Fornino
“I love this place – their pizza is so good and they have the best view of the city from their rooftop!”
“Me and the boy split the Al Roker: tomato sauce, mozzarella, fontina, caramelized onions, roasted pepper, spicy sopressata, and rosemary.”
“Given our party expanded from our initial headcount, Denise worked to make sure that the room was perfect.”
Fornino
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Fughedaboutit! It's hard to find better pizza that has this kinda view and an al fresco rooftop.
I've made Fornino a staple of my summer biking with my 5 year old. We can ride along the green way at Brooklyn bridge park, stop for some playground activity and fill our tanks for the afternoon. It's hard to go wrong with any of their pies but just the margarita is heavenly. They're compact and with a very light crust and you'll likely be able to eat one entire pie. The spicy sopresatta pie is a treat and has high quality meat on it.
Service used to be amazing and personal when Denise was managing but since she left in 2015 it's hit or miss now. After you order at the counter they give you a number to post at your table. This seems like it should work but sometimes it's quick and other times, well, you feel like people who came after you get their order first. If you want a drink you have to go to the bar and order and pay separately.
Finish off your meal with a few scoops of Blue Marble ice cream and you'll be good for the full afternoon.
PRO TIP: If you get there early enough you'll be able to score a prime table (one with a view of downtown Manhattan and an umbrella for shade).
Be careful of the benches that prove to be very tipsy. If you sit too close to the corner you'll easily flip it over and look pretty silly in the process.
Really nice spot to go grab a pitcher after playing some sports in the park. They also have sangria, and some personal pie options to choose from. A bit on the pricey side, but that is to be expected for the location right near all of the courts by the BB. Tons of fresh cut up fruit in the sangria. Only had the red, which was basically delicious, but have yet to try the white!
I want to like rooftop dining and drinking, but I always feel like there's something inherent to the setup that makes the menu overpriced and the clientele obnoxious. Not the case at Fornino! Given, if you come early it is a big family gathering place with loud kids, but if you come later there's an after work crowd getting loose. While it's loud it's not totally unbearable, although the music could be improved (can we just all agree to stop playing Bruno Mars in public? That would be great, thanks!).
The view is of course spectacular. Overlooking lower Manhattan and Governor's Island, you get amazing sunset and nighttime views. There are mainly picnic tables with umbrellas and some high tops by the bar. Bathrooms are downstairs and are shared with the rest of the park. Fornino itself is sort of buried in the middle of the park and overlooks the volleyball courts, it rises up almost unexpectedly, and you walk in to all these lights and sounds amidst the greenery.
But the food itself is really worth coming out for too, and that's what made this such an amazing meal. Me and the boy split the Al Roker: tomato sauce, mozzarella, fontina, caramelized onions, roasted pepper, spicy sopressata, and rosemary. WOW. There is so much goodness going on here, such quality ingredients. The toppings were kind of haphazardly applied but what was there was so damn good I didn't mind evening out the sopressata a little myself. I also loved that they didn't overdo it with the cheese, all the ingredients were perfectly balanced. The rosemary came through nicely, the caramelized onions mixed with the cheese and the sauce, the spiciness of the sausage added a little bite. I want this again now. RIGHT NOW.
There's an amazing bartender there by the name of JaJa that took care of me and my boy the whole night. She's super friendly with a great smile and a wicked sense of humor, make sure you ask for her if you're sitting at the bar, she'll absolutely make your night 🙂
I'm naturally a bit wary of NYC-based restaurants on rooftops overlooking the grandiose skyline of Manhattan, the Hudson river, and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Called it a learned reaction. These types of places typically don't bother to serve good food and drinks, because they don't need to. Fornino, however, manages to serve up reasonably-priced, delicious pizza, salads and other fare alongside the pretty sunset. Makes sense, as Fornino was already well-established in Williamsburg and Greenpoint before setting up shop in BBP.
Some friends and I came here on a warm Thursday evening following a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The restaurant is a great spot for a self-congratulatory post-walk meal and booze sesh, but note that it's a bit of an additional walk from the actual bridge. We were barely able to snag an open spot on the rooftop at around 7:45-8 pm; shortly afterwards we saw a line forming.
