Lucali

Excellent, owner-​occupied and made, whole-​pie-​only thin crust pizza in a romantic, ramshackle space. Always a long wait to get in, so make reservations online or call and be prepared to wait anyway. Bring your own booze cause it’s BYOB. There’s a few bars a block away where you can wait.

Is it the best pizza in NYC, which would essentially make it the best pizza on planet Earth? Yes, maybe! If it’s not the best, it is pretty close. Obviously, this sort of comparison and measurement isn’t simple.
Base pizza is $ 24 and $ 3 per topping, which isn’t inexpensive, but it’s 8 slices, so it is easily a meal for two. We got pepperoni (the only meat option available) and hot peppers. We called at 6pm to make a reservation — which is more like putting your name on a wait list which is first come, first serve. Being a rainy Wednesday evening, we got here at 9:15pm, for our 9pm ‘reservation’ but were seated within a couple of minutes. Once the menu was explained to us and we ordered, the pizza arrived within 5 minutes which was so amazing because we were hungry. Meanwhile we enjoyed our BYOB wine! Can’t beat that!
Plus Beyoncé, Jay-​Z, and Beckham (google it) have eaten here, so…

Best Pizza Ever.
Seriously.
Bring Cash and BYOB…

Great pizza. ‘Nuff said.
But apparently I can’t post this only saying that so I’m typing this so it will get posted.

*suggestion: call a day before to make a reservation. pizza lived up to its hype, but not so much the calzone. MAKE SURE TO GET GARLIC AND TOP IT OFF WITH BASIL! It’s also BYOB and the nice hostess offered to leave it in the fridge while we waited a bit outside. Ugh, loved their customer service!
Came on a Friday night without reservation and was told they’d have a seat for me and my friend an hour later. We should’ve made a reservation the day before but luckily the wait wasn’t too bad considering how busy it was. Lots of people were waiting on line which is always a good sign. Service was excellent– waitress was attentive and super kind. The hostess was also so considerate and nice. We were seated close to the door and she asked if it was too cold and let us know that there was a heater next to me. We ordered a small calzone with garlic and a large garlic pie with half pepperoni, mushroom topped with fresh basil! Pizza was comparable to pizza from Naples, Italy. Ingredients were extremely FRESH, the crust was doughy yet thin, and the fresh basil was a perfect cherry on top. Also ordered a small calzone which wasn’t anything too special.

I’ve only had one meal better than this in my entire life. oh. my. God. get the garlic calzone. but starve yourself for a week before hand. the taste of the ricotta is a meditation in luxury. like sleeping in 1 billion thread Egyptian cotton, made from silk worms fed Kobe beef for months on end, living in sublime Japanese sunlight.
get the mushrooms on your pie. you won’t regret it.

OVERRATED! This place tastes a lot like Grimaldi’s fresh mozzarella. It’s good but it’s not something that would want me returning to multiple times.

Great food! Staff and owner is especially very nice and helped to make the experience better in spite of the long wait time (4 hours) in cold weather!
On Sunday January 31^st, I took my girlfriend, the (3.5 y. o) baby, my bro, and my mother here. Would be my second time here. We arrived an hour and a half early (thought I saw much earlier), so we wandered around. When we passed by the front, there was already a waiting list and we found that we wouldn’t get seated at 6PM opening, but instead at 7PM. Briefly spoke with the owner, and moved on.
Come 7PM, we come back and wait for our turn. And wait… and wait. As time passed, we were informed that the table we were to be sat at had customers that wouldn’t leave and kept ordering more. They were being hurried along (to their displeasure and without us saying anything about it) so we could be seated. I feel a little bad about their «shortened» experience, but we had a 3 y.o. with us.
Anyway, 8PM (nearly 4 hours waiting to eat since mistakenly arriving early) we were able to sit. They gave a little pizza dough to my baby daughter, and she had a blast playing with it. Our pizzas arrived quickly, and one was on the house as a thanks for being patient. The staff and owner was truly nice, and in a ways apologetic. The gesture was really appreciated! It helped to make the food taste even better than what the other reviews describe.
I’d like to make it a point to stop by here whenever possible just because the service and hospitality is amazing. It helps that the food is worth the long drive!

