Two Boots Rockefeller Center

Normally I’d give two boots pizza 4 stars. The other day I was going to see one of the rehearsals for the new Roots show (with Jimmy Fallon) and I remembered there was a Two Boots in the lower concourse of 30 Rock. So after looking forward to some delicious pizza all afternoon only to find that this location has closed I was really dissapointed.
I thought pizza was recession proof!

Wow, I love the crunchy crust! I heard a lot of good things about «Two boots» in general, but I never had the focus to try it out myself.
I got myself a cheese pie and one with peperoni and chicken.
The plain (cheese) is really solid. The sauce is spicy and flavorful. Of course, the crust is very crunchy.
The pepperoni and chicken was good too. The chicken had a curry flavor to it, maybe they just took it from their creole po’boy. The pepperoni wasn’t anything special. In fact, it seemed that the toppings were somewhat skimpy and they detracted from the generally inherent goodness of the pizza itself.
Alright, now I just have to figure out how to order from this place during their business hours and my PLAY hours!

This place is slooooww. The line was in a S-​formation, with about 10 people in front of me. After giving my order to the guy behind the counter, a bird slice (white pizza with spicy buffalo chicken, blue cheese dressing, scallions, and jalapenos) and regular slice, it took about 5 – 7 minutes to get to the cashier to pay. After paying, I had to wait another 3 – 4 minutes with 4 – 5 other patrons huddled around the counter and waiting for their slices of pizza. The worker would come out with each order and call out the slices so the patrons could identify if that was their order. The whole process was a bit chaotic as, some people who were on line after me, received their slices before me; while others who were before me, were still waiting for their slices. Pizzerias should be quick, 1−2−3, and you’re out, but this place was definitely far from that.
The décor of the place was unique and eccentric with the tiled floors, cool doodly billboard menu, and brightly lit walls. Even the names of the pizzas were original, ranging from Big Maybelle, The Newman, Tony Clifton, Mr. Pink, Larry Tate, Cleopatra Jones, and more. It all gave it a bit of mysteriousness but probably caused confusion and the unfamiliar customer to spend a few more minutes to read what the ingredients were in each type of pizza. For those that want to eat in the restaurant and get the full experience, there are 4 – 5 small tables to sit at. I would recommend taking your slices to go and eating out in the Rockefeller Concourse seating area (just to the left when you exit Two Boots), especially if you have more than 2 people.
So I reasoned that the wait was worth it because they had the slices in the oven to heat them up, but I found both slices to be room temperature. I like for my pizza to be warm, and sometimes even hot, so that the cheese is gooey and stringy. Far from that. The pizza was good though. The regular was like any other regular pie, but had a slight spice/​seasoning on it. The crust was thin and the crust tasted like it had something resembling cornmeal in it, pretty delicious nonetheless. The Bird slice was pretty good, though there was not a lot of chicken on it, maybe 3 – 4 small pieces that are barely noticed. The spicy chicken did not do it justice as there was not a lot of kick to it. The Blue Cheese definitely made up for it. I was somewhat pleased with my Bird slice, but $ 2.75 for a Regular, and $ 3.75 for a special slice is definitely not worth it.

Art is my forte, not pizza.
Thus my review may seem biased in an artsy way… such as:
1.Cows on meth must’ve designed their menu layout. It’s so incredibly in your face and hard to follow. It freaked me out so much that I based my order simply by scrutinizing the slices of pizza to see what toppings they were sporting.
2. I ordered a slice of the «Mel Cooley.» Not cool. Sounds cool… sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, pesto on white pie. But not cool. I’m not a crust fan, but that was (gasp!) the best part of this slice for me, because in was so thin and not overdone. Good work on the Minimalist crust.
3. Flavor was lacking… they need to bring those meth cows back to give a little pizzazz to the pizzas. Some serious abstract expressionism is needed with their toppings.
4. I’m all about Rococo… the organic lines of the dollar sign are splendid… but one $ may be better than $$$. $ 3.75 for a limited-​selection (it was only 1:00 in the afternoon and yet there were only three pizza choices, come on…)…I would expect a little more kabang for my buck.

Two Boots? Two BLECHS!
I went here despite 2 coworkers saying it sucked — because two others said it was good :(In fact, it was the description of the sauce being «spicier than normal marinara» and the crust using «cornmeal» that made me think it would be wonderful. Now, if any of you have been lucky enough to have Einstein Bros Bagels (based in Texas and sadly not available here) — or if you grew up with old fashioned cornbread like I did — then you would understand how, cornmeal and spicy sauce sounds great (esp to a Texas gal)… but it was not to be!
Whether it was the sauce or the strange seasoning in the cheese I can’t say — but apparently «spicy» is just another way to say «Medicinal» because THAT is truly how this pizza tasted. Also, the crust was far too thin for my liking — it was crispy — but I like a little thickness and chew-​ability with my crunch. The cheese didn’t have enough creaminess, there was no real marinara sauce on the pizza (though I asked for «a lot») — the jalapenos were crazy diced fresh jalapenos thrown on after cooking (I prefer sliced canned jalapenos cooked onto my pizza) and the andouille sausage was nothing to write home about.
Where is decent pizza in midtown? So far, I have to stick with Pronto Pizza. And never, never go back to Two Boots! What a waste of an unhealthy lunch. sigh.

We grabbed a slice before heading on our NBC Studio Tour. It was our one and only time we got pizza-​by-​the-​slice while visiting NYC, and I liked it well enough. I had The Mild and Steve J. had The Newman, which is described as sopressata, sweet italian sausage, ricotta & mozzarella.
Steve J: It’s good, I think it’s something Newman would order.
Stacy J: I would think Newman order a white pizza, just to be contrary.
Garlic rolls: also good.

I am on the hunt of good pizza. I actually came here one afternoon to grab a slice with two colleagues (although we did contemplated Yummy Sushi across and not too far from Two Boots). The pizza is okay (IMO, nothing spectacular) and is better than Sbarro (1250 Ave of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center). I just was not a fan of the corn meal crust, but it was thin and crunchy. They have some interesting pizza names /​toppings combinations. It’s not the best pizza I have had, but it’s one of the better places for pizza in the area. This location of Two Boots will get a rating of 3 stars.

Clint A, you probably should have posted your review in the other locations. This location might be good during the work lunch rush, but it mails it in after 2:30. Meaning, if you’re looking for a snack after work you’re going to be picking at scraps and, as a result, it loses a star from me. (In my opinion, Two Boots Rock Center only deserves 4 stars when the pizza’s hot and fresh.)
When it is fresh, is it the best pizza in the city? Not quite. Good pizza? Definitely. They are a step above your average pizza-​by-​the-​slice place, but the overall construction of the pizza doesn’t scream «Eat me!» It’s rather average pizza. The sauce might be a bit better than you’d get from the pizza stand on the corner, but other than that I can’t say it stands out.
What does stand out about Two Boots is its creative toppings and, if you’re looking for unique pizzas with really interesting topping combos, this is the place to be. Unfortunately, the great pizza ideas don’t quite work so well after they’ve been sitting around. Really, go in after 3:00pm and look at Bayou Beast (andouille and crawfish) slices that are waiting under the warmer. Crawfish after a day in the warmer, that’s more beast than bayou.

Hands down, the best pizza in NY. The crust is paper thin, yet crunchy with corn meal on the bottom. The sauce is zesty with a little kick and the toppings are all fresh. I would have added this review to the others but this is the location I fequent the most as it’s a block from my work. I don’t think any NY transplant can consider themselves legit util they’ve had Two Boots.