We ended up ordering two pitchers of red sangria, which was not too sweet and filled with tons of chopped, liquor-soaked apple pieces. We also had some of the listed specials:
-Watermelon salad with feta cheese and some other things: tasty, light, refreshing, loved the melon-feta combo.
-Pizza with prosciutto, gorgonzola, and fig: for the most part, I LOVED this pizza. The crispy, savory prosciutto mixed nicely with the pungent gorgonzola. If I had one criticism it would be the figs, which I found to be a little, um, gloopy for my liking, and not super flavorful. Still, it was a great slice.
I'm not sure how good the other food and drink options are in Brooklyn Bridge Park, but regardless, I would recommend checking out Fornino first and foremost.
Awesome pizza with a view! Great vegetarian options too! Definitely a crowd pleaser. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the pizzas 🙂 Be sure to check the hours before coming, though. I tried coming here once and it was closed. It also took my friend three tries before finally eating here because of their hours!
Fornino actually has good pizza and is a decent rooftop. Although the view of the water is obstructed by trees, and the building is not exactly a skyscraper, I imagined it must be pretty at night.
I came here with my toddler for a mommy break hoping they would have "mommy juice" and it seemed the bar didn't open till noon, as usual on Sunday. I felt bad ordering alcohol being solo with a toddler anyway, so we ended up ordering a margarita pizza with extra cheese.
Tasty sauce, thin crust and the right amount of cheese. Had I not been with Mr. Plain, nothing too spicy or exotic for his sensitive palate, I would've tried some toppings, as the special of the day smelled like oniony, cheesy and meaty pizza heaven.
And talk about comfy for parents and kids that need a break before or after BBPark? I imagined our pizza hideaway cramped with crowds of sweaty, thirsty, fun-lovers looking to beat the heat, as the day progressed into night. But when we were there, it was perfectly empty. So the service was pleasant, but our pizza took forever.
So long that my toddler kept asking why, where and how. I think he may have learned the meaning of those words while sitting there.
This place was completely off the hook busy on a Friday night. It might have been because it was bib/race packet pick up day for the Brooklyn Half Marathon close by in Brooklyn Bridge Park. It was a bit unbearably crowded, but I'd give it the benefit of the doubt that maybe other days would be much more pleasant. Because… it was VERY pleasant to be up on the rooftop on a nice day with delicious pizza.
To share, we got:
– brussel sprout pizza
– mushroom truffle oil pizza
– corn on the cob
All three were delicious hits. I found the prices were a bit too steep for my liking. The pizza sizes were pretty much personal sizes but each pizza costs ~$18. I guess you're paying for the pizza and the gorgeous location. Can't have it all!
The location is the best part about this place. The pizza ranges from solid to very good, the crowd is kind of bad, and the drinks are just abysmal.
First, location. Overlooking Brooklyn Bridge Park, you get a lovely view of the water, the park, the shirtless volleyball players, and if you go on a Sunday, the masses of hipsters fighting out the lines at Smorgasburg. Good times.
Second, pizza. We tried two pizzas, which was definitely way too much food for us. The special that day was a pizza with capicola, asparagus, mozzarella, gorgonzola, and caramelized onions. It was decent, but surprisingly, we ended up liking our second pizza (tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, olive, mushrooms and eggplant) much, much more. Sometimes experimental toppings don't always pay off.
Third, ugh to annoying parents with babies. I mean, I get it. It's Brooklyn and we all know that the level of breeder-worshiping runs deep here. But really, get it together, moms and dads. Just because YOU'VE learned to block out your mini-me's screams doesn't mean the rest of us have that luxury.
Fourth, drinks suck. We tried several (mostly with prosecco) and they were consistently bad. Like, forget-chilling-on-the-rooftop-with-a-cocktail-and-just-drink-water-out-of-a-tiny-cup bad.
And bonus fifth. There's always a long line for the bathroom, so be prepared to wait.