This spot opened in 2022, sprung from backyard brick oven pizzas by head chef & owner Salvatore Carlino during the pandemic. The ability to make pizza is in Sal’s blood, as his parents owned & operated Papa Leones in Sheepshead Bay for over 40 years until their retirement. Lucia is the Latin word for “light;” and that’s exactly what this pie is, light, thin & airy. Fancier than a standard football pizza, this is a good-looking pie, gussied up with fresh basil & shredded pecorino atop, aesthetically pleasing in the shape of an imperfect circle, which lets you know this is handmade artisan pizza, not a cookie-cutter assembly line pie. The dough is delightfully crispy & fantastically firm with zero flop. While the texture is terrific, the taste is a little flat, giving off gluten free vibes, particularly the crust which is incredibly crunchy but very dry & mealy, a little too thick & bland. The cheese is very rigid & tight, more cratered than creamy or oozy with a consistency on par with a bar pie, lacking a melty flow. The mixture of mozzarella & pecorino forms a very sharp & pungent flavor, distinct & delicious. In line with the rest of the pizza, the sauce is also light & slightly subdued with a more understated sweetness; certainly savory & modestly seasoned, the lower volume matches the thin dough & moderate amount of cheese. All of the ingredients are quality but don’t shine as brightly as the texture in contrast to the taste. Overall, this is very solid, sharp-looking, neighborhood pizza with uniquely light dough that comes up short on flavor but is more than compensated by tasty cheese & sauce. Not as filling as typical BK football pizza but very satisfying in its own way, just not quite travel-worthy.
