The New Pizza Hot Spot: Gennaro’s

Pizza might be one of my favorite guilty pleasures in life.

I know it’s simple, and it’s certainly pretty common, but when I’m in the mood to indulge, pizza has my name written all over it.

When I read on Facebook that a local chef tried the newest pizza spot Gennaro’s over by Fresh Market and raved about it, I knew I had no choice than to get my butt over there and try it for myself.

As usual, I like to give new businesses a little time to adjust, so I waited over a month to order. Also – I rarely order delivery, so when it comes to pizza, I trust myself the most to go pick it up and bring it back home so I can eat!

Last Friday we finally made the order, a large (18”) cheese pizza with meatballs and caramelized onions for $17.50.

The verdict? It was love at first bite.

I’ll break it down for you:

Sauce

The sauce on a pizza can make it or break it. This sauce was acidic and salty, with just the right tang to compliment the richness of the fresh mozzarella. What I loved the most about the sauce was that it really highlighted the tomatoes. It wasn’t heavily seasoned with herbs, it let the tomatoes do the talking, and I love that.

Cheese

The cheese to sauce ratio was less that what you’d imagine from a typical pizza, but this isn’t your average pizza. After reading their menu that came in the mail, it’s actually based off of a NYC classic, Lombardi’s. The fresh mozz is scattered in large blobs, as opposed to just cheese everywhere. This makes the sauce all that much more important, and they both shine in different ways.

Crust

Finally, the crust. The first bite had a crunch, but wasn’t too crunchy that it was falling apart all over my plate. It was perfect for folding (like a true New Yorker), and was dusted with cornmeal for an added texture that I really really enjoyed.

For me, this pizza was near perfect. It hit the three performance points that matter to me the most (listed above), but all around, the flavors just exhibited everything I want and desire in a pizza. What’s even better is that it tasted fresh and the ingredients were legit, and I love that.

Aside from my occasional Pope’s Pizza, Gennaro’s is absolutely without a doubt going to be my new go-to pizza place.