Pizza Fridays #1: Lombardi's, where it all began

To kick off the Pizza Fridays series, I figured it would only be appropriate to go right to the beginning, where it all began.  To the first pizzeria, not only in New York City - or even the state- but the entire country: Lombardi's.

The story goes, in the late 1800s, an Italian immigrant named Gennaro Lombardi began selling tomato pies to the work lunch crowd out of his grocery store located at 53 1/2 Spring St.  In 1905 he obtained a mercantile license from the state of New York, officially branding Lombardi's as the first licensed pizzeria in America.

Image from kitchenproject.com

Over the years, Lombardi's attracted a loyal following of pizza enthusiasts and served as a training ground for future Manhattan pizzaioli, including John Sasso of John's, Patsy Lancieri of Patsy's, and Anthony Pero of Totonno's. 

Ownership was passed down from father to son until 1984, when it closed its doors for a 10-year hiatus.  In 1994, at the prompting of a childhood friend, Gennaro's grandson reopened the restaurant one block away to its current location on 32 Spring St., just a stone's throw from Little Italy - an important detail to point out, because Lombardi's avoids its gimmicks.

Rather, Lombardi's retains that old-school Italian charm - checkered tablecloths, lots of wood paneling and brick, old photos documenting its history and fame plastering the walls - without feeling hokey or devolving into self-caricature.

Image from restarurantsinyc.com

But perhaps my feelings about this place were influenced by the setting and the crowd: there was no hour-long line, no wait, no tourists or screaming kids, only the requisite large Italian gathering taking up two tables and a few other patrons quietly munching on their slices when we strolled in one late summer evening (it was probably after 11 PM, and the last possible time to be seated).

While the original Lombardi's sold pizza by the piece (apparently, there was no set price or size, you asked for whatever lets say 2 cents would buy), its current incarnation only sells it by the pie, so Gus and I ordered a Margherita pizza to share.

The pizza was true to its Neapolitan roots: a light, nicely balanced sauce, stringy, fresh mozzarella (not too much) and some fresh torn basil leaves sprinkled atop.  But the true standout was the crust.  Lombardi's is one of the few coal-fired ovens still operating in NYC (The Clean Air Act of 1972 banned the creating of new coal-burning ovens, and in Manhattan there are only about 14 of these ovens still in use as of 2007).

Gus displaying the charred crust, QVC-style

Slice's nifty pizza glossary tells us that coal ovens typically achieve temperatures of 800 degrees, cooking the crust so quickly it doesn't have time to dry out, so it remains chewy and pliable.  The Lombardi's crust was indeed chewy and pliable - yet charred and crispy on the edges and underside.  All in all, it didn't blow me away (I'm employing high standards, mind you), but Lombardi's still produces a classic, authentic-tasting pizza after all these years.  Next time I'm trying the clam pie - NY Mag's recommended dish (the description will make you drool).

Lombardi's Pizza
32 Spring St., nr. Mott St.
Sun-Thu, 11:30am-11pm; Fri-Sat, 11:30am-midnight
Reservations NOT accepted
Cash only