Emily

A friend and I shared the vodka pizza and the Emmy burger. Both surpassed all expectations. Quite possibly the best burger I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was cooked to perfection alongside a mountain of thin salty French fries. The pizza was incredible with the thin crust and overflowing sauce with cheese.
We met the owner Emily and she was the sweetest person, so welcoming and warm to her restaurant! She suggested we finish our meal with the smores calzone. Even at the level of fullness we were at, we dove into it and were not disappointed. It was the perfect combination of sweet indulgences. I will definitely be returning!

Very nice burgers!

Just extraordinary. Thoughtful ingredients. Attention to detail that is paramount. Love everything about this place.

Pretty disappointed with my visit to Emily. Service dining at the bar was very friendly. Overall I would say this is a pizza place that has lost its way and become a one-​trick-​pony burger joint. Probably not their fault, the burger is getting just so much press. At least 50% of the orders coming out of the kitchen are burgers, not pizza. I see they have raised the burger price to $ 23.
As for the pizza and salad we had, they were just not special. The Bibb Salad was full of mismatched ingredients and textures. Buttery lettuce, way-​too large radish pieces and crunchy chickpeas and nothing to pull it together; like someone pulled random things out of the crisper in a challenge to use up ingredients. The dressing was straight mustard. Pizzas were fine. The menu is overwhelming– about 25 speciality pies-​so many toppings and overcomplicated combos. There are also a lot of pies that appear to be ways to charge more for something slightly altered: «make it a…» and add $ 4. Perhaps someone just really likes coming up with the pie names.

I love Emily. It’s one of the only reasons why I’ll venture out to Brooklyn. Why? Emily is the perfect venue if you’re craving both pizza and a burger.
I discovered Emily from Instagram, where I kept seeing pictures of the Emmy burger and just had to try it. FYI, the burger isn’t on the menu, so it’s a «secret» item despite not really being a secret due to the amount of attention it’s gotten. The burger itself is really juicy and the Emmy sauce compliments it perfectly. It’s practically impossible to eat this burger without making a mess all over yourself. But hey, that’s the sign of a great burger right?
In addition to the Emmy burger, I always get the Colony pizza. It’s a red sauce pizza with pepperoni, honey, and jalapeños — the honey and jalapeños make it a unique combo of sweet and spicy which I absolutely love. In fact, I love this pizza so much that I can never get myself to order a different pie!
Although the it’s «Pizza loves Emily», Emily’s logo can be «_​_​_​_​_​_​_​loves Emily» because after eating here, I don’t see why you wouldn’t!

Emily Burger: $ 23
Pretzel bun with thick burger with caramelized onions and lots of cheese! Very good~ get it
Korean Wings With Mint Ranch: $ 8
I literally cannot get over these wings — but more so THE MINT RANCH SO GOOD — PUT IT ON EVERYTHING
Service: good, nothing spectacular. They’re just super busy and even the hostess is helping always so it’s more business than rudeness

Went here this past Friday. Ordered the burger– delicious. But for $ 23 it should be!!!
We also ordered the Colony which was pretty good. We didn’t love the Uncle ray though. If you try the pizza crust without anything else, it is pretty bland. Not sure what it is missing but maybe, salt? For dessert we had the s’mores calzone. it was gross. The dough was bland and awful. My husband didn’t even have more than 2 bites, which is rare! I just ate the inside (marshmallow and chocolate). overall, it was okay. I would only go back for the burger but probably not since i wouldn’t want to spend $ 50 on 2 burgers.

Believe the hype. This is currently the best pizza in the city. Worth the wait but even better worth the delivery so you can enjoy it anytime!

