Rizzo’s Fine Pizza

If you’re starving I guess you can go there. I’ve been all over Europe. This is embarrassing to pizza. By far the least enjoying pizza I’ve ever had because of the paper thin crust and almost non existent cheese. Maybe they’re trying to achieve something different but it’s not for me.

Came here today for two slices. Very disappointed with how very little cheese and tomato sauce they put in it. Furthermore, the guy at the counter told me, «not to put too much Parmesan cheese.»
Are you serious?

The food was great and service was super friendly.
I ordered a personal size gluten free golosa with tomato sauce on the side. Unlike many gluten free pizzas/​pies the dough was softer and was not like card board. Bacon was top notch and gave great flavour while the red onion was just right and not over powering.
Also i was the recipient of a kind deconstructed gluten free canoolie and it was delicious!
Definitely worth the visit and price paid for the pizza.

My boyfriend had family visiting NY from Minnesota for the first time and of course they wanted «real NY pizza». We had stopped into a corner pizza place in the city during the week which had decent cheap slices but nothing to write home about. It was a place that just reheated slices they had made earlier. Being from NY, it’s the pizza I’m used to eating st 3 am after leaving the bars except his family LOVED it. They raved that it was the best pizza they had ever tasted but I guess that could be chalked up to the fact that they’re used to chain pizza in MN. I was determined to find them a slice that would blow that pizza out of the water because I felt that they hadn’t had the best yet.
We had been meaning to try Rizzo’s for some time. We live in the area and it had great reviews on here. We ordered a Sicilian pie with garlic knots and cannolis. The pizza arrived at room temperate and I can’t describe the crust as anything but stale in taste and texture. the garlic knots were so dry that the middle was crumbling. My boyfriends family kind of looked around and said «this is okay, but nothing like the pizza that we had the other day» –_​– Fail. I was sad to send them off with that impression of NY pizza. I think there is 100% better pizza in the area.

I’ve lived in Astoria for about a year, and I’ve tried a lot of the pizza places, but Rizzo’s is the best in my opinion. I’ve only had the round pies, which have a great thin crust, and really tasty /​sweet sauce. I usually get the Carnosa pie, and the mini cannoli, which are also really good, with a crunchy but flakey pastry shell.
I’ve been meaning to try the Square pie.

I’m in town visiting from Chicago, I found this place in Unilocal and I don’t regret it. Delicious pizza, we tried the different pizzas by the slice. I specially liked the sauce in the pepperoni and the margherita pizzas. The cannoli for dessert were outstanding. The service was exceptional. The owner was so friendly and welcomed us with a big smile, she gave us garlic knots on the house (they were very good). We will definetly return whenever we are in NYC.

This is the best pizza in NYC I believe.
Tomato sause is perfect. Thin is cranchy and really tasty.
You have to go to try it, or you can call to get derivery.

This is a review of the round pie only. Unfortunately the square pie was sold out when I went (around 8pm on a Friday night). I believe Rizzo’s is famous for their square pie so I was pretty disappointed. I don’t know what the differences are but if you can make enough dough for round pies, can’t you make enough for the square? Especially since it’s so popular. While I was waiting, several people came in asking for the square and ended up leaving when told they were sold out. I see that as losing so much business but I guess they aren’t really hurting (especially with a second location in LES)
It took awhile for the pie to come out. When it did, I was surprised by how big it was! I don’t know how many inches it was but it was huge! For the price, I thought it was a great value. However, when I picked it up, I realized that it was so big because the dough is really stretched out. The pizza was SO THIN that when I normally eat 2 slices, I ate 4 here. I like my pizza to have structure, here it collapsed under the weight of the sauce and cheese. There was also a huge disproportion between sauce and cheese as in way too much sauce and not enough cheese. The flavor of the sauce was good but ended up being too overwhelming without enough cheese or dough to balance it out. I guess I’m not familiar with this style of pies as I didn’t care for it.

