D'Cocco's — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

My review of D'Cocco's pizza began almost 50 years ago when I went on a grade school field trip to Manhattan. I don't remember where we went for the school trip, but I vividly remember my first NYC pizza slice experience. It would define my pizza preferences for the rest of my life.

Finding these classic traditional slices was routine 20-30 years ago. Maybe it's the too-common use of cheaper ingredients or having the market flooded with anything being allowed to be called NY pizza, but over the years, these traditional slices have become harder to find and experience.

Enter D'Cocco's Pizza.

Immediately, I could see the superior quality of their slices through the glass. I felt like I had found a $100 bill on the floor. I decided on a full spectrum of slices: a Neapolitan, Sicilian, and a Grandma's. I would have been ecstatic if just one of the three upheld the century-old tradition of NY Pizza slices.

I should preface my unusual enthusiasm by letting you know I am a type one (insulin-dependent) diabetic. I wouldn't say pizza is poison to me (well, maybe the California versions), but it's certainly not healthy.

All risks aside, I took my first bite of the Neapolitan. I closed my eyes and was instantly brought back to my childhood when I first fell in love with NYC street pizza. The crust was perfect - crispy and firm. The mozzarella melted into the sauce, and if you were to tip the slice on a downward 45-degree angle, you would see their high-quality olive oil, slightly reddened by the sauce, drip onto the plate. I had another bite just to make sure I wasn't being too overexuberant, and I wasn't disappointed again.

Next, I tried the Sicilian slice. I was gifted a center cut, which is my preference. I think of a traditional Sicilian slice as having a crispy crust with at least a 7/8th inch center that is fluffy in the middle but firm enough to hold a little more sauce and cheese than a Neapolitan slice. I find the corner slices to be too much crust, although they are easier to handle.

Again, D'Cocco's knocked my Sicilian slice out of the park. When you eat a slice of pizza, the first thing that touches your tongue is the crust, then its the soft fluffy change in texture, followed by the accompanying sauce, cheese, olive oil, and seasoning. On this day, it was a symphony of perfection and a joy to see the traditions of classic NY pizza makings alive and well on a traditional crust.

My last slice was the Grandma. Unlike the Neapolitan and the Sicilian, the Grandma slice was invented on Long Island. It uses a classic tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese but may not always include fresh mozzarella or basil. The crust of a Grandma slice is thin yet dense and chewy, often rectangular, and cooked in a pan coated with olive oil, giving it a crispy bottom and edges.

I only opted for a cheesy Grandma, and once again, it was amazing how spot-on this slice was from the viewpoint of culinary experience and historical tradition.

The Neapolitan qualifies D'Cocco's as one of the top three pizzerias on Long Island and certainly the closest to me. My other two favorites are 45 minutes and an hour and five minutes away, but those are reviews for another day. Ironically, both are much further east than the city.

I have since been back to D'Cocco's numerous times and had their slices delivered via Uber Eats. For perfection, you're going to have to reheat the slices in your oven on a pizza stone, but that's just me. They get my highest endorsement and my tanks and appreciation for the care and due diligence they invest in making a quality product in a world where cutting costs...

I’ve lived in Oceanside for over 20 years. Since I was a kid I’d go to Dcoccos. Never had a problem. Customer service is the worst I’ve ever experienced anywhere! I have ordered online a couple of times and usually when I do that I order the same thing. Penne al vodka with chicken Parmesan. I’ve never had a problem. I always get exactly what I order. I go in today in person to order the same thing since I was shopping there. I walk up and ask for penne al vodka and if they can add chicken Parmesan. Was told “we don’t sell that, look at the lunch menu. You want to order lunch then look at that menu”. We were told that in the most nastiest tone. I kindly said “oh wait you guys don’t sell that?” I said that in shock since I’ve literally ordered it before. He said again go and look at the lunch menu. Rolled his eyes. Walked away. My mother gets upset at the rude owner and walks out the store. Another guy who looks more nice goes to the cashier and tries to help. I explain to him how I’ve ordered it in the past online but never in person so I’m not sure what the plate is correctly called. They both start laughing saying if you wanted to order online then order online. I said no I want to order here but I’m not sure how to order that since you guys aren’t understanding. He goes “you order here by talking to us”. Like sir do you not see I am talking? I asked you a question for your help and instead of assisting you re direct me to a menu with a terrible attitude. Then I was told they have never sold my order before not even online. That apparently they don’t sell penne al vodka online. Like huh? So you’re going to tell me you’ve never sold that online and it’s not even an option yet I’ve ordered it multiple times. I then saw that they had a paper up saying “today’s dessert menu… Cookie dough cake”. I asked oh do you guys still have this today? He again scoffs and says go look at the cakes and see what we have. It’s your job to help customers and you can’t even do the simplest part of your job? All you had to say is “oh sorry no we ran out already they sell out fast”. There was no need for an attitude. If I wanted to walk over there and look at what you have then I would have. What kind of restaurant has this bad of customer service that they can’t even respond to a simple question nicely? Or even have empathy for a young girl who is struggling to find the correct terms for her order? This place used to be one of my favorites. They were nice but this time when I met the actual owner. Ew. That’s all I can say. I will no longer be supporting a business that cannot fulfill one of its obligations, to help people. He also treated other customers who were a different skin tone with a little bit of attitude. Maybe he’s just racist? Besides that I also saw him speak to 2 other young girls in a passive aggressive voice. Treat your customers better. I never leave reviews but for this...

I came across this restaurant on Uber food delivery option, I said the ony thing we all can agree upon, Is that pizza is the simplest and the most meal that fills you up.

Anyways i looked for a restaurant i said even if the pizza was expensive i wanna try it, From the ratings i was expecting a pizza for like $50 lol, What i was thinking.

I ordered a cheese pizza pie and added peporroni, Then i ordered Gradmas speciality pie without tomato sauce, i was impressed that they read the note :) So yes no tomato sauce, Thank you guys i love this.

Pizza was cooked and delivered in a very timely manner.

I couldn't wait, i ran and opened the two boxes and the grandma's pizza was DELICIOUS 19.5 OUT OF 10 cause i didn't taste any garlic big bummer, my mom was so disappointed, Anyways we're not the kind we complain, Thank god for everything. I couldn't stop but had to stop, i ate grandmas 2 slices OMG SO DELICIOUS not even kidding, The dough soft and cheese so damn flavorful i promise i never ate a pizza this good in a while.

Then i grabbed the Peporroni pizza, OMG i'm not a fan of peporroni, But the smell of it, So damn fresh and the dough soft and cheese OMG i wish i can eat all of them.

The peporroni was huge pie, grandmas pizza came cut in squares didn't know why, BUT ALL I CAN SAY DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

If you didn't eat pizza in a while, go grab a slice or a pie, it's to die for, not even kidding you.

MY TOP CHOICE, I'm not a pizza fan BUT now i'm their food fan.

Thank you guys, And i think you forgt the garlic, Not gonna complain, Your quality made up for this small mistake, i'd love to taste the garlic, Maybe tomorrow in the rest of the slices hopefully.

Thank you guys for this amazing food, Please keep it up at this level and i'm your fan for good.

RATING WITHOUT...