The food at Emily is to die for. Go immediately, I promise, you won’t regret it.
My friend and I had been wanting to visit this place for about a year. Awhile back we went in around 8 PM and were told there was a two hour wait. We ended up going down the street to Sisters (also very good!!) but this time, even though we arrived at 5:30 and were told it would be 45 – 60 minutes, we decided to stick it out. (Long story short, expect a long wait time! But it’s worth the wait, I promise!)
The lighting inside is nice, it’s a small and intimate space. You’ll be sitting next to other couples but it wasn’t bothersome. It’s a great date spot but also fun for a small group of friends.
I ordered a bourbon cocktail ($ 11) that had orange liqueur and was absolutely delicious. My friend and I then split the famous Emmy burger ($ 21) and a Colony pie ($ 18). The pie came out first so we dug in. It had the perfect combination of spicy (chili peppers, thick cut pepperoni) and sweet (delicious honey, perfectly crafted red sauce). The mozz tasted fresh and the pizza was fantastic. Then the gorgeous Emmy burger arrived. We ordered medium rare and it was perfect. Soft pretzel bun, juicy flavorful meat, sharp, delicious cheddar cheese, and a rich savory special sauce. Amazing. The thin cut fries with aioli that accompanied it were also fabulous.
Can’t say enough good things about this place. Definitely go! I’ll certainly be going back soon!

Nothing makes me happier than pizza. Came here for dinner with two other friends, and we each ordered a pie to share. We ordered the Colony, Emily, and the Burger; (which isn’t on the menu). The Emily was extremely light, it had honey and pistachios on it. It reminded me of kunefe which is a Turkish Dessert made up of cheese, honey, and pistachios. The colony had sausages and pickled jalapeños which was really interesting. The burger pizza was my favorite, it tasted just like a burger. It also had tiny pickles on it which was surprisingly good on a pizza. Overall, the pizza was really good, but a little pricey. The burger pizza was $ 26 alone. Definitely a must try for a pizza lover!

Emily = heaven.
Picture this: a magical place where you can get some of the best pizza of your life, even by Brooklyn standards, even on a busy Friday night for dinner because they actually take reservations.
Upon arrival, you’re escorted by a friendly server to a cozy back booth right by the kitchen where you can watch these incredible pies being shoved in and pulled out of their huge wood burning oven. You may even be greeted by Emily herself!
Just when you thought things couldn’t get more heavenly, you’ll realize that they do more than just terrific pizza. They have a Bibb lettuce salad with radishes and crispy chickpeas that is out of this world, and so much more than a boring side pizza.
Best of all, the Emmy burger. Now there are a lot of transcendent burgers out there, but this is one of the most divine. With a devastatingly tender dry age beef burger, a fluffy pretzel bun, grafton cheddar, cornichon, and caramelized onions, you may actually fall on your knees and praise the heavens for this incredible dish — so incredible that I’m willing to pay $ 21 for a burger.
So no, you haven’t died and gone to heaven — you’ve just walked into one of the best pizza spots in NYC!

Let’s start from appetizers, my husband and son Hate Kale but they were fighting over the salad which came with plump dry cherries, shaved cheese and a fantastic dressing. I was told by Emily that her husband massages the kale to get it to such a tender texture. Wow, who knew that heirloom roasted carrots can taste like smoked sausages!!!
The Emily Burger is tender and juicy, perfect fries with a little spicy mayo was perfect!
Ok now for the The Colony pizza; I had a When Harry met Sally moment! Tasty, crispy crust with a hint of honey, the perfect sauce and tender mozzarella topped with jalapeño slivers and not your commonplace pepperoni. Delicious!
Service is lovely, knowledgeable and patient. I wish for Emily to buy the place next door and expand !

Emily was on my list for a while, and I finally made it over there this past Thursday. Torrential rain and wind tried to hold me back, but nothing could deter me from this haven of delicious pizza.
Once I arrived, I found a cozy, petite restaurant with a welcoming bar, where we sat. I eyed up the wings special du jour, and the famous drippy Emily burger on a pretzel bun, but I cannot resist pizza, so I went with a classic pepperoni, my standby. Our pizzas came out quickly, and I was delighted at how thin the crust was, more towards the thickness of a bar pie. It was slightly too charred for my taste (I do not like char), but definitely not overly charred like some Neapolitan style joints.
What stood out most to me was the mozzarella cheese, and the pepperoni, both of which were extremely high quality. The mozzarella was incredibly creamy and buttery, with perfect strings that pulled when I grabbed a slice. The pepperoni curled up, despite its slight thickness, and added that great hefty spice that you want in a pepperoni.
Overall, I was really impressed with Emily, and I would probably go out of my way to return.

