The Best Pizza in Westchester (According to My Family’s Experts)
Every Saturday, my boys (ages 10, 12 and 53) go out for a pizza lunch in Westchester, while I become reacquainted with my beloved buddy: quiet. Lately the boys have been on a mission: Using Dave Portnoy’s One Bite app, they research Westchester’s best pizza and then rate each place on a scale of 1-10. They’ve become experts in flop, crunch and under-carriage, and have learned the difference between “football pizza” — the ubiquitous doughy, cheesy slice you can eat while watching a game, “bar pizza,” “Neapolitan,” and “New Haven-style.” Their obsession is real and their knowledge profound. Here are their favorite (rated) pizza spots in Westchester.
Johnny’s Pizzeria, Mount Vernon
The long-term beloved pizza restaurant of Westchester has been around since 1942 and serves an extremely thin, crispy pie. The sauce is sensational — sweet and spicy. The low-key, family-owned establishment has two large dining rooms with lovely waiter service where you can order almost any Italian dish you can name — but don’t. Instead, get the plain pie (or maybe the pepperoni) and savor what many Westchester fans call perfect pizza. Rating: 9.3.
Pizzeria La Rosa, New Rochelle
Owned by the same folks who started Best Pizza in Brooklyn, this hip, always-packed restaurant (with photos of Italian grandparents, private booths and a charming backyard) is housed in a 100-year-old former pizza restaurant. La Rosa uses the original brick oven to make their small pies, which have little flop and lots of cheese. Although they make a legendary chicken parmesan, their pizza, especially their margarita pizza, is divine. Rating: 8.3.
Colony Grill, Stamford CT
The gold standard of “bar pizza” (which translates to thin and crispy individual pies) is served in a homey but high energy bar with super friendly waiters and a game on every TV. A descendant of the original Colony Grill, which opened in a mostly Irish, post-prohibition Stamford in 1935, this place still serves a very thin slice with a great crunch and drizzled with their signature hot oil. Rating: 8.2.
Beekman Ale House, Sleepy Hollow
New to Westchester, this family-friendly, cozy tavern has some of the best bar pizza around: Very thin with great crunch. (Two people can share a large personal pie here.) The saucy is tangy and there’s a perfect cheese to sauce ratio, with a little hot oil topping for extra flavor. Rating: 8.2.
Venice Pizza and Trattoria, White Plains
The amicable owner proudly displays the photo he took with Dave Portnoy (who rated his pizza a 7.3). He is committed to making an atypical pizza —thin, crispy, flavorful, thoughtfully-crafted and similar in style to Johnny’s. Grab a slice and chow down at one of the trattoria’s mini metal tables (no waiter service available.) Rating: 8.1.
The Parlor, Dobbs Ferry
These small personal pies are modern Neapolitan-style, made in wood-fired ovens with a slightly charred crust and served with scissors for cutting. Despite the unique toppings, stick with the margarita which has a perfectly crisp but not crunchy undercarriage (which means the bottom crust for those who don’t speak pizza.) Rating: 8.0.
Stagioni, Ardsley
This highly respected, family-run restaurant has a seasonal Italian menu served in a small spot with a few tables and friendly waiters. However, their pizza is reason alone to visit Ardsley. The tangy Neapolitan pie is on the thin side, cheesy and saucy, with minor flop and real crunch. Slices are substantial and always fresh. Rating: 7.8.
These spots not only serve delicious pizza, but they are great places to take the whole family. In fact, a group is ideal so you can avoid the flat, soggy slices sitting out and instead order a fresh pie on your way to the restaurant. Make these Westchester favorites part of your next family outing — and let us know what you think!
