Neon lights are usually reserved for BroadwayTheaters and certain nightclubs in New York City. However, on a recent stroll up Second Ave on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, it was the neon lights of a pizzeria called Zazzy’s that instantly caught my attention. I also had never heard of Zazzys Pizzeria before, so there was no way I wasn’t going to walk through those doors. I’m glad I did.
Zazzy’s Pizzeria on the Upper East Side turns out to be the third store that the owners of Zazzy’s have opened in the past two years. There are three locations. One is on Orchard Street on the lower East side just north of Chinatown. The second is in 73 Greenwich Village at 73 Greenwich Ave. The Upper East Side location is the newest and third store that was only open for a few months when I visited the pizzeria. However, when walking into the pizzeria, it simply seemed old school like that had been there for years.
The man making the pies behind the counter seemed like an old pro. He was friendly and had no problem chatting a little. Friendliness is important to me when buying a slice of pizza. I don’t care how much I may like a slice, if the people who work there are going to be rude or just ruin the experience, I’m not going back. This place was friendly.
The pizzeria seemed to offer multiple varieties of pizza with an actual emphasis on healthy ingredients. As always, the goal is to just try a cheese slice. However, I noticed that their cheese pies had a small number of basil leaves on them. I thought I would make an exception with this one and try the cheese slice with the basil on it.
I sat outside and took my first bite of this very interesting slice of pizza. Within an instant of that first bite, I loved this pizza. It was not a large slice, but rather a bit on the small side, but not that small. it was much bigger than Ray’s Pizza. The crust was clean and somewhat airy which I like. There was a great blend of cheese and sauce, although there seemed to be a little more sauce than cheese, which I also like. Everyone is different as some people prefer the opposite. Yet, I have found that most pizzerias do not put enough sauce on their slices. Zazzy’s most definitely did.
While the blend of cheese and sauce was most celebrated in my opinion of this magnificent slice, it was the sauce itself that scored very high in my impression of this pizza. This was a homemade tasting sauce that tasted like there was a bit of wine poured into the mix, flavored like a fine marinara sauce you find in a high-end Italian restaurant. This was good stuff. There was also a nice blend of oil and spices that gave the slice its own individual character that definitely separated it from most pizzerias in Manhattan. The basil leaf was a nice audition, but limiting it to just one basil leaf per slice seems like a good idea. I wouldn’t want to eat a slice covered in basil leaves. One was enough.
In the end, I was really impressed with the slice of pizza I ate at Zazzy’s. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a true slice of New York City pizza that best boasts originality and quality.
Zazzy’s Pizza Review In Manhattan article published on BigCityReview.com© 2022
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