The best pizza in the world! Come early around 3:30 PM to get your name down for a table. We arrived at 4:30 PM and luckily snagged an 11:00 PM table, the last of the night. The pizza is spectacular!! The crust is perfectly crunchy with just a slight amount of burnt bits on the bottom. The sauce was well seasoned and the amount of cheese they use is perfect! Also, they use basil correctly and place it on fresh after the pizza is baked so the basil doesn't burn. The only other place you'll find pizza this good is Italy! I'd eat here every day if it was easy to get!
From “reservations” to payment the entire experience was horrible.For reservations, the tables are gone by 4:45, if u want something relatively close to opening you have to come by 3:00 on a day that isn’t a (federal) holidayThe “pie” itself is an objective 4/10 because of the way the food is fixed in the media as some sort of upscale exclusive pizzeria. When it arrives at the table you are greeted with pepperoni and not true Italian salami, the cheese looks like some sort of white soup, the dough is very much some sort of ratio similar to a flour tortilla. And don’t even get me started on the wilting/rotting basil I was served with a 60$ order. The only thing elevated about this dish is the dough fired in a pizza oven. Don’t bother with the calzone, it’s just a pound of (curded[with a strange liquid deposit?]) mozzarella wrapped in a flour tortilla.Payment is probably the most shady. They ONLY accept cash and if the hostess doesn’t skim some cash off the top (like with me) you’re gonna need a receipt when leaving.I’m not surprised the queue hasn’t improved after some time because every chef/cook would be appalled at the prices commanded with the quality of food that’s served.In short don’t buy a pizza from a guy with no prior history of working/cooking in a pizzeriaP.S: Lids for the marinara should already be brought out with the container and not some make shift aluminum foil shroud, and I still ate the pizza
I walked up at 4:30 PM on Monday, thinking I was going to wait in line for the opening at 5 PM - instead there was a hostess outside taking reservations. She quickly told me to come back at 8 PM and took my number to call me.I arrived at 8 PM, and was sat by 8:20. The menu is small which I love, pizza and calzones are the two main options, also very reasonably priced at $18 - $32 for menu items.The calzone was impeccable. Simply built with ricotta, basil and pasta sauce on the side to add as much or little as you want. I understand why this place is so popular. The owner was there on a Monday which I hear is not normal, people were asking to take pictures with him. Service was standard, and quick. Clearly an efficiently run operation. It was also BYOB so we brought our own wine and were given glassware for that. Great experience and 100% the best calzone I've ever had.
This was THE BEST pizza experience I have ever had. Lucali's was worth the hype and planning to get a table!We arrived at 4:00pm to line up to put our name on the list to get a table for the dinner seating. The lining up works in a way that they seat the first seating, and then return to the start of the line for the next seating, and this goes on until each seating is full. Arriving at 4:00pm helped ensure that we got a table for the 7:00pm seating.The menu is pizza or calzone. We ordered both. They were both absolutely amazing and I can't wait to visit NY again to return. The ambience and service also helped make this experience one that we will never forget. The meals goes quickly as you have to consider that others are waiting for your table, but an hour was enough time for us to enjoy the ambience, food, and drinks.
Have the courtesy to have something on your website or voicemail that you’re closed on July 4. Your baby Luc consolation pizzeria is a huge letdown
God-tier pizza. Even better calzone. Do yourself a favor and try the calzone if you go here.We got here around 3:15pm and the line was around the corner. It doubled in size by 4pm when they started taking names (walk-up reservations essentially). I recommend definitely getting here before 3:40 to put your name down. Our table of 6 got a slot for 7:15pm.They say this Brooklyn pizza shop is the best in NYC and I agree. The owner Is also a super friendly guy. Cash-only and BYOB are honestly a plus (bring any drink you want).
The pizzas were amazing, were worth the wait, and live up to the reputation. We got there 2 hours before opening to get seated early. The servers were super efficient and set the pace perfectly. They brought out each item quickly, a min after we finished the first pizza the second one was fresh out of the oven sitting on our table.
I came over from Scotland and I’ve been to many places around the world and tried a lot of good pizza and for me personally this was my favourite yet. It was light , fluffy , crispy had lots of cheese on top along with lots of fresh basil that had been scattered after the pizza had been cooked and the tomato sauce was perfect. The crusts were perfect size ratio also and the shaved Parmesan on the base was another nice touch , I can’t fault this pizza. Only annoying thing is turning up an hour before opening time to que and put name down. The calzone was nice also but for me it’s all about the pizza.
Great pizza, horrible service. NEVER AGAIN. I have rarely seen a more disrespectful reservation system, one that is so offensive towards the customers. First there is NO reservation system at all. The place opens at 5pm but you have to come a 4pm or better yet at 3pm stay in line and get booked at like 8 or 9pm. We got there at 4.30pm stayed in line till 5pm to be told we have a table at ….9.40pm. that Who does this? What kind of restaurant does this kind of reservations. Shame on you Mr Lucali! I have traveled all over the world and this treatment goes right there with the worse of all. Oh and you should train your hostesses because they are just awful. When I asked if we should stay in line for a table she said “you stay in line to talk to me” Really? Do yourself a favor and try other pizza places in NYC line Roberta’s or Patsy’s and avoid Lucali. It’s not worthy of your time unless you wanna spend 6-7 hours for a pizza. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Was in New York for a few days, so I decided to eat at a number of pizzerie to see which was the best. Lucali was, by far, the best. In fact, it’s the best pizza I’ve eaten in America.It’s difficult to get a spot since they don’t do reservations, and you have to show up before opening to get a spot, sometimes hours later in the evening. I had to wait two hours for take-out, but it was worth the wait.The pizza was light, the dough had some good flavor development (not nearly as much as Italian pizza, but good), and the cheese was tasty. What put it over the top for me was the basil. It’s added a freshness that I’d never experienced before since Italian pizza always utilizes basil cooked with the pizza. Really enjoyed the pizza immensely.