V & T Pizzeria & Restaurant
“Plus, you can walk down the street and go to the Hungarian Pastry shop for dessert if you still have enough room.”
“I stumbled upon this place when I lived in Morningside Heights and was pleasantly surprised by their pizza.”
“The eggplant rollatini is also very good, but don't order it as an appetizer unless you have more than 2 people because it's an entree in and of itself.”
V & T Pizzeria & Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Tucked away on Amsterdam Avenue, across the street from St. John's The Divine and just down the street from Columbia University, V&T's is a neighborhood institution. In a city and a world where everyone craves the next new thing, V&T's stands out as an old school classic. The pizzas are made with real, gooey, melty cheese (and lots of it). The crust is great. The beers are cold. The salads are fresh. The sandwiches are toasted and tasty. And the atmosphere is spot-on perfect. V&T's feels like New York. V&T's is New York. I hope it never changes.
My nephew wanted to start his birthday date here so we did … it's across the street from his school.
It's a sit down place which I was not expecting. The pizza was decent, very cheesy and you cannot order by the slice. Smallest option is their $7 mini pie on their lunch menu. Got that for my nephew and got the eggplant rolantini for myself. The portion was large (considering it was under appetizers) and it was tasty. Again pretty cheesy.
Nothing spectacular, your average Italian spot from wheat we got and what I saw going to other tables.
You know what? I'm a fan. Don't ask me about their pizza because I haven't tried it. This is an old school, casual, "red sauce" Italian restaurant that is actually good. That said, don't expect any Batali-ized bullshit. Expect big portions, extra cheese, and brusque but amiable NY service. If you want to eat squab pan-roasted with Argentinian sweetbreads, fiddleheads and sunchokes, head elsewhere. Service has been fine when I've gone and the owner–an older Sicilian gentleman who is usually by the bar–is happy to schmooze and ask questions when called upon.
The chicken parm here is great. The slightly sweet tomato gravy complements it well, the chicken is nice and tender, and there is ample–but not an excessive amount–of cheese included. The eggplant rollatini is also very good, but don't order it as an appetizer unless you have more than 2 people because it's an entree in and of itself. They tend to overcook pasta as others have noted, so just be sure to ask for your pasta al dente if you want it firmer. I've wanted to try the francese here for awhile which I've seen others order. The meatballs also seem to be on point.
I'm being a bit generous with the star rating here as I think this is definitely better the 3 star average I see now. Stick to the basics and you'll enjoy your meal.
I was really excited about V&T the first time I came here, but their quality definitely declines the more you try it. First of all, this place is much better for eating in than take-out. I've gotten their takeout pizza five or six times, and every single time, the 9-block walk home is enough for the entire crust to get soggy and limp. Of course I don't expect fresh out of the oven status after 10 minutes of walking around, but some sort of structural integrity to this pizza would be nice. The taste is fine, but nothing special. I would definitely go somewhere else if this neighborhood had more pizza options, but it's sadly lacking.
Where I think V&T makes up for their unexciting pizza is in their other Italian dishes. I've had their entrees here a couple of times and it's always a delightful experience. Baked ziti is cheesy and meat-y and delicious. Chicken parm is the perfect balance of breading and sauce and mozzarella. The cheesy garlic bread is wonderful. Definitely a nice casual Italian dinner, with a friendly wait staff and pleasant (if a bit kitschy) ambiance.
Unfortunately, I've been here more for pizza than for dinner, and my rating reflects that.
Question: What is the Capital of V & T Pizzeria?
Answer: Grease!
Many of the reviews for V&T say solid mediocre pizza. I would have to say the same thing, minus the solid part. So that leaves me with Mediocre Pizza.
Another thing. When you order garlic bread with Parmesan cheese, but it arrives (delivery order) with mozzarella, well that's wrong. Kudos for giving an enormous amount of garlic bread (which was roasted and tasty), but failure for incorrect/wrong item.
If the pizza wasn't so greasy, I'd probably order again, but I'd honestly much rather order from Dominos (yes, you heard me correctly) than this place. It's New York Style pizza, but in style only.
I'll stick with other Italian spots around, such as Bettalona, because at least I know my pizza wont be dripping in grease and I wont have a stomach afterward.
Casual dining, cozy and attentive service, at first serious, then with a smile. At 1 p m. Sunday, we arrived & the house soon became packed. Lots of families and the kids & adults were ordering up pizzas like there was no tomorrow. I had stuffed sole & salad. Friend: "the fish had too much sauce when I ordered it before." Me: "you say that like it's a bad thing!" Um ..that would be buttery goodness. I squeezed plenty of lemon and enjoyed the perfectly cooked fish. Companions loved their veal parm, also laden with sauce…and they were delighted. Cappuccino, americano…all good. Oh my, my friend loves Zippole…so we got a piping hot plate of 8 balls of sugary goodness.
It's a place with history, I'll give you that. But the food is nothing special, dozens if not a hundred other Italian restaurants in the area can do what they do.
Shrimp fra diavolo? Grilled prawns with red sauce – and comes with a side of pasta with more red sauce on it.
Penne alla vodka? Tastes like TJs sauce on top.
Pizza? Bad crust which you can easily make at home.
I had nothing here I couldn't have done myself and I'm not even Italian. Worse than that, the prices are high. Think $15-$20 for your average entree.
I can't really see myself coming back here unless it's absolutely freezing and a friend is visiting and they really, really want italian food.
Great tasting pizza that was ready very quickly. My only complaint is that they are substantially more expensive than some other places in the area so I will probably to find somewhere with good pizza for a more reasonable price before venturing back to V&T.