Lombardi's
Since 1905, Lombardi has been credited with developing New York style pizza and being the first pizzeria in the United States. This has been challenged by many NYC locals especially pizza aficionados. Having been here back in 2012, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the evolution of this pizzeria. I’ve been here several times, and it’s always easier to walk in early dinner times vs prime time. You’ll be seated fast and food will come right away especially now there are so many other competing pizza places nearby.
Ambiance & Service
The first thing when you come in is they remind you they are a cash only place.
The interior will remind you of a typical pizza joint. There are tables and red and white table cloths all over. If anything, the one thing to be very aware of is even in 2025, this place requires cash. They even have an ATM within the store.
The service was very fast and no frills.
Food
First Visit on May 19, 2012
This was my original comment back in 2012:
Whew, I only have 2 more New York City food posts including this one. Previously, you may have noticed the sliced pizza style. Here we have the gourmet pizza. This one is courtesy of Lombardi’s Pizza. On one side, we have italian sausage and pepperoni, and the on the other side we have margherita. As with all pizza, it’s all about the toppings, crust, and flavor. The crust is pretty good for what it is. It’s homemade and has that oven brick feeling to it. The dough is not too thick and not too thin. It also is a little crispy too. The italian sausage and pepperoni are my least favorite. Look how small those slices are. The meat themselves were average, but I think I would’ve enjoyed that side more had the toppings been more populated. On the other side, the margherita was delicious. You can definitely taste the tomato sauce. It tastes very genuine and homemade. It’s not salty, and the acidity of the tomatoes really shine in this. All in all, I like this side more than the other.
Another Visit on August 28, 2025
The Italian Soda ($6) was raspberry, seltzer, topped with whip cream and cherry. I’m a sucker for these types of things, and it still tasted like I remembered. You get that nice artificial raspberry flavor with bubbles. The whipped cream gives it that nice milky sweetness.
The Margarita Red Pie ($23 for a 12") came with red tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, grated cheese, and basil. We also added pepperoni (+$4). The pizza was good but not great. The pizza is thin and still tasted like that oven baked pizza. The dough is chewy and has a good texture. The sauce was definitely on the shy side, and the pepperoni was definitely a little sparse. I wished they added more sauce and cheese. Overall, I think this pizza is better than Joe’s, but it definitely is not worth bringing cash nor waiting in line. There are definitely too many pizzerias out there to try instead of experiencing the inconvenience here.
Overall Impression
Lombardi’s all in all is pretty good for what it is. For that pizza you see here, it costs about $20 in 2012. It’s a must have if you have to have New York gourmet pizza pie. But if you are like me and prefer slice, then you might not think much of this. In 2025, the price has increased a little, and now there are too many other pizzerias to try that makes this not worth the hassle to bring cash or wait in line for.
Yelp Jabs
The More You Know: NY type pizza is large, thin, and foldable so it was satisfying but portable for moving around.
This Elitist from San Diego is right that NYC pizza is large and portable. However, this normal sized pizza of 12" is on the smaller size. There are many pizzerias in NYC that you can order 14" and larger. THe NY slice should not flop when you fold. If it does, it means the dough wasn’t cooked enough to keep its form or it’s soggy.
And I liked the eggplant parm, it was a breadless so much lighter version. The one complain I do have is the price, only two dishes we ended up paying $80, worth it? Not at all. Unlikely will come back. I just don’t think paying for a small pie of pizza is worth over $30+ each!
Unfortunately, the eggplant pizza was around $31, and the meatball side was around $14. With tax, tip, and drinks, it’s quite easy to get up to $60. The eggplant pizza for a 12" was probably expensive, but the meatball side for nearly the price of a pizza is near robbery. I don’t think the meatballs as a side was worth it when I had it. There was nothing special. Be warned that this pizzeria advertises some gimmick of theirs, but it’s still a thing in the past.
Revisions
- Aug 28, 2025 - Another visit.
- May 19, 2012 - Initial revision.