Stopped in the other night after finding out our go to pizza spot was closed for renovations. We ordered the square pie, but sadly they were out. It was pretty early in the night, so I guess they must sell out quickly. I would think they would be more prepared for that. We then settled on a regular cheese pie for $ 19.
The pie came out fairly quickly and after waiting a few minutes to cool we dug right in. The crust was very thin. It was decent, but something just did not do it for me. I found there was too much sauce and not enough cheese. The cheese kind of lacked some flavor as well. The two of us ate the entire pie. I think this was a result more of the thin crust then my ability to eat a lot.
Overall the pie was OK, but I’m not going to be abandoning my go to pizza spot anytime soon.

Rizzo’s offers a very unique take on pizza. A very very thin crust that is crisp and almost crunchy hosts the standard sauce and cheese. We ordered two large pies, one with sausage, to help feed the people helping us move into our new place. I wish we knew how small the pies were. I was expecting big new york pizza, instead we got an interesting– but not very filling– pizza. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, and was delivered hot, but it is not what we were looking for then. I’m sure I will get Rizzo’s again, but with so many other options, it may be a while before that day comes. Thanks for the recommendation, Andrew M. I will keep checking out the other pizza places in the neighborhood, though.

I’m so mixed on this pizza joint, which normally delivers a spot on product. I’ve had great pizza there before, and wonderful service, but rarely do we order an entire pie delivered. The large square cheese pizza we ordered, half with regular and half with non dairy cheese (+$ 2) and fresh basil (+$ 2) and a delivery fee was a sad semblance of the quality we had experienced sitting in with slices. There was barely ANY cheese on either side of the sharply cut thin crust slices that arrived, vegan or otherwise. Rare am I to complain but there was literally barely any cheese at all when I paid for a specialty cheese. The shreds were so few of both types of cheese that the pizza looked partially naked!
Didn’t taste like pizza because it was mostly sauce on bread. The dough was as solid as ever, nice and crispy, decently warm. The sauce had flavor – but it was the only flavor. :(Unhappy with my order but I will stop in to dine in again to see if this was a fluke.

Ordered delivery. Delicious and super fresh pizza, loved the crust and the the topping were great! Loved every bite!!! Would recommend this pizza joint to anyone passing through Astoria!!!

I’ve loved this pizza since I was s kid, it was a Delicious treat to eat then and still is now. I love this place! Best pizza in the world as far as I’m concerned. I could eat a whole pie Pizza perfection!

Just got a pizza and garlic knots delivered. Pizza came room temperature with crumbling and burnt crust. I expected so much more after reading the reviews on here, but I wouldn’t pay $ 2 for this pizza, much less $ 15.

In my opinion, Rizzo’s has the best pizza in Astoria. However, it’s a little hard on the wallet. I have ordered slices at their store many times, and since they’re slices, they clearly do not take out a chunk of your wallet. A large pepperoni is $ 23, and with other toppings added, it costs more.
However, I am willing to pay since Rizzo’s quality is amongst the top I’ve seen for authentic New York pizza. If you’re craving pizza, look no further than Rizzo’s!

Stopping in late on a Wednesday and its is not too busy. Not too much pizza left in the case, but very happy to see a few thin Sicilian slices left so I order one. I order a fountain diet coke and the guy asks if I am new to the area. I laugh slightly realizing that they know their clientele well, and also to the fact that I am old school Queens — just haven’t been around here in a bit. We have a friendly chat as I wait for my slice.
I sit down and have a bite — just perfect. This slice is as good as I remember — so light, so crispy, the tomato sauce has that zip to it along with the distinctive rectangle of thin mozzarella. How can something so deceivingly simple be so good?
As I finish up my slice and get up to put on my coat another server come out with free cannolis for myself and the two other people enjoying their slices. I recall they do this often because the last time I was here it was also later in the evening and slower — they brought out a couple of different slices for me and my friends for us to sample.
I walk back to my car with nostalgia heavy on my mind — I miss this. I miss living in Queens. Astoria has changed, but some classics remain the same. I love Queens. I love Rizzo’s.