Hands down the best pizza I’ve ever had my whole life! But the wait could be a little intimidating, we make efforts to arrive around 4:30~5pm and RSVP before they begin service at 6pm. If you arrive any later than 5, expect the reservation to stretch into 7 o’ clock. So get here early or don’t come at all. slap yo self, cuz the wait only gets longer.
This is Jay Z and Queen B’s fav restaurant which means that we share the same taste in food. Which make me cool enough to hang with them. Which will make me famous… *wake up!
They only have simple personal pies and calzones in the menu. Open kitchen. BYOB. Superb service.
An all around 5 star, well-​deserved!
Step aside Grimaldi’s and Spumoni your qualities have deescalated, Lucali’s have yet to let me down

One of my top picks for pizza anywhere in New York.
The calzones are also extremely good. Having been here many times, I’ve found that the pizza quality is either a ⁷⁄₁₀ or a 9.5÷10 every single time, depending on the night.
The wait can be prohibitively long.

Probably the best pizza I’ve had anywhere, especially in NYC. Maybe not for people who really love deep dish pizza though because this is a very thin crust pizza. My boyfriend and I tried coming here last year but got there too late after they ran out of ingredients. So this time, we made sure to be waiting as soon as it opened — got there around 5:40 PM on a Thursday night and was able to nab a table for 3 as soon as it opened at 6 PM. People were RSVP-​ing for 7 PM tables before it even opened though, so make sure to get there early!
We ordered 2 margherita pizzas with garlic and 1 with pepperoni and mushrooms. They have a small ingredient list of what is available that night. The crust is super light and fluffy with the right amount of crunch factor. You can tell they use very good, fresh ingredients. My tiny, tiny complaint was I wish they would rip off the basil leaves off the stems, because I think all the pizzas come with basil, and they are just haphazardly thrown on like an afterthought. We took the extra pie and a half leftover home and ate it again as a late night snack. Super good!

Some of the best pizza in the City, coupled with classic ambiance, the satisfaction of being able to see the pizza really being assembled and a BYOB policy that isn’t just fleeting and you get one of the all around best pizza pie experiences for that old school style.
Just go early… during the week… and don’t dawdle too long in there ;)
PS – Don’t forget to look up on the wall at the specials board!

Lucali is one of those places that you just have to try once to be hooked and wait in line for 4+ hours again & again. Now for the life of me I can figure out why I find this pizza to be so amazing and one step above the rest. The crust is not the doughy chewy traditional Personal Poe crust or the same size. I would say lucali is the traditional Brooklyn carol gardens pizza.

Best pizza ever. We waited 3 hours to get seated, but it was worth every second! No fuss, no pretence with fancy names and long menus, just great pizza! The crust, toppings, flavour, everything was just perfect. Do not miss the classic pizza Margherita! It’s the best I’ve had in my life!

I came here with my best friend while in town, he was determined to get me to try «the best pizza you’ll ever have in your life» so of course I obliged. He called and they said «just come on in,» but we didn’t leave until maybe an hour later because I wasn’t hungry. They had a girl standing outside with a clipboard taking names like it was club with a rope behind to keep people out while she went inside. I didn’t appreciate this concept, but it made sense once I got inside (it was extremely small). My guess is it can only accommodate about 20 people. It’s BYOB, so we grabbed a bottle of wine and went down the street to the bar to have a few drinks before dinner while we waited. The only place to wait was outside and it was cold so we weren’t having that. When we finally got in, we were seated and my best friend told me «there’s no menu». Mind officially blown. They only serve 2 things: pizza and calzones. I just knew I was going to get prosciutto with arugula but NOPE they only have pepperoni, so I said shit lemme get ughhhhh «the pepperoni with every vegetable you have» and it was delicious! I do wish the onions were cooked a little more, I was scared I was going to have dragon’s breath afterwards… and I did. I didn’t realize the kitchen was within our eyesight until half way through dinner. They make everything out in the open and you can see them place the pizza in the brick oven.
Note: they have a larger location in Miami as well, with an expanded menu. My best friend was able to meet Jay-​Z & Beyoncé while here because apparently they frequent the restaurant.

