Wow! What a welcome! Thank you all for the overwhelming and thoughtful responses! It’s clear you understand exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to searching for truly great Italian food. To be honest, I approached asking about this with some hesitation, especially after a past experience on another platform where suggestions ranged from generic chains to dismissive comments telling me to look elsewhere entirely!
However, I can confidently say that I’m genuinely excited to try every recommendation I’ve received here – with the possible exception of flying across the country just for pizza, although never say never! I once drove from New Jersey to Chicago solely to experience Giordano’s, so a flight might not be completely out of the question.
Speaking of long drives for Italian food, I’m even guilty of driving three hours to Spirito’s in Carlsbad just for takeout. For those unfamiliar, Spirito’s is a New Jersey institution. Anyone who grew up in the NY/NJ area likely knows about the original Spirito’s in Elizabeth, NJ. At 65 years old, I have fond memories of my parents taking us there when I was a child! When they relocated to Carlsbad, it felt like the only place to get that authentic taste we craved. They’re known for their classic, NY-style cooked-down sauce, simmered overnight to perfection for the next day.
But now, thanks to your suggestions, I see there’s hope for discovering more local gems! Honestly, I was completely unaware of any of your recommendations, which is incredibly exciting. The picture someone posted from Danny’s speaks volumes – you can just see the quality.
Up until now, my local experiences have mostly been limited to perfectly uniform, “manufactured” pizzas – the kind that are so perfectly round they scream “supermarket frozen aisle.” Or worse, things that are just… well, I’m not even sure what to call this:
Unappetizing pizza
I truly don’t know what that is supposed to be, but it’s certainly not pizza as I understand it!
My most dedicated quests for authentic Italian food near me have included the aforementioned pilgrimage to Spirito’s in Carlsbad and a trek to what’s described as “the 2nd location of the world’s 1st pizzeria” in Los Angeles: L’antica Pizzeria da Michele. Of course, they specialize in Neapolitan pizza.
As it turns out, the original L’antica Pizzeria da Michele in Naples gained fame after being featured in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love.” However, there’s some debate about which pizzeria is actually the world’s oldest. Another contender, Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, also claims the title of “first.” Apparently, the two pizzerias have a long-standing dispute, especially since Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba was closed for about 80 years before reopening, while L’antica Pizzeria da Michele has been continuously operating for around 150 years. I’ll leave that historical pizza argument to them! But regardless, the allure of experiencing a pizzeria that adheres to the strict VAR code (Vera Pizza Napoletana – True Neapolitan Pizza) was too strong to resist.
However, I’ve since learned that Fuoco in Fullerton also adheres to VPN standards and, as someone mentioned, offers top-tier Neapolitan pizza, which is absolutely fantastic news.
Interestingly, while my search for authentic NY-style pizza near me has been challenging, I have stumbled upon Chicago-quality deep dish in Placentia at Tony’s Little Italy. In my opinion, their deep dish is so well-executed it rivals anything you’d find in Chicago itself – easily on par with Giordano’s, Ginos, or even Lou Malnati’s.
Before this post and your recommendations, I had almost given up on finding good NY-style pizza locally. While it’s not quite the same as flying to NY for pizza, we do occasionally order pies from New York via Goldbelly. It’s a bit pricey and arrives frozen, of course, but it’s a way to enjoy classics from places like Joe’s in The Village, Roberta’s, or DeFara’s in Brooklyn.
And I completely agree with the suggestion about Rao’s for a convenient option. If you’re not up for a long drive, mail order, short on time, or, like me, not the most skilled cook, Rao’s is a great way to go! (Having worked in the city for 20 years, I was never fortunate enough to snag a table at the original Rao’s!).
I truly can’t thank you all enough for this incredible wealth of suggestions for Italian food near me. I was completely unaware of almost all of them. Looks like I need to fill up my gas tank!