Hi I’m Emily, and tonight I went to Emily with my girlfriend not-​Emily. We had the Emily and the Emzies. I said that the Emily was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever put in my mouth, and not-​Emily agreed. There was some implied innuendo there, but ultimately we were both talking about the pizza because it is that fucking delicious. The Emzies was also fantastic, but I didn’t feel the same sense of loss after eating it that I did when we finished the Emily.
Heads up: the hostess won’t ask you if you mind sitting at the bar – she’ll just seat you there. Everything will be fine, I promise.

Lets get straight to the food review first. Although our pizza was REALLY cold it was still good hence the 4 star. We ordered the Colony with pepporoni, pickled jalepeno, and honey with added onions. I would have given it a full 5 but it was… cold.
We arrived at roughly 7 pm on a Saturday night… October 10^th exactly. The hostess informs me the wait will be roughly 30 minutes then says to hold she will be right back. She returns to let us know the wait will be 75 minutes and she apologizes ever so nicely. Since we we’re staying at the Marquis in Times Square we didn’t want to spend 2 – 3 hours in Brooklyn so we decide to order to-​go. As we are deciding what to order we hear the hostess tell the non Asian couple behind us it’s about an hour and if anything comes up sooner she will call them in roughly 15 mins. Then thr next couple non Asian coincidently is told 45 mins. My date starts getting upset and I calm him down and reassure him she was super nice. We order then ask why the wait time is different she explained it was due to party size. She tells us 20 mins and knocks off 15%. How nice right? The next coincidental Asian girl asks for the wait time and is told an hour and forty five… the following super tall couple? Thirty to fourty five. The next big group came and they are obviously the hostess’ friends… seated immediately… my date is furious. I say who cares we ordered to go. The hostess starts bringing out people’s to-​go orders for people who ordered after us. My date goes in to check and she brings out a hard cold pizza that has obviously been sitting out…
We are visitors from California and after much research on Unilocal and Instagram decided to go out of our way to Brooklyn at 7 pm just to eat this pizza and it’s just sad we got cold, hard pizza. The really sad thing? It was still delicious and we really truly just simply wished it was warm…
But this might really just be our experience and just that hostess… so a four star review since the pizza is really good. Really.

Let’s be honest — there’s a whole lot of competition for Brooklyn pies, but if Emily isn’t synonymous with the cuisine, it’s quite possible that it should be. Th pizza here is excellent, and while I haven’t yet sampled the burger, I will, and if it’s all that people are saying it’s cracked up to be Emily should snag a fifth star down the road no problem.
Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?
Sure, things are a tad bit cramped at Emily, and that’s prone to resulting in lines out the door, but similar to other New York establishments I’ll argue that’s part of the charm. After all, when you’re in such close proximity to so many people having a good time and enjoying delicious food? How can you not give in?
I was able to snag a barstool late on a Saturday night, and my bartender was excellent from start to finish. While the pie took a bit (15+ minutes-​ish), the place was absolutely packed, so it was warranted. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
When I first started coming to New York City regularly, I was admittedly shocked by some of the prices. $ 20 for a pizza that’s only slightly larger than a personal one? Ridiculous! As time has progressed however and my visits have become more frequent, I’ve grown to understand that anything shy of $ 20 is reasonable. My speciality Buffalo Chicken Pizza here at Emily came in at $ 18, and considering half of it sufficed for a light meal, that was more than reasonable considering the quality. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Unless you’re relatively new to pizza, which you’re obviously not, you have a feel for how buffalo chicken pizza typically goes — buffalo sauce instead of marinara, blue cheese instead of mozzarella, and chicken as the topping. It’s a killer combination if done right, but it’s all too often just half-​heartedly slapped together with a premium price slapped into the mix. Here at Emily? Not the case.
Here’s what you’ve got: the wonderful and flavorful thin crust pizza that Emily is known for, but on top of that you’ve scallion-​cilantro pesto, blue cheese, sriracha, and slow cooked and succulent chicken. The combination is wonderful, and while I could have used just a tad bit more chicken, these flavors were divine when brought together. I’m honestly a bit surprised this isn’t a menu regular, because no one in their right mind wouldn’t crave this on the reg. Dual Stars Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
So here’s the thing — Emily is excellent, but there’s STEEP competition in the area obviously. The differentiating factor here is the burger, and while Emily was sold out when I arrived, a decent burger would be a game changer that would easily up Emily into the five star category. Until then I’ll say No Star Granted, but stay posted.