Delicious! Can’t wait to go back!
Let me first day, I only came here because Jayz said it was Beyonce’s favorite pizza shop. I also got jalapeños on my pizza just like she did. I was trying to decide if I liked Lucali better than Paulie Gee’s, but I don’t. They’re also very different so you can’t compare the two.
The pizza is very fresh and taste like it came straight from Italy. Keep in mind, there are only two items on the menu– pizza and calzone.
The staff is really nice and accommodating. I also like that it’s BYOB.
Of note, it’s very small and there is pretty much always a wait so be prepared and be patient because this pizza is worth it.

BYOB is great. The pizza is good too but not the 2 hour wait good. You definitely could taste the quality of the fresh ingredients. The crust is thin and crispy. However i think it’s hyped up and the food probably taste extra delicious because you will be starving by the time you get a table. After the hunger is sated, you probably realize there are better pizzas available minus the wait.
My friend got there around 5ish hoping to be among the first patrons so we wouldn’t have to wait the horrendous behind the rope queue. However before the restaurant even open, there were people who got there around 4ish and had already put their names down. Didn’t know you can do that since they don’t take reservations. So around 5ish we were told our table will be ready by 7. Mind you the restaurant opens at 6!!!
There’s two things on the menu. Large pizza pies and calzones. There’s about 7 toppings available today. (Portobello mushrooms. Shallots. Sweet pepper. Spicy pepper. Beef pepperoni. Basil and garlic) we got two pizzas and a small calzone with all the toppings. texture of the pizza and calzones are great. Wished they cooked the shallots more.

When Beyonce and Jay Z have a favorite pizza place, you go to it. (If you watch SNL, you know what will happen if you defy Queen B.)
Wednesday night at seven? Completely, manageable wait. I shudder to think what it would be like on a weekend at that time. I would say stick to the weekdays if you’re in a time crunch.
You essentially build your own pizza with real ingredients. Everything is so fresh (like Bey). It’s the benefit of only really doing three things (pie, small calzone, large calzone). My friend and I got the large pie with garlic, parm, basil, and pepperoni. The best simple pie that I’ve had in New York to date.
The service is great. Everyone is really friendly. You can tell that aside from the deserved hype, this is a family spot.
It’s easily the freshest pizza I have ever had. Highly recommended and probably the best pizza spot in Brooklyn.
Tip: CASH ONLY. and BYOW — bring your own wine.
(another tip: if you’re exiting off the subway at Carroll St, there are liquor stores nearby where you can swoop a bottle to go with your dinner.)

This place is altogether deserving of 5 stars. Yeah, they might be overdoing it a bit wit the rusticity, but why not? Some of the reviewers here simply don’t get this place. The point is simplicity. There are two items on the menu and even the customizable one only has a few options.
But each option is great.
Allow me to clarify. This is a limited menu, but each ingredient is top notch. The mushrooms are fresh and sliced thinly, the pepperoni is spicy, the basil is sweet and crisp. Then there are the primary ingredients. The crust here is perfectly crisp and slightly cartelized on the outside and chewy on the inside. The sauce is tangy — some people complain it isn’t seasoned – well, it tastes like tomatoes… like it’s supposed to. And the cheese is incredibly good. I should say cheeses…
The calzone really is genius. You have the almost sweet ricotta cheese inside (along with mozzarella), and then you dip it in tangy marinara with sharp parmesan. If you appreciate the simple flavors, its really good.
So despite the hype, a large pizza and a calzone (a small one is big enough for two) run only $ 44.
And on top of all that, the service was really johnny on the spot. AND, I was seated almost immediately. Five star experience all-​around.
Oh, and the waitress was a fox – hope I run into her again someday.

