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South Brooklyn Pizza in East Village

The South Brooklyn Pizza place on First Ave. between 7th and 8th streets in the East Village is not quite open yet but slices and full pies are available and very tasty. Slices are $4. and whole pies are $28. A big step up from the .99 a slice place around the corner but you get what you pay for. This is a thin crust pizza but its chewy and not like a cracker like some other thin crust places. When I had the attached pie picture on the my computer screen, someone walked by, stopped in their tracks and exclaimed, " I want that now!" So it passes the visual test with flying colors.

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  1. I had their margherita slice tonight, I have to give them a thumbs up. very good crust, thin - and nice balance of chewy/crunchy. The overall taste is similar to margherita slice from Artichoke. I almost prefer this slice as Artichoke slice sometimes has too much cheese to crust/sauce in my opinion. The shaved parmesean and hot pickled peppers available for diners to top of their slices is a nice touch.

    The owner was telling me he is planning to open the back soon, but the way the shop is designed is rather awkward, what appears to be a counter-stand and eat space actually series of fridge storing supplies, and no stools. The design of the shop may be a inconvenience if it picks up more clientele - not to mention the awkward transition to the back of the joint. The price is another issue, even with pizza prices going up, $4 is pretty steep for a single slice. Especially considering that Artichoke serves a similar slice for $3.50 and their slices are slightly bigger and to those who prefer, has more cheese. I did appreciate the pretty liberal use of basil to top off the slice, but i did notice that the leaves weren't as fresh as they could be (compared to DiFara where Dom is pretty good about using fresh ones - of course this can be explained away by slower rotation, and perhaps due to the fact i was there around 9PM).

    Like the OP wrote, I think this is a nice alternative to its competition on St.Marks (Pizzanini, Stromboli's, or $1 pizza), but perhaps more importantly a good pizza option to Alphabet Town as the 'hood is sorely lacking in good pizza by the slice joints...

    I think it's worth a try for those who are in the neighborhood and are curious. I will give them my business again, when I don't mind splurging a little for a slice.

    1 Reply
    1. re: cubeoccupant

      Artichoke now charges $4.00 per slice of a margerita. More for the artichoke topping. I've been going there since it opened. However, yesterday, maybe a fluke, I got a soggy crust.

    2. Just had two slices of their margherita pizza, one with the spicy peppers and one without. It's a pretty good slice with very light, fresh mozzarella and copious basil. The crust had a cracker-like crunch and crumble to it, but it wasn't terribly thin -- it was still pretty chewy. Compared to Artichoke's margherita (my go to slice in the neighborhood) I found it rather bland, but refreshingly lighter. The peppers added a much needed zip.

      The place is a much needed alternative to Artichoke's crazy lines and limited options. The way I see it -- if you want a cheesy calorie bomb that's guaranteed to please, get in line at Artichoke; if you want a fresher, lighter, and optionally spicier experience, check out South Brooklyn. I know I'll be back.

      1. Does Di Fara even charge that much for a pie?

        1 Reply
        1. re: Bone Thug n Hominy

          $25 per round pie (the non special ones), IIRC, versus $28 that South Brooklyn Pizza is charging...

        2. I just had a slice of the Margherita and I really liked it. It's NY style a la DiFara. It really is pricey at $4 (I think Difara is expensive as well) but it is a superior slice. I'm not sure it's fresh mozzarella as presented in the case out front but then again DiFara doesn't use fresh cheese either. The basil is fresh but they don't drizzle the olive oil on top which might not be a bad thing.

          2 Replies
            1. re: lawstud

              If they do it's not as heavy handed as the way Dom does it.

          1. The original comment has been removed
            1. I stopped by today, and got a re-heated margherita slice. I might be willing to give them another shot (as I had to do with Artichoke before I fell in love), but as of right now, they wouldn't crack my top 20.

              To be a little less vague, I wasn't a fan of the ratios of the cheese blend (too much fresh mozz), my slice was served lukewarm (a big offense, IMO), the crust was soggy--but not in a last-slice-of-a-di-fara-pie kind of way. It just felt half-assed.

              1. re: Bone Thug n Hominy

                So they reheated it for you in the oven and it was still lukewarm? Bah!

                What time did you go? The Always Hungry site mentions that the "Mexican pizzaiolos" take over at 7pm.

                NB: that site drives me crazy because you can never add a comment or ask a question. I'm sure more than one person must wonder if the slices are always as good as the one they had.

                1. re: kathryn

                  I went at an off-peak lunch hour. If I go again, I'd like to give them a fair shake by going at a busier time.

                  1. re: kathryn

                    yeahh, they really should fix that. my friend use to work for them. i dont know if he can get anyone to change that now, but ill try.