Tables for One: Lazzara’s Pizza
I was walking west on 38th street, on my way to the Ramen King when I noticed Lazarra’s sign. It rang a bell. Could it be the obscure, garmento upstairs pizzeria Owen Phillips had once reviewed for The New Yorker’s Tables for Two? I wasn’t sure, so I went up the stairs and took a peek, and sure enough it was. I couldn’t resist the urge to review a Tables for Two subject for a Tables for One.
It was dark, nearly romantic inside, and empty except for a few odd people dining at a table by the window. I spotted a counter and asked if I could sit there and have a slice of pizza. The nearly flustered (but not quite) waitress offered me a table instead, but I insisted on the counter and she conceded to my wishes. I ordered a slice, to which she responded by showing me the way they make their pizzas at Lazzara’s: they only do “sicilian” style, square cut pizzas.
But they’re not your usual “sicilian” slices. They’re not two inches thick and doughy. Lazzara’s pizza prides itself for being “New York’s best thin crust pizza.” A slice is nearly flat, and arrives looking like a very pretty enameled glossy jewel-like square. The crust is very crunchy, and if you get a corner piece (with edges of crust) you have to be careful how you bite into it, or you’ll hurt yourself, but it’s worth taking the care, as it’s delicious. The pizza, which Owen had reported was the only thing they did well, was done well. In fact, if I hadn’t realized I only had three dollars in my wallet, I’d have had one more.
A square “sicilian” at Lazzara’s, about four by six inches, makes a good snack and will cost you $2.00. Plus tip!
Lazzara’s Pizza Café
221 West 38th Street (upstairs)
(between 7th & 8th aves.)
(212) 944-7792-3-4
