NYC PIZZA KITCHEN — Restaurant in New York

Like a lot of places, it's overpriced and NOT worth it. I can accept higher than normal prices with the way commercial rents are and I am very willing to pay extra, as long as the food and service are at least good. Here you will get bad food and a rude childish staff. I ordered a $12 pepperoni roll... I waited long enough for it to at least be hot.. I handed my bag and went to my car. I opened the bag, and it looked like it was made yesterday.. However It was COLD, AND RAW inside, the cheese wasn't even melted. I brought it back in and said that to the gentleman at the counter, he looked at it and said "ok do you want something else or what?" I said no thank you I think I'll go somewhere else, the guy who "heated it up" Came over, said something nasty in spanish, proceeded to crumple up the bag and throw it on the floor, he threw a tantrum like a 3 year old... I did get a refund.. To the staff and owner, don't assume you can speak in a different language (especially spanish that is so widely spoken in this city) and assume the stupid customer doesn't understand, if you're going to charge $12 for a pepperoni roll, COOK IT, NO REILLY COOK IT and preferably on the same day you plan to sell it, don't have a fit and throw things on the floor like a child when someone, EXTREMELY POLITELY mind you, asks for a refund for UNTOUCHED FOOD. If you let your staff treat the people who live in the neighborhood like this you will only get the after bar crowd at 2am on the weekends. I live across the street and I am going to make SURE I TELL EVERYONE I KNOW from my 14 years living ACROSS the street to NEVER go there. I own a business and I WOULD BE ASHAMED OF MYSELF if a customer of mine was...

While it’s called NYC Pizza Kitchen this place has more than just pizza. It’s got some really good deserts and meals that are pretty tasty. Love the vibe and the place is conveniently located. Having said that I think the industrial steel oven they use just makes the pizzas the way they are. What you see is what you get. I don’t think it’s possible to get a char or a taste like Wood or Coal fire and that’s ok but hopefully the owner sees and understands the pizza just won’t be an 8 or up pizza score with that style. I personally think it’s good for what it is. Of course there is better pizza but I think the specialty pizzas are also pretty decent. Specialty is way better than the cheese they shell out.

Overall I will say this to the owners

Work on fine tuning the oven to get a greater crisp on the pizza. The crust could use some serious work.

Try and make the dough less doughy and have more of that classic New York style pizza crunch.

Perhaps use a water softener? If they don’t have one I would invest in one. Could make the dough better. Tap water just doesn’t cut it.

Don’t change the deserts they are perfect.

Don’t fire any kitchen staff. Just train them and put some extra hours in after closing to refine your cooking methods. Work together and teach the pizza makers what pizza can be. Bring them to some high class establishments in New York or New Haven and let them get knowledge of how to cook it just right even with a conventional metal oven.

I certainly will be back to this place but they just need a little extra devotion and practice in the kitchen to really make this place a 5 star. Hope they make some changes and the owner sees this message. Keep up...

Update

While my review of the pizza remains the same due to a general lack of consistency and pricey slices, I've added a star because of the exceptional desserts & baked goods they've got on hand, too. The cannolis are huge and rich (cream cheese filling, not ricotta, so it can be a bit too heavy if eaten all at once) and have lots of crunchy mini-chocolate chips garnishing either end.

But the multi-berry cheesecake is absolutely spectacular. The slice was the size of a planet and has a fluffy, almost effervescent creaminess to it with the most subtle hint of lemon that defines the dessert's lightness.

The cheesecake alone garnered the additional star. It can't be missed!

..... Don't get me wrong: This spot does have some great slices. The white pizza in particular is mighty tasty.

But the red sauce on the cheese slice is a bit too sweet for me, and the chicken bacon ranch slice is absolutely delicious -- but not consistent (my last time there, my slice had but a whisper of ranch.)

The spot is pricey, too, at almost $6 for the CBR slice. It's open late, which is great, and right down my block. But if you're willing to walk a few extra minutes down 3rd Ave, you'll find better -- and cheaper -- pizza at La Vera...