Lombardo's of Bay Ridge

Not usually mentioned with the Brooklyn big shots, this stone flamed, brick oven, artisan pizza is quickly gaining notoriety as a must-try BK pie. Very similar in the way that Ignazio’s flies under the radar in proximity to Grimaldi’s, Lombardo’s is equally sneaky excellent. The sauce is the absolute superstar of the pie: sweet, tangy, bursting with flavor and mouth-watering deliciousness. The cheese is spectacularly fresh mozzarella, perfectly melted, delectably creamy with outstanding consistency. Working in beautiful harmony, the cheese & sauce combine for a taste explosion only to be enhanced by wonderfully fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. Each pie is hand-made and uniquely shaped imperfect circles, with fluffy soft dough, thickish and fairly heavy, made with that great NYC water that gives each pie an incredible flavor you can’t get anywhere else. The crust is also thick & doughy but still terrifically delicious. From a taste and flavor standpoint, this pie rates in the 9s. The only factor keeping this pizza on the cusp of achieving greatness is the lack of crisp. Everything about this pie is exceptional; it just needs some crisping to reach legendary status. A little more time in the oven or slightly thinner dough and you’ve got a pizza that challenges the best in NYC. As it stands, this is a great overall pie, worth traveling long distances for and has the potential to be even better than this score.