When I first arrived in 2004, there was not much to eat here, perhaps one of the only edible food at the time for me was the pizza at Salvatores (2nd floor in the vicinity of Roadhouse/Angelewitch).

Wind the clock ahead 10 years later, Sal is dead, their food hasn't been edible since, but there's plenty of choices for decent Italian food (i.e. commonly thought of as Italian by many non-Italians that is).

At the $$$ end, Piccolo Padre Restaurant in Queens hotel. Prices are high here but except for one or two other places, service and ambiance here was excellent. Okay wine selection as well. In terms of the food, I personally don't think it warrants the price (YMMV) but it's dependent on the occasion and one's wallet. That's not to say the food was bad, could be much better.


On Fields, there's a couple Pizza choices:

The best is at Gotham Cafe (Grand Central). Hand rolled dough, decent sauce and mozzarella prepared up until 2AM or until supplies last. They can be a little light on the sauce, so I request a "little extra sauce" and it comes out right. Price is 350p for a 14" cheese, 199p for a 10" cheese (good for eating solo). Service is typically decent except when busy and you need to be for active in getting the waitstaff's attention. The offer a 10% discount with PIAT as well. Offer pizza regular crust and thin crust (upon request). While thinner is better in terms of pizza, their regular crust isn't too thick and I haven't found a place here that does thin crust to my expectations (I order regular crust).

The cafe outside Centauros, serves a think crust pizza and it open until around 4AM. It's not bad if you have the munchies post barhop (I don't complain about anywhere serving pizza at 4AM when drunk), but in terms of pizza quality - it's more of a time play. Crust is prepared in advance, sauce is edible, but not good, and cheese is okay. It's owned by a German, so they have some other food here as well as a couple Filipino dishes. Good people viewing spot and reasonable prices.

Tequila Reef - pizza here isn't worth the space in one's stomach.

Salvatore's - pizza here isn't worth the space in one's stomach.

Paradise Beer Garden and Philies - better than TR and Salvatores, but that's doesn't say much. Don't recommend ordering pizza here (or the food) unless your famished and legs were cut off.

Off Fields:

Many choices for Italian away from Fields that serve up some basic Italian fare or Pizza (ordered closest to farthest). Here's the one's the come to mind immediately:

Al Bacio - decent all around choice for Italian food. Good ambiance. Note: Pizza a little on the dry side (light on sauce), but crust is good. Sauce base dishes reasonable quality and taste. Note the tack on a 10% service charge to your bill automatically.


AmoreMio - comparable pizza to Al Bacia at a better price. Nice ambiance out back and serve a variety of dishes (more varied menu than Al Bacio). Also light on the sauce as well, so have them add a little extra. Excellent value. Good service.

Xtremely Xpresso SM - little $$$ for the quality, but decent food if at the mall. Pizza is hand rolled and decent assuming service is up to snuff that day. Variety of menu items.

Sbarro SM - at SM and part of the Sbarro chain in the USA. If you need a slice AND there's a freshly cooked pie coming out of the oven (vs slices sitting out for an hour or two), then hits the spot.


Tony Js - likely my #1 recommendation in AC; just before the bridge as you turn onto Friendship Hwy on right. Owned by an Italian friend from Miami. Pizza is solid as are all the dishes. If you want lasagna, this is the place in AC. Not pretentious and simple restaurant, but clean, service is good, and prices quite reasonable for a hearty serving size. 10% off for PIAT or AE. They deliver as well , most usually within 45 minutes from your call to your door.

Paizanos Pizzeria - (hensenville) served some decent penne, pizza, etc up until there were sold. Shit now.

New York Supreme - Macarthur hwy (across from Savers mall). Popular place, decent pizza. If you a LOT of cheese on your pizza/heavier, this is a solid choice. Personally, I like lighter, less gut busting.

C'Italian - now relocated in Clark (near the old immigration building). If you like Piccolo Padre, then you should try here as well. As with Piccolo Padre, a bit pretentious and overpriced for the quality, but many people like it.


If anyone is looking for a specific dish or style, let me know.

I quite like Yellow Cab Pizza as well.

In fact I prefer it to Tony J's but that's my taste.
Now for lasagna Tony J's the best in AC by a mile. Better than most US Italian restaurants I have been to.

Ya, there are all kinds of chain/cookie cutter pizza/other places that sell pizza:

- yellow cab: frozen dough that was pressed
- pizza hut: imho garbage in the US, let alone the PI
- bretto prestige: sauce and cheese on a flatbread for $$
- kokomoz - can't cook a pizza to save their life
- shakeys
- greenwich at SM
- terrace grill, was ok when it was azzuro, but has since gone to shit in terms of pizza Another place that can't figure out how to cook a pie.

Yellow Cab, Greenwich, and Shakey are all about the same quality. Kind of like the dominos of the PI (not in terms of style but relative quality).

Summary:

In terms of pizza, none of them are going to come close to what's in Boston or New York, but it's good enough to satisfy almost anyone considering the part of the world we're in and better than a fair amount of Americana. Grand Central, Al Bacio, and Amore Mio are all around the same ballpark in terms of quality. All are typically a little light on the sauce and could benefit by having them add a little more. Besides that, decent hand rolled crust, light, and decent quality cheese. Amore Mio stands out as the value (199p).

Subs- (meatball w/ moz, etc) - Grand Central.

Lasagna and other common ital-american dishes - Tony Js, who also has a pretty good pizza. Not my favorite of the bunch either, but solid choice.

Italian seafood/Mediterranean type fare - Piccalo Padre or C'italian (not my cup of tea). I did eat the lasagna at Padre's and I far prefer Tony J's.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, Don Marco. I also think Tony J's is a great addition in AC, and they deliver to perimeter bars, which I have tried several times and it always hits the spot.

I will try the lasagna next time -- haha, you guys made me head to AC for the food!

I also like Yellow Cab and would definitely not lump Yellow Cab in with Greenwich, which is some gross local distortion of pizza, or Shakeys, who pride themselves as being like the Golden Corral standard of food in the PI.

Located just past checkpoint, near Eruptions Bar, it's a decent restaurant, classier than most of AC -- authentic Italian menu, wine choices abound. Their pizza is Euro style, and I love it. Haven't tried the other dishes, but they have an extensive menu.

Prices -- p300+ for a meal. If you spend 1000 you will likely leave stuffed and drunk.

I'll be creating a thread for Italian food/restaurants tomorrow. You may want to copy, paste, and delete once created (i'll include al bacio in the reviews/comments as well).