Totonno’s
“My favorite pizza in the world, although I must say Grimaldi's is a close second.”
“It of course destroys Di Fara in this regard, as there is hardly any place to eat the pizza there.”
“Thin, crunchy, real quality mozzarella, yummy pepperoni, fantastic sauce.”
Totonno’s
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Classic. Goodness. Lives. Here.
Can't wait to return to this far-out gem. Was lucky enough to be on a pizza tour, and this was our first stop (and my favorite pizza of the tour).
Whether you're a Euro-tourist trying to find the best pizza in the 5 boroughs, or a local questioning all of the new-age pizza in your gentrified neighborhood, Totonno's will set the record straight. This is one of the best pies in the city. Definitely the most "original" in it's execution, and certainly not to be missed.
Waited an hour to get seated due to the line outside.
Once we got inside the service was quick and attentive.
Pizza was wonderful I would say worth the wait and the 40 mins drive we took.
The only con I can think of is that the have small coke bottles I wish they would have fountain soda because you are deff going to need soda to eat all that crust. I will most deff come back here the food quality was amazing.
Very good pizza but not worth the wait… And money. I wouldn't pay $20 for a pizza anywhere that can only feed two persons and still be hungry.
One hour wait for a pizza to go that is basically dough, tomato sauce and some cheese.
The pizza is very good though. One of the "best" napolitano pizza that I had. I said that because I don't quite like that type of pizza which is paper thin crust that you cannot hold in your hand. This one at least has a crispy dough on the bottom so it has a good flavor. Nothing amazing but still a good pizza. The tomato sauce is really well done because is not acid at all and they have a good cheese. But that's it, don't expect to get the best pizza of your life. I've been to Di Fara, Grimaldi's, Luzzo's, all the real Italian places and none of them are anywhere close to an Argentinian pizzeria. Lack of cheese, soggy doughs, not enough ingredients when you order them with toppings, etc. The Italian pizza is definitely overrated and overpriced like you are having caviar and salmon caught with the hands of the chef.
Anyway, if you want to do a long line, wait in the snow or hot sun for more than an hour and still get a plain dough with some cheese, be my guest! I wouldn't do it twice for sure.
It's a barebones place but tasty. My company and I arrived on a Saturday at 12:30pm and we were anticipating a line, but to our surprise there was none! Win for us!
We got a large onions and olives pie. Their menu is brief, no fancy pies here but it didn't matter. It's not a thin crust pizza but the crust was perfectly chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. My stomach was fully satisfied.
About those lines, by the time we left at around 2pm, there was a wait for tables.
One of the top three pizzas in NYC, and one of the absolute best I've ever had (and I've been all over NYC, Chicago, St. Louis, the West Coast, Austin, and Italy tasting them).
Totonno's is a top-notch choice for anyone who lusts after that ineffable NYC crust and flavor; very crisp, nicely balanced flavors of sauce and meat. As other reviewers have commented, there is a very slight uniqueness in the taste of the sauce – if I had to guess, it uses olive oil infused with something like basil and garlic.
A highlight of the meal is the snow-white mozzarella, which is unlike anything I've seen before. It's not as salty as some other cheeses, which may make it bland for some tastes but the texture is magnificent. I was told by the wait staff that it's made specifically for them; you may want to verify that when you visit!
Prices are a bit steep for NYC pizza, but it's worth it as a treat. I don't believe they serve individual slices. Service was solid. Fast and attentive, though I was there when the place was nearly empty, so YMMV. Neighborhood is safe enough in daylight hours but questionable after dark. Go with friends, and try to avoid the rush hours as it's a fairly small place with only about 7-8 tables.
This place scores a 5 out of 5 on the 'CTJ Scale', as noted below.
5 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Jesus good. Would be OK passing away after finishing a plate here.
4 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Mary good. Would be OK being seen eating here by Mother Mary.
3 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Joseph good. Would be OK having a beer here with Jesus' Dad.
2 out of 5 stars: Come-to-the-Apostles good. Meh. Wouldn't have my last supper here.
1 out of 5 stars: Come-to-Nobody good. I wouldn't have my penultimate supper here, either.
Did I ever say how much I love pizza? I do. That old silly question of if you were stranded on an island what would you want to eat everyday if you only could choose one food? Yes, pizza, without contest. More particular, this pizza. I have three favorite Pizza places. This is one of them.
It's a clean, straight up pizza place, nothing else on the menu, but it's what they do best. I love the sauce, the crust is thin but not too thin, and I loved the cheese. Simply amazing.
Ah, the "stand in line in the heat for pizza" place. It's pretty good pizza, though and the vibe is very classic Italian. My date and I went here and had fun, particularly on a day not holding the greatest mental associations for me. This young kid was walking around in there and being as cute as a button. We just sort of discovered and stumbled by this one after not wanting to wait forever for food closer to Coney Island. Overall, I had a fun experience & no complaints despite the heat outside.
When my husband and I made a trip to Coney Island, we knew we had to try Totonno's now that it is back. We also are on a bit of a pizza tour of NYC, and of course this is on the list. Totonno's is a pretty small space; there's only about 9 tables in the place. You can't make a reservation, so get there early and be prepared to wait. They do move everyone through pretty quickly so you probably wouldn't have to end up waiting too long. My husband and I came the Sunday of 4th of July weekend at 12:20PM and didn't have to wait to be seated. We ordered a large plain pie. The options are small (14") or large(16"). They have several toppings options (mushroom, sausage, pepperoni, extra cheese, garlic, etc.) that are $2.50 each extra.
As we waited, we smelled everyone else's pizza enviously. The pizza came out pretty quickly and was pipping hot. We were so excited to try it we dig right in, even though we were burning our mouths off. The sauce was great: really great flavor. The mozzarella was fresh and delicious. The ratio of mozzarella to sauce was not quite right but pretty good! The crust on the bottom was very crisp and the crust you hold onto while eating was puffy and chewy. The dough flavor was great. The pizza was lacking a bit in spices and truly needed it. It's weird to me that you had to pay extra for garlic to be on it, but the pizza needed it. And some basil. Otherwise it was a pretty good pizza.
Glad we tried it, but no need to go out of our way to go back. It is cash only.