WORTH EVERY PENNY!
My mouth is still watering from my visit last night to Emily. Let me preface this that my friends and I are burger FANATICS, so when we heard about this place and their famous Emmy burger, we immediately added it to our list. It did NOT disappoint. I think I can speak for my group in our agreement that this was the best burger we’ve ever had. But first, let’s dial it back to the beginning.
I knew from reviews that the place was small, so we arrived fairly early (6:15) to put our name down for a table. We were told there would be a 30 – 45 minute wait (for a table of 3), which wasn’t a problem. We hopped over next door for a drink, but before we could even finish our beer, we got the text that our table was ready! We quickly ordered a bottle of wine, and mulled over the menu, even though we pretty much knew what we were going to order.
We started with a pizza as an appetizer, because we all thought the pizza’s looked amazing, and let’s be real, this is more of a pizza place than a burger spot! We opted for the vodka pizza with mozz. Yes, it was yummy, and a perfect appetizer for our main feast, the Emmy Burger. I don’t even think I can be fair to the pizza, when comparing it to the burger. In my opinion, the pizza wasn’t nearly as special as the burger.
The Emmy burger. We ordered 2 to share between the 3 of us (after our light 2 slices of pizza each appetizer). I love that Emily doesn’t ask how you want your burger cooked, and also that they don’t allow for an substitutions or changes. It’s pretty much their way or the highway! And for good reason. The medium rare meat melted in your mouth and the flavor was perfect. The emmy sauce (whatever is in it) is amazing, the cheese and caramelized onions all melt together in your mouth. (drool). The skinny fries were also delicious, and they serve them was a garlic/​herb mayo, which was awesome. And a few teeny tiny delicious cornichon pickles!
I was legitimately floored when our waitress told us we got the last 2 burgers of the night (at 7:30?!) and we all said how upset we would’ve been if we came all the way there (sorry, yes it’s kind of out there from the Upper East Side and Hoboken where we all live) to be disappointed that they were out of burgers. I guess the size of the restaurant can’t accommodate the quantity of burger requests, but to run out of burgers during primetime was unbelievable to me! I recommend coming on a weeknight before 7pm to guarantee yourself a little slice of heaven.
Anyway, the service was good, our waitress was friendly, and the place has a very cute atmosphere. Yes, the burger is a little pricey, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’d skip the pizza and get my own burger too!

