PIZZA in New York: Lucia Pizza of Soho

THE SPOT: On a corner between Soho, Tribeca, and Chinatown, this is the first Manhattan location of Lucia Pizza which has been operating on Avenue X in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn for over 4 decades. The newest generation of owners seem to have felt it was time to expand and play with the big boys in Manhattan (they just opened a third location on the Upper East Side). The vibe is divey, like just about any other corner pizzeria around the city. There is a level of apathy from the guys behind the counter who clumsily add olive oil or shaved parmesan. If this was DiFara, Domenico DeMarco would be spinning in his grave.

THE STYLE: Lucia is not named for a person or a place in Italy, but rather the Italian word for “light,” so the expectation is that the slices here are much more manageable than a hearty Sicilian, which is often found deep in south Brooklyn. The slices look typical for the newer wave of slice joints, with some torn basil sprigs on top and a drizzle of olive oil.

THE PIZZA:

The most striking slice available is the Spinach, which gave me pause since I loathe the namesake slice at Artichoke. This one looked less likely to kill me and perhaps the glowing green color might add to my daily allotments of veggies. This slice is much better, relying mostly on the richness from cheese rather any additional cream. The spinach adds a mineral quality which I’m surprised wasn’t tamed with a squeeze of lemon or some other acidity. The large amount of oil garnished on top didn’t add much and just weighed the slice down. It’s still far superior to the horrific Artichoke.

I returned a few days later to try the Plain slice, which again did not benefit from the added oil. This one was better and did have some lightness and a crisp char that was pleasant. It was a good slice and for those not used to New York slice joints, this would be amazing. But I don’t think it fully lives up to the top Manhattan slice joints in the city. At least judging from these two visits. Now I just need to find my way out to Sheepshead Bay one of these days for the original.

THE RATING: 7.5 out of 10 for a solid light New York style slice, but nothing super special if you are a professional pizza eater in these parts.