Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen | Windmill Marketplace — Restaurant in Clovis

My mom is a huge pizza lover and this place was a pretty big disappointment for both of us. I got the Tortellini Brodo, Italian Deli Sandwich, and a small pizza (New York Village).

Surprisingly the simple and overpriced soup was the item I enjoyed the most. It's 8$ and is just boiled chicken, spinach, tomatoes and some ravioli filled with cheese. The soup is just water, salt, black pepper with the boiled chicken for flavor. Super simple but barely a ok.

The Italian Deli Sandwich was nice on presentation but for some reason the dressing on the lettuce had a foul smell. It smelled like wet shoes and after barely finishing a fourth of the sandwich. I couldn't stomach it anymore. I tried to eat the meats to get my moneys worth but couldn't because of the odor.

Then the New York Village arrived and was a nice change of view until I tried to serve it for my mom and me. The toppings and cheese slipped right off the pizza. It seemed like the toppings and pizza dough were one of their own entities. They were not coherent like a pizza and cheese sound be... But besides that how about the taste? It tasted like a frozen pizza. The top dough of the pizza was wet and bottom was a bit crusty/hard. You'd expect some fluff between biting from the top of the pizza to the bottom but there was just air followed by a cardboard bottom. If I'd had to paint a imagine of eating this its like eating the bubble wraps you put on items on top of a cardboard box. Thats the closest thing I can compare the texture of the pizza. But it was edible for the most part.

I don't know how this place can fail to chain pizza restaurants especially with a title like "New York Pizzeria," but maybe this is how New York pizza is supposed to taste? I've never had or been to new york, so maybe its supposed to be like this. But if this is New York then I'd choose my chain restaurants over this...

Russo's New York Pizzeria in Clovis? Oh yeah -- that's my spot. Been coming here almost since day one, and let me tell you, it's still hitting all the right notes.

This place may be small, but it's spotless, cozy, and just feels good to walk into. And the staff? You won't find any bored counter stares here -- they actually greet you when you walk in. Friendly, helpful, and ready to guide you through their menu like culinary sherpas.

Now let's talk about the main event: Spaghetti with Italian sausage in Chianti Braised Meat sauce. Honestly, it should come with a warning label -- "May cause spontaneous happy dancing." The pasta? Cooked to perfect al dente. The sauce? Rich, bold, not watery (looking at you, sad chain restaurants). And the sausage? Packed with flavor and perfectly sliced. It all comes together like a tiny Italian opera on a plate -- dramatic, satisfying, unforgettable.

It's so good, I've tried recreating it at home... and failed miserably. So now I just dream about it between visits. And when it shows up on that colorful plate? Oh my gosh!

Their pizza's no slouch either -- crispy crust, great toppings, total win. The menu's big, the service is warm, and they even check in mid-meal like they actually care (because they do).

If I had to nitpick? Maybe toss in some bread and butter or a little salad to round things out. But honestly, I'd still come back without it.

So yeah, FIVE stars -- and I'd give it SIX if I could. Go get that spaghetti. You'll...

We ordered a couple of slices of pizza and the chicken parmesan to go. I ordered my slice with Margherita toppings and my hubby ordered pepperoni. I thought that our pizza slices would be on the soggy side by the time we got home because we had to to take care of a couple things before we ate. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the pizza was still nice and crisp...and absolutely delicious! Do you see how big that slice is?! I put my mouse and the place of chicken Parm next to it so you can see how big that slice really is. My husband and I both really like chicken parmesan and were more than surprised at how delicious this was. It is different from every chicken parmesan we've had anywhere. All the flavors that you want are there... it's just better!

If I would have to find something about it would be that I would have liked it to have more chicken. I'm used to it having twice the amount of chicken... But I'd rather have this than what I've had at my lifelong-favorite, local Italian restaurant, because this is better. It's fresher. It's not heavy. It's not greasy. It's also not overly spiced. It's just...