So, tonight, we called to order a pizza and some garlic knots. Sadly, probably because of how late we called, and how amazing they are, they were out of garlic knots (wah). HOWEVER, Frank, the wonderful manager working this evening, helped us a tonne. Now, this requires a little context. We love garlic. We love garlic more than vampires despise it. More than garlic loves its garlic babies. We felt that any *normal* person would not understand such an intense love, so we felt the need to be very descriptive. Example of descriptions is as follows:
-«If garlic knots and pizza were to have a baby, it would look mostly like garlic knots»
-«Enough garlic to kill a small elephant, wait, correction, large elephant.»
-«That whenever someone asks for a lot of extra garlic, whatever you think is enough for them, multiply that by at least three.»
Not only did he take our garlic obsession seriously (albeit there were a few giggles), but boy, did he deliver. He asked if this was our first time ordering (it was), and he told us he’d throw in some free cannoli’s-sweet! Upon receiving our pizza, it was clear, through the closed door, that the garlic was on point («on fleek» even more so). We will likely be scaring people off for days (and vampires for months).
Thank you so much to Frank and the team at Rizzos Pizza on Steinway. That was one of best pizzas we’ve ordered in a long time, and not *just* because of the garlic. ;)

I went here to try a slice. The lady behind the counter proceeded to heat up the tiniest slice I have ever seen. I wouldn’t pay for it so I just left. Not going to come back

OMG, amazing pizza!!! I had the best experience a few days ago, visiting Rizzo for the first time. I was looking for a gluten free pizza, and this place delivered beyond my expectations.
I ordered the personal size Verdura gf pizza with half cheese and half no cheese plus tomato sauce. I was so pleasantly surprised that it was a thin crust pizza. Note, they don’t make the gluten free crust, but it’s ok since it’s vegan and made with rice flour. The veggie toppings were fresh and delicious.
I was so pleasantly surprised by the generosity of the owner. I received a complimentary order of garlic knots which were so tasty and galicky, in addition to an small order of mini cannolis! Heaven on earth! And it gets better, I also scored a slice of their famous square Sicilian slice, which blew my mind away. The crust was thin, and crispy yet soft and yummy!!!
I don’t have words to describe this fantastic pizza place. Thank you so much!!! I highly recommend it, and I will be back for some more soon!

This pizza place has been around as long as I’m around! Well even way longer than that actually lol Classic place which has been on Steinway Street for sooooo many years! They have these unique tasting (and looking) square slices of pizza which they are famous for. I can’t say I’ve had pizza like Rizzo’s before. Very tasty! I’m not up in that area very often and I can’t have their pizza as often as I’d like to– but when I am around there– I do try and grab a slice. It’s pretty small inside though. Not many tables.
One thing I was always confused about though. They don’t have any garbage cans in view. So– I never know whether to leave my garbage and tray at the table I sat at, or give it to the counter employee. I usually give it to the counter employee because I hate leaving my trash on the table– I feel like a pig lol But anyway– I always give it to the counter employee when I’m done. They always smile and take the tray away and thank me for coming. So I guess that’s what you do? Haha I’m sure either way is fine. But it is weird how they have no garbage cans in view. Unless I’m just not very observant and I missed it? Lol I dunno.
Anyway– great spot for unique pizza! An Astoria landmark! Stop in!

I went back with my parents, of course.
I told them that this was the first time for my parents and they immediately gave us a square on the house to try.
My parents loved it!!!
While we were waiting for our Margherita pie to come the man at the counter, very frendly and super nice, brought us some garlic nuts to try.
The best garlic knots i ever had!
Garlicky and full of taste.
This time i really impressed my parents!!!
Exellent costumer service on top.
Thanks Frank for making this experience very unique for my parents, you really went out of your way for us.
6 stars for Rizzo’s!

Love Rizzo’s when ever we pass thru queens we always stop in. Food is always great! The staff is beyond your expectations. Love everything about Rizzo’s

I was SO excited to order from this place but…
I ordered from their gluten free pizza menu — eggplant parmigiana pizza. It came and it had breaded eggplant on it. I called and was told that they’ve never had a complaint about putting something breaded on something gluten free… which is weird… but that’s ok. They offered to replace it, so I asked for them to make it with grilled chicken instead of eggplant. They told me they only had «regular chicken», so they offered me the margarita pizza — great, fine. Then we opened my husband’s pizza… which has grilled chicken. No idea what’s going on with them, but perhaps they need some gluten education before they put it on their menu.
Just to be clear, though — they had no problem replacing it and even checked up to make sure it was ok.

