Riko's Pizza — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

I'll be honest I just dropped by for a quick bite, but in my brief visit everything was great. Aiden, my waiter/server (not sure what the correct is), was pleasant and energetic. You could tell the dude enjoys his gigs.

Place had about 8 televisions spread out, so you know it will get packed during when the local teams do well. But when I was there there were only a handful of people.

I ordered my cheese pizza with meatballs and in 10 minutes I had my pie in front of me. I took my bite and I experienced a crunchy crescendo of culinary bliss. I almost finished the whole pie. I liked my pizza so much I wanted to taste another of Riko's specialities--- their wings.

I ordered 6 buffalo wings for my wife. I wish I could review them, but she did not share. Not even a bite (which probably means they were pretty good).

In general, I will return another day with my sons to try out their other speciality pies.

Warning: Not your standard 14 inch pie. Nor do you eat...

I'm torn with this review simply because the food wasn't bad; but it wasn't incredible either. Hot oil was a nice and unique touch. The biggest issue is that the pricing didn't reflect the portions recieved. Charging almost $17 for a thin crust personal pie is tremendously overpriced and to top it off (pun intended), the toppings were sparingly sprinkled on... for the cost - you'd expect a fair amount of toppings at least (and it would still be a lot). We got the mini hot dog appetizer also which we could've done without. The Riko sauce was flavorful. Server was a sweetheart and did a nice job explaining - Staff was polite. Restaurant was clean and also has outdoor dining. It was interesting to try once; but probably not again unless the cost goes down. I can't justify spending $50 on lunch when any other pizza place in the area it would have been more food and around $30. Just...

I took my kids to Riko Pizza and honestly had one of the most frustrating experiences. When we first arrived there was no parking, so we decided to order takeout. While waiting, I managed to find a parking spot, and my kids got excited to sit down and eat inside. I went to the front desk and politely asked if we could stay and eat since there were plenty of open tables.

To my surprise, the manager/owner flat out refused and said we couldn’t dine in because we had already ordered takeout. That made zero sense—especially when the restaurant was clearly not busy. Instead of being accommodating, they made us feel unwelcome.

This kind of rigid and unfriendly service really ruined the experience for me and my kids. Pizza places should be family-friendly and flexible, not make customers feel like an inconvenience. Definitely won’t be...