One of the Most Famous Pizza Places in Italy Just Opened in New York City

What is arguably the most famous pizzeria in the world has opened an outpost in the heart of New York City's West Village.

L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, a historic Naples pizzeria founded in 1870, has long attracted massive crowds at its original shop on Via Cesare Sersale, where tradition reigns supreme. There are only two pizzas on the menu: marinara (a tomato pie with oregano and garlic) and margherita (tomato and mozzarella). The crowds have only continued to swell since Julia Roberts declared in 2010's Eat Pray Love, during a scene at Da Michele: "I'm having a relationship with this pizza."

The pizzeria's first US location opened in Hollywood in 2019, but this is its first venture east. At the sleek new NYC location, which opened in December, the menu is rounded out with a few more pizzas (including a popular diavolo pie with salami), a selection of pastas, gorgeous salads, and a number of fried dishes like fritto misto and fried zucchini flowers, their centers oozing with cheese. On a recent visit, a server lets me know that the handmade spaghetti Nerano, featuring zucchini, Parmigiano, pecorino, and basil, is Stanley Tucci's favorite pasta on the menu.

Head Pizzaiolo Michele Rubini says his favorite item on the menu is the margherita pizza, understandably. "It's the perfect balance of tomato and cheese," he says. "It's my favorite pizza, no question." Rubini uses the same 152-year-old recipe as the original Naples location.

While it may scandalize purists that the menu veers from tradition and regionality (cacio e pepe is a Roman dish, not Neapolitan! There's a Caesar salad!), the execution is so excellent I can't imagine them minding after one bite. A majority of ingredients are imported from Italy, as is the stone oven. Naples-born owner Francesco Zimone designed each U.S. restaurant, using reclaimed woods and Baltic stone.

Having lived in Naples and eaten at the original Da Michele many times, I can confirm this pizza hits all the notes as the original. The center is perfectly floppy, the perimeter perfectly puffed and chewy. The tomato sauce and cheese are ideally balanced and bursting with flavor. "A margherita should be juicy," Rubini tells me, eschewing the trend of extreme crispiness. He points to my pie. "It is perfect like this."