The
Pizza’s
Delicious.
Cash only, lines,
Small backyard, calzones, and BYOB.

This is the Beyonce and Jay-​Z favorite pizzeria. My co-​worker was telling me about this place months ago and we finally find a time to go together. WE put our names 30 minutes before the opening and had to wait 2hours. We first went to La Cigogne to get a Charcuterie place for appetizer. We went to buy a bottle of wine and we hang out in the neighborhood. When our table in the very cute patio was ready. We ordered a small calzone to share. It was very good and started to understand the reputation of the place. THen we also had the pizza and it was very very good. Couldn’t finish it because we ate so much already but the next day when we both ate the leftover, the pizza was still like the first night. Still very tasteful!!! Won’t be back before a long time because no thanks for the waiting line but might, one day, go crazy again and wait 3 hours for another good pizza!

Absolutely, hands down, the single best pizza place I’ve been in NYC. And it’s not just the pizza. It’s the beautiful space in which it is created. It is the lovely and friendly staff who work there that are so hospitable, fun and passionate about their menu. And the line outside … as well as the regular celebrity guests like Beyonce and JZ … testify to its greatness.
The pie comes with the basic crust, cheese and sauce, then the guest can create their own pizza with the toppings of their choice. My friend and I stuck with the basic margherita with basil on top, and it was phenomenal. The crust here is very thin, so much so that it is flimsy in comparison to other NYC crispy crusts. The red sauce was delicious, and they served it on the side for adding to the pizza or, in my case, for dipping my crust.
Truly the best, and it’s one of the places I’m always sure to take my guests because it doesn’t get much better or more local than this.

Best pizza I’ve had! The pizza is thin, crispy, chewy, and so good! The fresh mozzarella and other cheese or what else is on the pizza is so good!!! The original with basil is so yummy!!! They give you extra sauce on the side and if they forget then just ask cause they’re super friendly and the sauce it delicious!!! The add on toppings are also good! I don’t know if it’s just me but the hot pepper flakes were really good! The hot pepper flakes I’ve tried were rarely spicy but these hot pepper flakes had a kick even with a little sprinkle. I don’t know if it’s in my head but it seemed like the flakes were fresher. Haha.
It’s an open kitchen so you can see Chef Mark and company make the pizza with fresh ingredients! The mushrooms, green peppers, and etc are super fresh! They also roll the dough with wine bottles which is also nice!!!
When you use the restroom you may get confused on how to flush the toilet. There’s a pulling thing on the top left. You pull that down to flush the toilet
This place gets super busy! You can line up earlier cause a lot of people line up early and they put their name down. They don’t take reservations!
CASH ONLY!
BYOB /​BYOW :)

Before Lucali, there used to be an old candy store called Louie’s where the owner Iacono use to spend his childhood days. When the business shut down, Iacono took over & turned the old shop into a very nice & cozy pizza spot.
Soft lighting is extended throughout the spacious restaurant making it feel intimate. As you sit & wait for your food to arrive, you can watch your pizza being made at the prep station, next to the wood-​fire oven. I love that the prep area is surrounded by mason jars filled with a secret homemade sauce, fresh basil, & lit candles.
The menu only includes pizza pies & calzones & simple is best. Lucali uses fresh ingredients & for those who want to explore more than cheese on their pizza, they have toppings like garlic & basil (no additional charge), shallots, pepperoni, & a few others.
The pie is thin with a crispy crust & the calzone is soft & creamy. Adding garlic to it made it even more tasty. You also get a bowl filled with the secret sauce to dip your pizza crust & calzone in.
Some people freak out when they see the prices on the chalkboard menu but the tax is already included & it’s so worth the splurge. The added bonus at Lucali is that it is BYOB: beer or wine. Also, before arriving, have enough cash with you since Lucali is CASH ONLY.

