Pizza

PIZZA in New York: Potenza Centrale

This is not a new revelation but there really is so much great pizza in New York. And like most things, it seems everybody talks about a handful of really hot spots, and overlook a number of hidden gems that are just as worthy but almost never get mentioned.

Potenza is not a name that gets called out alongside L’Industrie, Joe’s, or Prince Street Pizza. But it most definitely should. It is located a bit off-the-beaten track in Alphabet City and takes up a very small storefront.

The pizza I had heard about is the purple potato pie. I’m sort of glad I came early enough that it wasn’t quite ready for the day. Because if it had been, I would have had a very difficult time deciding between something colorful and unique and the classic cheese slice.

For these reviews, I really should be defaulting to the standard, but I do sometimes get distracted by tempting toppings.

These slices are not your Uncle’s typical slice of New York pizza. They’re thick and square, but different than Sicilian or grandma style. Focaccia is much closer to the idea.

It’s a large slice (almost two in one) and can even be folded over not like your usual New York slice, but rather like a sandwich.

The dough is slow fermented and you can tell with each complex bite. It’s nicely charred and very crisp with a chewy dough crumb. The tomato sauce is a bit acidic and balances the creamy rich fresh mozzarella melted into a giant glob on top.

It’s a great pizza experience and one that is sadly not buzzed about as much as it should be.

Is Potenza Centrale the best pizza in NY? It’s a unique spin on New York-Italian pizza with a focaccia like thickness and quality ingredients. An 8.5 out of 10 indicates it should be talked about with the best of them.

POTENZA CENTRALE
38 Avenue B (between East 3rd and East 4th Street),
Alphabet City
(646) 852-6995
potenzacentrale.com

AboutBrian Hoffman

Brian Hoffman is a classically trained actor who is now a full-time tour guide, blogger, and food obsessive. He leads food and drink tours around New York City, which not only introduce tour-goers to delicious food, but gives them a historical context. He has written food articles for Gothamist and Midtown Lunch in addition to overseeing this blog and a few food video series, including Eat This, Locals Know, and Around the World in One City. His latest series is an international cooking show with his son which can be found on this site.

3 Comments

  1. Luigi, the owner used to own Max, which was a popular and friendly restaurant in the EV 10 years ago. Glad to see him back to action in the neighborhood.

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