Rustic Pizza & Pasteria — Restaurant in New York

First let me preface this by saying : no one is more qualified to write a review on Rustic than myself 🤣. I’ve been a day one customer from the Lincoln Avenue opening to this very day. I’ve ordered almost every pie and appetizer over the years. Let’s dissect this place.

First off the new location which took over the beloved Hillside Market location on Richmond Road, tough shows to fill. Instead of the Island-wide Chinese takeover grabbing up the vacant business, we were lucky enough for it to facilitate the Rustic expansion! The lot, while cramped, provides enough space for several vehicles. The interior is unrecognizable from the previous tenant. It doesn’t take its self too seriously, featuring tomato cans for lighting fixtures and sheet metal siding. Booths are way more comfortable than they look. It’s obvious this place didn’t copy any existing competitors like Deninos or Campana etc. Nice to finally see some originality on Staten Island for a change.

I ordered both Stuffed Mushrooms and Truffle Rice Balls for appetizers. Both were prepared to perfection. The mushrooms sat in a zesty, citrusy, brown broth which didn’t make them soggy and was perfect to spoon on top of the crusty breading. They were excellent. Among the best on the Island. Next were the riceballs which were exceptional. Crusty on the outside with steamy, cheesy rice within. While the truffle flavor wasn’t very detectable, they were delicious. The only riceballs I’ve had that can compare are Novelli’s famous Prosciutto riceballs on Amboy and Clarke. Both appetizers knocked it out of the park. In my humble opinion, appetizer preparation has always been a weak point of Rustic’s delivery. I’ve ordered the Italian Egg Rolls multiple times only to have them delivered very underprepared. The outside pale and doughy and the sausage looking pinkish and undercooked. Having ordered delivery and had dine-in today, they seem to have maybe corrected this problem since the move. I didn’t have the guts to order the IERs since the last botched order but I know these two apps were scrumptious today. Let’s judge on the present.

I ordered both a Malibu Bay Breeze and “Pepsi”. The Malibu was prepared to absolute perfection. I am a snob for my summertime fave and the bartender absolutely nailed it. It was adorned with a perfectly cut, fresh, glistening orange circle. As a pizza aficionado, I am shocked when a ‘ria only offers Pepsi. Coca Cola is the standard accompaniment with a fine pizza. This is all beside the point because the “Pepsi” couldn’t have possibly been Pepsi but rather a Tropical Fantasy or other cheap tap alternative. I’m EXTREMELY picky for soda quality and taste but this was completely awful. I’m glad that otherworldly Malibu Bay Breeze was able to make the save. Please consider nice bubbly, effervescent Coca Cola alternative.

On to the pie. The one offering that has always made Rustic special to me is the incredible Lobster & Shrimp pie. Made from a base of their equally delicious Lobster & Shrimp Bisque. The first thing you’ll notice is the generous amount of lobster meat, both claw and lump. The meat alone is buttery and savory. If you’re a lobster fan you will be blown away by the quality of the flavor. There’s just enough cheese to keep it structurally-sound and formidable. The crust was WAY BETTER in-person than delivery. Something just is lost in the quality of delivering any pizza, that’s universal, not Rustic’s fault. The crust was perfectly flaky and light within. It also should be mentioned that the pie is served on a hot stone that maintains the temperature of the pizza. This reminded me of the season of Curb Your Enthusiasm when Larry was opening the restaurant. Any owner that pays attention to details like this is a blessing to food service. Anywhoozle back to the pie. The shrimp is often not fully cooked as it’s usually within a bisque. It’s not undercooked but I would like to see more color on it. A slight dichotomy between the lobster and shrimp preparation. Again this is severe nitpicking.

I highly recommend...

This is my new go to for pizza and pasta and now for catering as well. Their pizza is amazing. I had the Vodka slice, buffalo Chicken, Margarita slice, and white slice with a cream sauce and artichokes. All were over the top amazing. I've had their buffalo chicken roll, chicken parm roll and their Special Rustic Roll. They were filled with tons of chicken or meat and packed with huge flavor. Their spicy vodka sauce is the best ever and the chicken Parm is saucy and delicious. They have these garlic knots that are buttery, garlicky with just the right amount of Parmesan cheese on top. So so good and pillowy. For New Years Eve I got their catering. Four 1/2 trays of Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Rollatini, Penne with a Spicy Vodka sauce, and Chicken Parm. There was soooo much food. All the meals were cooked to perfection. Everyone that ate it was asking where I got it from. They even threw in a tray of garlic knots which everyone loved. I will be gng there for ever now and also recommending them to anyone who asks. Oh yeah, their meatballs are delicious, tender and flavorful as well. Amazing food, great portions and excellent prices. My only wish would be that they were more of restaurant where you could bring a family or friends to eat. They do have an eating area, but it's more for grabbing a slice and sitting then for a full 4 course sit down dinner. But for now, I'm ecstatic to have such an great pizzeria in the neighborhood with amazingly...

Based on all of the hype, I was excited to try Rustic Pizza, but I have to say I was a little disappointed.

We started with fried zucchini (cooked like shoestring potatoes) - which was great!

My friend had the penne in a sage brown butter with salsicce & pistachio and the personal pan-sized prosciutto & fig pizza, which she liked.

I had a non-traditional white clam pie made with paper thin slices of potatoes & bacon. I wasn’t crazy about it because the smokiness of the bacon overwhelmed the flavor of the pie. But kudos to them that they use fresh clams.

I would’ve preferred to get a personal pan-sized pizza, but they only make them with the thicker crust and I prefer a thin pizza.

On their cocktail menu they offer a variety of Negronis. I tried the Figroni, a Negroni enhanced with fig puree - just a little too sweet for me.

I don’t know our server’s name, but he was really great, very helpful with questions about the menu.

The place is absolutely adorable but it kind of missed the mark for me, especially in a place like Staten Island where there’s lots of good pizza options to...