Naples 45 : the best pizza in Manhattan, almost

And the almost best pizza in Manhattan is...

[drum roll...]

Naples 45.

Whahuh? Naples 45 is big, generic-looking airplane hangar of a restaurant in midtown, catering mostly to midtown office workers' lunches.  It's owned by Restaurant Associates, which is a big conglomerate that owns a bunch of mostly mid-tier restaurants.  So why is anyone going to believe me when I say that they have incredible pizza?  They're not.  And that's fine, as there will be more pizza for me.

How do they pull this off you ask?  It's all right there on the menu:  they do their best to pretend they're making pizza in Naples.  And that's a good friggin' start if you ask me.

Here are some facts, according to the menu:

• Their pizza is certified by the Vera Pizza Napolentana, which is some sort of organization hell-bent on making sure people are creating pizza to strict Neapolitan standards, which is fine by me.
• They use Caputo flour, which is widely accepted as the best flour for Neapolitan-style pizza (and I believe it has the VPN's stamp of approval).
• They use San Marzano tomatoes (the VPN is down with SM).
• Only Fior di latte mozzarella for Naples 45.  (nice)
• The chemical and mineral composition of the water they use closely matches that of the water in Naples (insane).
• The wood-burning ovens were bought in Italy (who cares where they were bought, but at least they're burning wood)

I'm not sure if all of that silliness matters, but what does matter is the fact that the pizza is delicious.  The crust is chewy and nicely charred from the ovens.  In fact, on its own, it's better than most any bread I've had (and that's more than half the battle with good pizza).  The cheese is milky and fresh.   The sauce is bright and flavorful.  The whole damned package is just beautiful, and well worth the 15 or so dollars.

They've got about 15 or so somewhat interesting Italian wines by the glass, which is more than I can say for just about every other Italian restaurant in NYC.  Bonus.

Another bonus is the outdoor seating, including a bar, which is off of the street.  While 45th street doesn't get a lot of sun during the day, the space is open and airy.  And when they close off 45th street because of nonsense at the hotel down the block, or for security reasons at the nearby post office, you're in for a real treat out there:  quiet, expansive, and some super pizza.

200 Park Ave at E. 45th (it's on 45th behind the Met Life building) : New York, NY : 10166 : Website

Comments

[pete]

Looks like RA also owns Panevino in Livingston. Ever tried the pie there?

[tommyeats]

good friggin' call, Pete. I remember reading about that place a while back and wanting to try it. Looking at the menu it appears to be a clone of Naples 45! get yer ass over there ASAP. In fact, i might just stop in there tonight.

[Rail Paul]

Panevino makes a very good pizza. I don't think it costs as much as $15, either.

But, they definitely don't have 15 Italian wines by the glass...

Maybe I can get over there tomorrow for lunch.

[tommyeats]

rail paul,

it looks like the menus are posted online for both Naples 45 and Panevino. there's a big difference in the selections, unfortunately. chalk this up to NJ restaurants not wanting to take a chance or try to help expand the horizons of diners. I can assure you that anyone who orders a " merlot, from california" could easily be turned onto an italian wine if the server said "we don't have CA merlot, but try this, i think you'll like it."

alas, most restaurants aren't in it for the food or the wine. they're in it for the profit. and unfortunately they just can't seem to figure out how they can be into both at the same time. i have, though. but i don't own a restaurant.

[tommyeats]

Update: there's no need to run to Panevino for oustanding pizza.

While their pizza is pretty good, it's nowhere near what Naples 45 is serving. It's a pleasant place overall, though.

[Karen]

Do they serve slices or do you have to order a whole pie?

I work with a bunch of Asians, who don't eat much pizza, so I'm on my own for lunch.

When I want pizza , I go to Bravo on 42nd off Fifth Ave. Their sicilian is really good. They serve it a fewways:with just sauce, sauce with fresh mozzarella, and with just sauce and parmasan cheese. The sauce is perfect; just a bit sweet. I don't think they use evoo in their crust but they definitely use oil. You can tell by the tenderness and taste of the crust. I've never had any of their other pies, as the sicilian is all that matters.
How does theirs compare to Naples 45?

[tommyeats]

never been to Bravo, so i can't comment. generally i'm not a fan of sicilian style pizza, though. too much dough for my taste. but, maybe they can change my mind.

you can't order slices at Naples 45. just pies. but, the pie isn't very big. expect to pay about 12 dollars for a take-out pie. they do a very good take-out business, so it's good to get there as soon after noon as you can. if the price seems excessive, i'd say that it's worth a splurge at least once in a while.

[Ev]

Fwiw, there's a Panevino in/near Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, too, so you can't blame the wine list on it being an NJ restaurant! ;-)

[Stone]

Naples does have very good pizza -- but it's absurdly expensive. Large pies can run over $30.

They do sell slices now, and, after 2 p.m., all slices are $1.25. (Fresh pizza, not just getting rid of leftovers.)

[tommyeats]

Single pizzas are about 16 dollars. For the quality and the location, 16 bucks is a fair price for a meal. Obviously you can easily spend much more if you choose a starter or drinks.

30 dollars buys you large pizza, which serves about 3 normal-sized appetites in my experience, or me and a friend.

The slices are a particularly good deal even before 2 pm. Those slices are a different animal from the whole pies. They're much crunchier, and obviously not oven fresh. 2 slices for about 5 or 6 bucks and you're done for the afternoon. And they're still the best slice in midtown.