behind it(or the super long lines). In any case, I've given up on NY pizza after trying this "must try pizza". I stand by that sallys and modern appizza in new haven is a better pizza. I had to wait half as long but the wait was worth it because the pizza met expectations and then some. Chicago pizza also does more interesting stuff with Giordano's, lou magnati's. As a life long New Yorker i hate to admit but ny pizza is just ok and this is another entry in the string of just ok pizzas. By the way, the calzone is way better than the pizza. Get that instead.

Lucali is a MUST-VISIT restaurant in all of New York City. I know their pizza is why people come here, but I would argue their calzone is EVEN better! The service feels so intimate, I shook the hand of the owner myself. Fresh ingredients, no onion and garlic (for those that are allium-sensitive), and a great flavor.

With the likes of Jay Z, Beyonce, David Beckham... just to name a few - some may say that Lucali is the hardest table to get in the city. Taking no reservation, or takeout calls certainly adds to its mystique. Thus, how does one eat at Lucali's?? THE TRICK IS... to show up around 4PM, about 1 hour before they open and wait in line to get dibs on table time slots. Same rules apply for those looking for takeout. On my random day there, David Beckham's son Brooklyn pulled up to eat with his wife.

Went here on Thursday 11/16. Was first in line at 2pm. They didn’t start taking reservations until 4:20pm. Pros : It’s BYOB. Pizza was a classic NY style and it was delicious. Their ingredients are fresh and you can taste the quality. Saying that , I don’t think it is worth traveling to or waiting in line for. Con : It’s cash only. Not worth waiting in line for. Please note they take reservations by the hour and you have only an hour to eat your dinner. So if you have a 6pm reservation, you have to leave by 7pm! We hated that!!! I waited in line for 2.5 hours and I had to get pushed out of the restaurant by 7pm. It was my birthday and I just felt robbed and rushed through the whole experience. At least give us 1.5 hours to eat?!? It just felt like they had no respect for the customers. Therefore , we won’t be coming back nor would we recommend it. My favorite pizza spot if I had to choose one in the NY metro area would be Brooklyn Pizza in Hackensack, NJ. Hands down. The folks there just know how to make unbelievable pizza.

We got there at 4 and there was a line, and found out it was byob. So I left my friends and walked to the small grocery store at the end of the block to get s6 pack of beer. When I got back my friends were sitting down outside, and told me it was a hour before we could put out to go order in and our reservations were at 10.i thought to myself this must be really good for anyone to wait that long, I waited 30min and decided to get up and walk to a cantina near by, at that time the hostess ran to the end of the block to catch us and tell us that some one canceled and she had a place for us. It was as was t the best by far NYC style pizza I have ever had, and the calzone was unbelievable, and I usually don’t like calzone. After my experience there my opinion it’s definitely worth the wait, the service was incredibly, they were making the pies in front of us, incredibly over all experience.

Omg! The best pizza and oh so worth the hype. The staff is really very nice and not rude. Follow the system and you will be extremely happy with your experience. Get there by 3.30 put your name down on the list by 4.15 come back at the designated time, wait for maybe five ten mins, enjoy the most amazing pizza. Yes they could have make this an online system, but regardless it's worth is. The super fresh ingredients make the pizza so amazing. Make the effort to get there, it is so worth it. 🍕🍕