Pizzarelli's Pizza and Pasta

I had high hopes for Pizzarelli’s since it overtook the old Mezzaluna spot on Eddy Dowling Highway in North Smithfield. Despite its huge fanbase in North Smithfield and Woonsocket, I was not that big of a fan of Mezzaluna and felt they had just serviceable pizza. But, it was still a good place to get a different kind of pizza (i.e, not Domino’s or Papa Gino’s or the absolutely awful Papa John’s), so I appreciated it being there.

Then, I saw Mezzaluna close down and Pizzarelli’s come into its space later on. I read about Luca and Michelle Gambardella’s roots (catering from the Bronx, where I was born and lived for 16 years!) and I couldnt believe my luck. I live minutes from the place on Eddy Dowling Highway and I truly feel that New York style pizza, when made correctly is some of the best pizza in the world.

I went to Pizzarelli’s about 3 weeks ago, near its opening day. The interior looks like a slightly less old and musty Mezzaluna with some nicer white linen tables and TV screens thrown in. Pretty minimalist, but I wasnt there for the decor. I grabbed a large cheese pizza to go, the ultimate test for the New York style pizza enthusiast. It did take a while to make(at least 30 minutes) but I was willing to wait if it was worth it.

When I got home and opened the box, the pizza smelled delicious but looked a tad bit off. It was obviously homemade (wasnt a frozen shell or preshaped), but it appeared to have more cheese on it than what I’m used to from NY style. No biggie, I figured, just a different technique possibly and pressed on.

The taste is reminiscent of NY style with not too tangy, faintly sweet and savory tomato sauce. Notes of garlic, oregano and it didnt taste like old canned sauce, which doesnt mean it wasnt. It just didnt taste like it. The mozzarella was good also with a good mellow savoriness, although the layer of topping itself was a bit thick, dialing down the sauce taste by a couple hairs too much. Which gets me to the most dissapointing part…. The slighty bland tasting and non-existant “bite” of the crust.

True New York style pizza crust to me means that incredible thin but not too thin, slightly chewy, slightly crispy crust bite that I know and love from good NYC pizza joints. The kind that immediately gives way to your teeth sinking thru with a pleasurable chewy crisp chomp. This was missing from my Pizzarelli pie. Even though I enjoyed the fact that they utilize corn flour to dust the bottom of the crust(always gives it a nice texture), the crust itself was lacking bite, chewy, bland-ish and definitely a bit too thick. I noticed that after 1 slice I was REALLY full and the dough was sitting in my stomach and not going anywhere. That to me is always a sign that the dough could use some more flattening. Or maybe, the oven needs to be hotter. I dont know, but something seems amiss.

Overall, I was dissapointed to see that Pizzarelli’s doesnt offer the true NYC style pizza I personally was looking for. Its definitely decent pizza and I am appreciative that the business is there (North Smithfield\Woonsocket needs fresh new business!)and happy to hear that others do find its flavors pleasing. I will definitely try at least one more time in the future with the pizza and an entree to see what else is offered. If anything changes I will update my rating to reflect that.

In the meantime, I will have to continue travelling to New York for the real deal NYC style experience.

I write this review after visiting Pizzarelli’s 3 times. I have found that their food and friendliness to be a wonderful surprise. I thought they would be just another local pizza shop. Boy was I wrong. They offer a full line of Italian dinners, sandwiches, appetizers, as well as pizza.

I have had the pizza which I found to be very good. It is a nice change from the typical Greek style pizza you find in RI. However, it is the other food that I enjoyed even more. The chicken Parm dinner reminded me of the way my wife’s grand mother used to make. The lobster bisque soup and garlic knots are wonderful. But I must say my favorite surprise was the “Stanley Burgers”.

Do not let the one review by someone who was obviously mad about missing his pepperoni keep you from trying this place. You can not judge a restaurant by trying just one item on the menu.

They can be a little slow (40 minutes for take out) but I like the personal touch.

We ate here for the first time. It was a takeout pizza with mushroom and pepperoni,We took the advice of ordering it thin and well done. It was good. Could have had a little more flavor and I didnt like the way the sauce collected at the end of the pizza, like the cheese wasnt evenly distributed. Overall it was good.

had the cheese pizza with a few beers and salad in my other review.
i asked for it well done and thin and that’s just the way i got it exactly as i expected. for me there is no other way to eat it. we had three pies and some side dishes as well and some drinks. Meal for 5 under 150.00 not bad with all the drinks we had too… Did not mind the wait after we had the meal.

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone!
They have great pizza and Italian dishes.

I would give it 5 stars if it didnt take so long to get your food, but they make everything fresh. I love the calzones, they are made just like my grandfather used to make. straight from Italy. The pizza is pretty good. the Gnocci is fresh made also, not that frozen crap. Love the place!

I have eaten at Pizzarelli’s several times and really find it to be great food at a good value. The portions are large and the food is awesome. They make all of their dough products from scratch. Their pizza and sandwiches are wonderful. Their pasta dishes are also fantastic. You can’t beat their specials – you get such a great meal at a excellent value. I’ve read some negative reviews from the past, but I think it was because they were so busy when they opened and had some challenges with a ‘green’ staff. It appears they really gotten their footing and found their groove.

Pizzarelli’s prides themselves on home cooked food that may take a little longer than most conventional pizza places. However, Pizzarelli’s is not worth the wait. We ordered 2 large pizzas and the total was $33.00. The sauce was bland, the crust was tasteless, and the cheese was typical of a Papa Gino’s pizza. And you would assume that a pizza place would carry the most basic of toppings. However, they ran out of pepperoni. Not only was I still charged for the extra topping, they didn’t even tell me they had run out. It was not until I called and complained that I was told they had run out of pepperoni and were trying to go to the store to buy some before I picked up the pizzas; not a very good way to treat their customers. They did offer me a free topping next time I order. However, I will never go back to take them up on this. If this is what “New York Style Pizza” is, than NY has never eatten a decent slice of pizza. Bring back Mezza Luna, because this place is just awful, tasteless, and overpriced.