Emily first fell into my radar thanks to a bevy of NYC-​centric lists that placed their burger as one of the best entrants of the year. To be fair, I don’t find myself in the Clinton Hill area very often, and would easily have written it off as a mere neighborhood restaurant otherwise. The restaurant, started by Matt and Emily Hyland, is a tribute to the couple and to the meal that first bonded them many years ago. Don’t underestimate the caliber of the food, either; Chef Matt Hyland studied at the ICE and dabbled in The Breslin, Pizza Moto, and Roberta’s before honing his skills at Sottocasa. Clearly, the pizza is not to be underestimated either.
The restaurant itself is a cozy, understated venue in the heart of a changing neighborhood. Reservations are intended for parties of six or more, so walk-​ins and occasional waits are the norm here. Thankfully, on the weekend evening we wandered in, we were able to snag a two-​top by the entrance. A cheerful greeting followed by menus and glasses of water, and we were soon going through the concise but sorely tempting options. While there’s a handful of starters and the famed Emmy Burger, the bulk of the menu is made up of pizzas, split out by the base sauce. A little hemming and hawing, and we decided on a red pie and the Emmy Burger to share.
First and foremost, the Emmy Burger is a must-​order. The patty, a sizable blend of dry-​aged beef, was cooked to our requested medium-​rare and had all the flavor and juiciness one could hope for. It’s topped with charred onion, a melted slice of Grafton cheddar, and the «Emmy Sauce», which had a zing that was reminiscent of a mild buffalo sauce. Sandwich that between two generous, lightly charred pretzel buns with a side of housemade fries, and you have a formula for success.
I can’t overlook the excellent pie that we got to try, either. The Rafa, a red suace-​based pizza, was topped with mozzarella, peppers, onion, a variety of herbs, and fresh basil. It’s a thin crust pizza, but maintains its integrity and chew, even to the very last bite. The sauce is tangy and well-​seasoned, and the blend of vegetables and herbs spot-​on; it’s an aromatic, aggressively-​flavored pizza, but highlights each ingredient beautifully.
I have a tinge of regret in not keeping Emily to myself; but honestly, it’s too good to keep as a simple neighborhood restaurant. The food is simple but delicious, the service welcoming and helpful, and it’s the type of place you want to keep going back to time and time again. If the pizza and burger isn’t enough incentive, there’s an off-​menu dish of Korean-​inspired wings which has my name written all over it as well…

Quite simply the best burger I have had in New York, by a good margin.
It has the wonderful funk of dry-​aged beef, a sauce that is a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and tangy, nicely caramelized onions and a pretzel bun that holds the whole package together admirably.
Even though I made the trip for the burger, I was also super impressed by the pizza and even more so by the wings. The Colony pizza was a nice evolution on a standard pepperoni pie, with the honey and pickled peppers providing wonderfully contrasting flavors. The wings were made of high-​quality chicken (e.g with flavor), cooked perfectly, and had the same amazing sauce as the burger.
Seems like a popular place, glad I went on a Monday night and did not have to wait, but imagine weekends are a madhouse.

Cervantes wrote, «There is no sauce in the world like hunger.»
And to be fair, my meal at Emily was absolutely slathered in that shit. But despite that possible bias, I can confidently say that this is some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten.
I don’t say that lightly. We live in Brooklyn. There is pizza everywhere, good pizza almost everywhere, and absolutely world class pizza in surprising abundance:
Di Fara, Paulie Gee’s, Lucali, Juliana’s, Sottocasa, Barboncino, Roberta’s, Totonno’s, Giuseppina’s, Motorino. Ten of my favorite pies, ten of the world’s best,* and it’d be difficult for me to say I enjoyed any of them more than that first bite of The Colony:
The simple and significant combination of sauce and cheese atop an impeccable crust, with the addition of pickled chilis, the good pepperoni** and honey… This is my perfect pie. The spice of the chili is tempered by the acid from the pickle, and you know I love the sweet and the savory together. That hint of honey puts it over the top.
And the Emily (a white pie topped with mozzarella, pistachios, truffle sottocenere, honey) was just as good. Better, if you ask my wife, but I wouldn’t ask my wife anything if I were you. (She’s not allowed to talk to other people, lest she discover just how far out of my league she is.)
Emily may not be perfect*** overall, but if the fascinating and delicious Smokey Carrots are any indication, their non-​pizza offerings are just as stellar. I was obscenely envious of the man to my left eating The Emmy Burger, so that’s next on my hit list.
Having to decide whether to order [what looks to be] an incredible burger or the best pizza I’ve had in a long time? The struggle is real.
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*Says me. Maybe I am a homer, but eat any of those and tell me it isn’t true.
**The thick little slices that curl up into tiny cups of greasy perfection.
***I’m not sure if it’s an acoustical issue, but it was so loud at 6:30 on a weekday that I couldn’t hear my date sitting directly across from me. And I thought it weird to insist that everyone at the table must order the recent 3-​course prix fixe offered, but these are minor issues.