Founded in 1976 on Arthur Avenue, which is known for legendary Italian cuisine in the Bronx, NY; this spot is technically the preeminent corner pizzeria on Arthur Ave by default since most of the other restaurants focus on other Italian fare aside from pizza pies. If you’re going to represent pizza in this neighborhood, you’ve got to bring it much harder than this to earn your spot here. The complete opposite of Artisan pizza, this is super large, assembly line, stuffed in the box, below average, generic-tasting, Fordham area football pizza. Aesthetically displeasing, this is a sloshy, soupy, sliding, sloppy mess of a pie. And sadly, the ingredients are actually worse than this pizza looks. Despite the soft appearance, the dough is actually crispier than I anticipated, with a surprisingly crunchy texture. While the undercarriage is firm, it’s smothered in semolina seeds, creating a sandpaper-like feeling with a flavorless & unpleasant sandy, gritty consistency. Along with a boringly bland taste, the crust is fairly crunchy but has a stale, dried out texture. If the dough wasn’t a big enough disaster, the cheese is a thick layer of chewy, rubbery, unappealing, low quality, shredded mozzarella with a bubble gum-like consistency & funky flavor. Each bite takes about 10 minutes to fully chew. I wish I could properly evaluate the sauce but I’m still searching for it; all I can taste is a greasy conglomeration of excess oil with a salty flavor and no sign of a tomato sauce blend. This was a very disappointing pizza to say the least, despite nonexistent expectations. A good pizzeria should thrive & flourish here among the incredible Italian culinary giants of Arthur Ave. Unfortunately, this is unappetizing bodega/dollar slice pizza that doesn’t belong in this section of the Bronx. I hate to give such a negative review but I would hope they take this as constructive criticism to overhaul their operation and create a pizza worthy of this location in the Bronx’s version of Little Italy.