Best pizza here in Astoria. Love the service and the friendliness of the staff as well. The owner is also very sweet. Working next door I typically got the combo pizzas but one day he offered on the house grandma/​Sicilian slice which was amazing! Now I typically grab 2 slices of that for lunch.
I recommend everyone to check this place out if in the area and craving for some solid pizza.

Couple of weeks ago me and my friend came in for pizza after her telling me how nostaligic and historic it is for Astoria.
I tried the veggie slice it was good but i think a little to thin for all the veggies to handle. Then the next slice because we were still hungry we went for the traditional grandma/​sicilian slice. It was amazing. Light airy. Wish it had another slice of cheese ontop of it.
We had to be the first people in there that tuesday so the guy sent us back some garlic knots which were amazing. I would come back and just get garlic knots out of this world!
Then he surprised us with a two tony cannolis. How can one not go wrong with cannolis!!! They were really good!
I recommend the garlic knots and sicilian slice! Go for it you wont be disappointed!
Ps the place does not have bathrooms! But lots of oldie pictures on the wall to admire. Love that classic old school pizza shoppe look

This place is awesome. The slices are just the right size, the crust is thin but doesn’t get soggy from the sauce, and the toppings are flavorful and fresh. The cannoli doesn’t really taste like an authentic cannoli… don’t get me wrong they are good but the cream inside is very light and whipped with not much flavor to it. They only sell mini cannolis now, $ 4 for 6. Large pie will run you $ 23. Their Sicilian square slice is heaven. Give this place a try… it’s surely a win.

Classic New York style thin crust. On my first visit in they asked if it was a first visit (since all four of us were staring at the menu and display case in awe). Since it was, they heated up some free samples!
Delicious pizza. I can’t say much else. This place is a true classic — their long standing history and past awards attest to this.
They even gave us 4 free mini cannolis after we finished our slices. This place knows customer service.
Five stars, no doubt about that. Small dining room though, and I’d imagine that get very busy at certain times of the day. Plan ahead!

Sigh… are my standards too high or is nothing good enough.
This place has good pizza. Not the best but good enough to eat. Will I order again? No.
Got two of the parsons pizzas. One with chicken and pesto and mushroom, and another one with like every meat they have. Can’t be bothered to remember the names of them. They were both good thin crispy crust quality ingredients, but really when eating them they both just tasted exactly the same, nothing amazing.
The worst part was the ceasar salad i ordered for delivery. It was literally some romaine leaves ripped in half not even cut. A blob of dressing. And some wet bread. Now I’m no salad expert but last time I checked croutons were supposed to be crunchy. Very bad.
$ 50 for two special pizzas, that had no distinct flavor and a really bad ceasar «salad» a bit pricey for an underwhelming delivery.

