Lucia Pizza Of UES — Restaurant in New York

New York is a city that’ll chew you up and spit you out. But every now and then, if you’re lucky, it tosses you a gift—no frills, no fanfare, just honest-to-God flavor on a paper plate. Enter Lucia, Upper East Side—no gimmicks, no hype, just crust, sauce, and a revelation that makes you question every drunken slice you’ve ever settled for.

I walk in skeptical, as one must be in this city of dollar-slice charlatans and crust crimes against humanity. But then I see it: the marinara slice. Naked but confident. No cheese to hide behind. Just sauce, garlic, and basil, like a Sinatra tune stripped down to a single trumpet and a glass of rye.

The crust—dear God—the crust. It’s blistered in all the right places, fermented within an inch of its life, a delicate balance of chew and crunch. It speaks of time, of patience, of someone giving a damn. And the sauce? Not some sugary ketchup slop. This is red gold—bright, acidic, layered with enough garlic to make your Nonna weep from the grave.

The cheese slice is no slouch either—showered with aged parm and kissed with the kind of char that only comes from a steel deck and a seasoned hand. But the marinara? That’s the sermon. That’s the truth. No mozzarella safety net. Just sauce, crust, basil, and conviction.

Wash it down with a can of Brooklyn Best Peach Iced Tea—“not too sweet,” like a good insult in a Bensonhurst card game—and for a moment, you’re not just fed. You’re right with the world.

Lucia’s isn’t just pizza. It’s a reminder that sometimes, when the city’s noise gets too loud, there’s still a joint out there serving humility, soul, and something damn near sacred—one...

Listen. All of y'all up in here crowing about how the UES finally has a good slice shop...calm yourselves. Lucia has really good pizza, don't get me wrong, but it's a particular kind of place. I still prefer Mimi's for a relaxed, non-cumbersome pie that you could grab on the way home or on the way out.

It's tryhard pizza, going super hard, when you're feeling a little something special for dinner. Very tasty, yes. But for me at least, the pizza is super heavy. They use multiple kinds of cheese, some of which are very salty. The non-plain slices are indeed all dripping with flavor. Practically that actually means bona-fide dripping, with extra condiments or even just oil. It's good if you're craving pizza that does the most.

And the crust. Okay, sure it doesn't have a flop. But I think it's almost too substantial. It has body, it has a crunch, there's no elasticity. It's giving toast. Hold it up and it will extend perpendicular to your hand like cantilevered modern architecture. Compared to a simpler slice, sans flop but with some chew, after eating two I feel overly full.

My ideal NYC slice shop is somewhere you can pop into, have a bite, and go about your day. Lucia's requires planning cause I sure would not want to dash for the train after this meal.

To those who ignore the decades-old mainstays of Mimi's and Roma's in your UES pizza cartography, fine. We're all transplants these days, who am I to throw stones from glass houses on 3rd. Lucia's has a lot to offer. But it's not the only good pizza around, people. And it's not enough to satisfy all pizza needs all the time for the entire...

Stopped into Lucia NY UES last week post work — had never been there before and wanted to check it out. Each time I’d walked by it, I noticed how busy it was. So, I figured that I should give it a try, and find out what it’s all about.

Well, my goodness: I’m so glad that I dared to stop inside. The service was both friendly and efficient — even though there was quite a line inside around 6:30 PM (dinner rush)! I got a mushroom slice, and it was nothing short of fabulous!

Also, I’m sorry that I didn’t get the name of the young man who rang me up at the front (I usually ask); but tbh, there was such a line behind me that I thought that asking his name and being chatty would be a hindrance to great service, at that moment. Though wish to mention that he greeted me with a warm smile — despite the pizza rush hour, if you will — and that counts for a whole lot.

In summary, the vibe was right, the pizza was spot on (so chewy and delicious), and I would for sure return. And maybe they standardize their pricing or whatever, but for the UES, I thought it was an affordable bite (namely given the quality of it). Thanks for an awesome pizza experience, new friends!

In Italian...