Thank You Lucali. You have helped me to realize that I am truly monogamous, DiFara is my lover and I will never step out again.
Synopsis: All hype, terribly bland sauce and cheese, but good dough.
These reviewers have not had DiFara, I’m pretty sure. Never wait in a pizza line for more than 1 hour, in NYC, UNLESS it is DiFara, period.
For your review:
I would never, never ever, wait in that line again to be subjected to the most bland, boring sauce that I have had in recent artisanal pizza history. We ordered a half plain cheese half mushrooms and shallot (at the server recommendation) pizza. I was salivating before my first bite due to the hype that was ingrained into my taste buds via blogs — and then I took a bite, then two, then three and I wanted to throw that pie against the wall.
All I could think of: Does this have such high reviews since Carroll Gardens is the land of the WASP?
The sauce is clearly homemade, but it is AWFUL. Read, not bad, but boring and awful. The cheese is also blasé.
If I am going to wait over 2 hours for pizza, I expect a delicious blend of cheeses like you get at DiFara (Mozzarella + Mozarela di Bufalo from Napoli + Gran Padano).
On a personal note: I was truly heartbroken. I REALLY wanted to like this place.

How can you tell that a pizza place is legit? Well, besides the 4.5 star average rating, it’s when you walk up and see David Chang sitting outside.
Lucali was one of the few pizza places left on my bucket list, and to say I saved the best for last would not be hyperbole.
Some things to know about Lucali:
–Be prepared for a wait. Luckily for us, they quoted us an hour and a half, but called us back after 20 minutes to tell us something had opened up. There are a few bars around that you can go to to kill the time (the hostess recommended Bar Bruno).
–They have one pizza for $ 24. You can add whatever fresh toppings they have available for the day at $ 3 apiece. Garlic and basil is free.
–The pizzas are HUGE.
–It’s BYOB and cash only.
–It’s delicious.
One pie is almost too much food for two people. Luckily, it’s thin crust and not too doughy, which is how I like it. Another half minute in the oven for a crispier crust would’ve done wonders though.
Anyway, the toppings we chose were beef pepperoni, mushrooms, garlic and basil. Mushroom slices were lengthwise and long, and the pepperoni portions were generous and gave a nice spicy kick to it. The garlic was mixed into the sauce so you would bite into a garlic patch every now and then. Basil was just put on top after it came out of the oven, which is the way it should be (though I wish they cut the pie after putting the basil on, but that’s being very, very nitpicky).
Sauce was great, and they also gave us a side of extra sauce and cheese. Not sure if they mistakenly thought we ordered a calzone, or if that’s a new thing they do, but it was nice to have something to dip your crust into. By itself, the tomato sauce has a nice tang to it.
Is $ 30 expensive for a pie? Sure. But when you factor in BYOB and the fact that it’s a gigantic pie, you don’t feel cheated at all.
Service was quick, and they have some lookers on staff.
The owner Mark stopped by to ask us how everything was, which I appreciated. He was also in the kitchen doing a lot of the legwork too.
In terms of Brooklyn-​style pizza (that’s the large slices and fresh ingredients), it’s hard to beat Lucali. I don’t often pull the Brooklyn card, but you should take my word for it because I’ve lived in Brooklyn my entire life.
That’s a lie. I actually pull the Brooklyn card all the time.
But yeah, go to Lucali.

Très bonnes pizzas: pâte fine et croustillante, bonnes garnitures. Pour en profiter, il faut savoir qq trucs: on peut réserver (cela évite d’attendre), c’est une grande pizza à partager, et à renouveler, c’est un peu isolé dans Brooklyn mais il y a une station de metro pas loin.
Encore une fois: très bonne pizza, ça vaut le coup