Pizzeria Baci — Restaurant in Town of Cortlandt

After 50 reviews and counting of pizzerias on the One Bite app across the tri-state area—in and around NYC but mostly Westchester—I can say on some authority this is the best pizza in Northern Westchester.

Let's define Northern Westchester as everything above White Plains. Baci's goes to bat and wins against Locali's (Mount Kisco), Mario's Pizza and Pasta (Mount Kisco), Mario's Wood Fired (Mahopac/Carmel), Gleason's (Peekskill), Paradise Pizza (Verplanck), Wood and Fire (Pleasantville), Arthur Avenue Wood Fired (Pleasantville), and all the run of the mill slice joints and wood fired Neapolitan and nicer brick oven restaurants serving New York style. Think of Baci's as like a baby DiFara's North.

So why is it the best? Flavor and artisanal quality. You can't get everything from Detriot style to Napolitana to Sicilian to Roman Focaccia to New York style to Grandma and more all in one place.

Take even just their standard New York style pie. You don't just get low moisture mozzerella, you get fresh mozzarella, basil, Alta Cucina tomatoes, and shaved parmigiana reggiano on it. The Avenue J, my favorite, you get the works: San Marzano tomatoes, basil, grana padano, olive oil, fresh mozzarella, low moisture mozzerella, on an aerated crispy charred crust.

Trust me, you won't get as tasty a pizza at your favorite gas oven New York style pizzeria you hear people swear "it's the best". In reality those places aren't dramatically different from each other.

Now Baci's does have it's quirks as a pizzeria. 1) You can dine in…but outside in the spring, summer, or fall. There's a few outdoor tables. 2) They mostly don't sell pizza by the slice, although sometimes they do. 3) They don't consistently deliver. 4) Chris, while being passionate, charitable, and caring, gets intense and can be temperamental under stress. I've seen customers get put on blast on social media and seen customers hung up on. 5) Baci's is a one man show. Yes, he has staff but he makes every pie. I've seen a bunch of different people working there over the year or so I've known about them.

With all that said, he's a good guy and has been giving even just to me personally. I recommend ordering takeout or going for dine in outdoors when the weather is good.

Final word, I think Baci's is the diamond of the north but deserves to rank on the list of the best and most noted places in Westchester, down county: Johnny's, Frank Pepe's, La Rosa's, Patsy's, 4 Bro's, Sal's in Mamaroneck, etc. He...

Every once in a rare while you might find something so exceptional that it changes an entire genre. I did. It's name is Baci Pizzeria. And I don't think pizza will ever be the same for me.

The pizzas here are like nothing I've ever had, all made with a high-hydration sourdough and allowed to rise far longer than usual. Those long, slow steps take extra time and effort, but create an unusually flavorful dough that turns good into extraordinary. That seems to be how pizza begins at Baci.

We tried two different pies this trip. A basic round pie with soppressata, red sauce, mozzarella, and hot honey. Plus a Detroit style square with prosciutto and arugula. There's no question we'll be back for the others and whatever may pop up on their Special of the Week menus.

The crust of this round pie is fairly thin, a bit chewy, and flavorful enough to be its own happy event. The red sauce is reduced almost to a jam, pushing the acidity of the tomatoes toward an intensified umami. The result is incredible and I haven't even finished my first bite.

That basic deliciousness is topped with a bit of mozzarella and just enough hot honey to announce that this is something different. And the result is somewhere between WOW and WONDERFUL. As I said, like nothing else.

That round pie looked a bit small at first and the toppings seemed minimal. And yet this may be the most opulent slice of pizza I have ever eaten....

The I got to the Detroit square and my knees were knocking in joy... That's the pie I want to take with me to eternity.

Only an inch or so tall and barely five inches wide it may seem small at first glance. Don't be fooled. All the goodness has been condensed into this astonishing little masterpiece. The dough takes center stage here and prosciutto adds a richness that's balanced by the sharp tang of arugula.

That's the key to almost everything here - balance. Every tiny addition adds to the whole without overpowering it.... The result is consistently stunning.

For now, Baci is takeout only. Order online or expect a longish wait because this really is the antithesis of fast food. Long lines haven't started yet but I suspect that'll change as word gets out.

There is simply nothing else like this amazing eatery. The small room was already stacked floor to ceiling with empty pizza boxes waiting to be filled. I joked that it looked like enough to last a long long time. "Oh no," said the young man folding and stacking the boxes, "they'll be gone by...

Let me first say, I wanted to love this place. I really did. As a pizza connoisseur, after the hype I'd heard I wanted this to be my new favorite place. Northern Westchester is severely lacking in extremely good pizza. Let's start with the good:

When you walk in, you notice the place is plastered with homage after homage toward some of the best pizza places NY has to offer. They even go out of their way to ensure that you're going to enjoy their pizza as fresh as possible. You've got to appreciate that.

The ingredients are an A+. The pizza looks incredible. It is essentially a cross between my two favorite spots of all time: Lucali and Di Fara (both in Brooklyn). They are making every effort to create some really special. The style of pizza is my absolute favorite.

The bad: I can't totally put my finger on it, but something is off. I think it's in the fermentation process. My wife and I both detected the same sort of sour, bitter flavor. It was too much. I'm sure these great places are fermenting their dough, but this flavor was off-putting. I honestly think if they figured that out, this would be the best pizza in the county. I think it could potentially compete with the best of NYC and New Haven. It also upset our stomachs a little bit.

Worth trying, and on the cusp (with the possible input of a small change) of being amazing. Lots and lots of respect to the owner who is clearly trying harder than anyone to make...