I was on a date with that chick from Legally Blonde. What’s her name. Oh yeah. Rizzo Witherspoon. She was like, get me candy. I was like, get me Ryan Phillippe’s phone number then. She was like, okay, but his thingy is small. I was like, idc he’s so hot. She was like, okay, get me candy. I want those peanut butter pieces.
So I brought here here. And guess what. They don’t sell candy. I found this out the f***ing hard way. I came in here, with my pants down (I always enter places with my pants down when I visit for the first time), and I yelled, while waving my «gun» (and you know what I mean):
«Give me all your Rizzo’s Pieces. Right now.»
Of course, the embarrassed guy informed me calmly that «we don’t have Rizzo’s Pieces. We have Rizzo’s Pizzas.» I felt like an idiot. I put my junk away, ordered a slice, and left before the cops came.
What to order: A Sicilian Slice
What else: Regular ones are excellent too
I love these slices a lot. I think love is a rizzo-​nable response when you find pizza you really enjoy. Don’t you?
This pizza is far from my fave in town. A lot of people say it’s the #1 Queens Pizza or even the best in NYC. I mean, just read the other reviews. Not for me. It’s just really, really good, and one of many good ones. The best in Queens — and probably NYC — is nearby Sunnyside Pizza’s Garlic Bread Pizza. And Luigi’s on 5^th in Bklyn is right up there too.
So if you get a slice from here and you’re starving, the rizzo-​lution is to stick it in your mouth. That sort of action solves so many conflicts in life, don’t you think?
This one? Well, I’m not a big Sicilian Slice fan, but if I was, this would be the kind of Sicilian Slice I’d go for. It’s fluffy, crispy, hot, perfectly spiced and delicious. Crusty, cheesy, surprisingly not thick-​y or doughy, but delightful and dreamy. It’s sort of like, thin crust Sicilian, maybe like DiCarlo’s in Wheeling, WV or St. Louis style pizza but way better.
Just don’t ask for Rizzo-​to, because their specialty is pizza… nor try to figure out the Rizz-​on why everything tastes so good here. They won’t tell you. And don’t whip out your junk, like I did, otherwise you’ll have to rizzo-​lve it with the police later. Like I did. As usual.
As for the regular slices… it’s been awhile since I had one of those. I’m do a re-​up on the regular because the last 3 times I was in here, I got Sicilian. I’m due back in Queens in the next few weeks so I’ll be grabbing a slice from here, for sure.
Oh and if you want to talk music with the owner, you should know that his favourite band is Rizzo Against, and his favourite movie is T3: Rizzo Of The Machinese.
If you’re on a quest to find the best pizza in town, make sure you add this spot to your «to try» list. It’s legendary and has been on a lot of the food network TV shows. I can’t say it’s in my top 10 NYC slices, but it’s certainly in the top 50, and definitely well worth a try.
And if you’re going to whip your stuff out like I always do, try and make it Rizzo up to full salute-​position in your pants before you enter. So to speak. Enter the restaurant I mean. Reminds me of the lonely island song (my fave one actually)… Rizzo In My Pants.
Jamie Lynn Sigler. She looked so good in that video. I bet she’d look good eating Rizzo.

After my two star review the owner, David, dropped me a PM. David, was very gracious and apologetic. He was sorry and disappointed that I did not enjoy Rizzo’s pizza. I sincerely believe that he takes to heart all reviews. He has pride in his product and stands by this. I give him kudos for this and responding back with an invitation to come back.
I always feel obligated to return to a restaurant, bar or any business when invited back. I do so at my own expense to be fair and honest. No quid pro quo.
Some may say why spend so much time on a review of a pizza slice. Don’t you have better things to do. Actually, the time I spend writing about a place is as important to me, as the passion and pride David has for his pizza.
Since the market crash of a few years ago, I have become frugal, cheap, tight wad, etc. I spend my money wisely these days. I use Unilocal as a resource. Before I go anywhere, I read the reviews. Good or bad I make my own smart decisions.
On my return visit a week or so later, I had the same meal. A regular slice and a square. Like I said in my original review, «crust was nice, but the pizza ratio was off». I am sure Rizzo’s uses quality ingredients, but cheese lacked flavor. That pizza ratio, balance of ingredients to crust was still not there. Average at best. Please see my pictures. The slices did not meet my standard. This is my opinion only.
I want to thank David and Rizzo’s staff. I appreciate the invitation back and the sincere attempt to win me over. I wish you the Best.

Whenever my brother visits me in Astoria, my sister-​in-​law asks him to bring home a pie from Rizzo’s. Rizzo’s is an Astoria institution, and is one of the best pizzerias in this area.
It’s funny, because I normally wouldn’t go for this kind of pizza. The crust is too thin for my taste. However, one bite and I’m in love. The sauce, the cheese, and the crust all mix perfectly. For an added touch, add hot sauce. It’s great!!!
The décor here isn’t much, just a few tables. It’s your basic pizza joint. I never ordered a delivery, so I can’t say anything about that, but it’s a wonderful place to pick up a pie and take home.