Bonbino's

Address:
605 Merrick Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Website:
http://bonbinospizza.com/

Bonbino's is another old school pizzeria, unknown to many outside the borders of Rockville Centre and Oceanside. It lays right on the divider of the two towns and has many loyal customers from both of them.

The doors opened for the first time in 1997 and ownership never looked back. A Bonbino's II even opened up for a short while across town in Oceanside.

Bonbino's has been known locally for it's sponsorship, quick delivery, and friendly service. It's been a mainstay for 15 years now.

Like many old school pizzerias, Bonbino's specializes in the regular and sicilian slices. The grandma here is also a favorite.

When I walked in, the counter worker told me a sicilian pie was coming out fresh so I waited a few minutes and sat down.

Popular Slice: Sicilian

Price: $2.50

Their dough is different from most places, a little softer on the bottom. However, the crust still had a good crunch. The melted cheese was thick over the top but plenty of sauce kept it from being overwhelming.

My Rating: 9/10

Huge slice, good price.

Gino's

Address:
187 N. Long Beach Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Gino's is an Italian restaurant on Long Beach Road, just off of Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre. Located at the border of Baldwin, Oceanside, and Rockville Centre, Gino's gets a diverse group of locals everyday.

The place is always busy in all four phases of a quality Italian restaurant: the pizzeria, sit-down, take-out, and delivery.

Surprisingly, Gino's slice selection wasn't that great, but some places know how to keep it simple.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't keep it simple, ordering a chicken-bacon-cheddar-ranch slice (1 of 2 chicken slices at the counter) to go.

It looked loaded and it wound up being a great choice. It was a perfect mix of breaded chicken cutlet, crispy bacon, and melted cheddar with a small dose of ranch dressing.

Popular Slice: Chicken-bacon-cheddar-ranch

Price: $4.40 w/ tax

Quality chicken, crispy bacon, and a crunchy crust makes this a great choice for anybody. However, the price is as high as it gets when you compare it to the average $3.50 range for any specialty chicken slice.


My Rating: 8.5/10

Great slice, bad price.

Umberto's Pizzeria

Address:
361 Nassau Boulevard, Garden City South, NY 11530

Website:
http://umbertosgc.com/

Umberto's is a small pizzeria on Nassau Boulevard located near Adelphi University. The place is a mini version of my favorite Italian restaurant, the original Umberto's of New Hyde Park. It has the same ownership and the same food. Perhaps this one doesn't sell as many entrees, but the pizza is still great.

The famous sicilian and grandma slices were at the front of the counter when I walked in, but after hearing about the buffalo chicken slice from an inside source, I had to try it.

The service was great and the eating area was spotless, similar to the original Umberto's. But I was still wondering if the food would have the same quality.

Popular Slice: Buffalo chicken

Price: $3.50 w/ tax

The chicken was spicy and extremely tasty but the amount was average at best. The crust was good as well. My only problem was the overload of cheese and small amount of chicken. Taste wise, it was good.

My Rating: 8.5/10

The slice was definitely of quality but I advise taking the extra time to travel over to the original Umberto's on Jericho Turnpike.

Villa Formia

Address:
136 Mott Street, Oceanside, NY 11572

Website:
http://www.kpsearch.com/df/villaformia/all.asp

Villa Formia is an Italian restaurant located in the Madison Plaza Shopping Center of southern Oceanside. It's right down the block from the Sands Shopping Center.

The restaurant is split into two parts: a pizzeria on the right and a dining area on the left. Most business is done in the pizzeria, however, they get their fair share of parties in the dining area on certain nights.

"Villa" is known for it's array of specialty slices,  including a tortellini slice and cheesesteak slice among others. Chicken slices include the buffalo, caesar salad, marsala, tomato, parmigiana, and francese.

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The spinach and riccota, stuffed meat, and fried calamari slices are others that may surprise you at the counter.

After visiting Villa a couple of times, I realized the chicken caesar slice was the most unique of them all. Plenty of pizzerias make it, but not like this. The chicken is breaded, unlike most caesar slices that have grilled chicken. This element brings out a whole new flavor that's unmatched by other places.

The slice is loaded with chicken and lettuce. And the caesar dressing glaze mixed with parmesan cheese is perfect over the top.

Popular Slice: Chicken Caesar

Price: $3.94 w/ tax

My Rating: 9.5/10

Vincent's

Address:
930 Atlantic Avenue, Baldwin, NY 11510

Website:
http://www.vincentspizzeria.com/

Vincent's is a tiny pizzeria located on Atlantic Avenue in Baldwin, across from the Waldbaum's shopping center. It's a quick pull-over type place that that does a lot of take-out as well. There's only room for about 8-10 people to actually sit down inside.

It's a real old school Italian spot, identical to hundreds of pizzerias across Brooklyn. They keep it simple with about five or six slice selections at the counter, however, the menu gives a few other choices.

I got to meet Vincent on my visit and he's a very friendly man. You can tell the place is very much his second home. He recommended the chicken-bacon slice and I took it on the road.

Popular Slice: Chicken-bacon

Price: $3.00


Nowadays three bucks is a great price anywhere for a specialty chicken slice so that was a good start. The slice itself wasn't bad either. The chicken was good quality, the bacon was crispy, and the cheese was just enough. The only disappointment was the crust. There wasn't much to it and it almost seemed a little stale. Overall it was a decent chicken slice.

My Rating: 8/10

This place won't blow you away but it's nice for an on-the-go slice.

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Lia's Pizzeria Cucina Italiana

Address:
60 Atlantic Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572

Lia's Pizzeria is a local favorite in Oceanside, located in the Lincoln Shopping Center at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Long Beach Road. This place may not be as popular as far as large dining room crowds go, but this place could get packed out for it's pizza. Lia's really knows how to make a specialty chicken slice, whether it's BBQ, buffalo, caesar, marsala, francese, or some other invention.

I would have to say that the top-seller here is the buffalo chicken. It's the one at the front of the counter, the one they're always making, and the one that customers are always eating. In fact, many people around this area will call it the best buffalo chicken slice they've ever had.

The slice is loaded with large, tender pieces of spicy buffalo chicken and is covered with just enough mozzarella cheese. Many Lia's veterans will eat this particular slice with a fork and knife, and even a side of ranch or blue cheese dressing for dip.

Trust me, one buffalo slice is all you need, it's a full lunch within itself. One of these with a 20 oz soda makes a perfect cheap lunch for anybody.


Popular Slice: Buffalo chicken

Price: $3.40

My Rating: 9.5/10



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Gino's

Address:
16 West Park Avenue, Long Beach, NY 11561

Website:
http://www.ginospizzaoflongbeach.com/

Gino's is considered by many as the best pizzeria in Long Beach. Located on the main strip of West Park and across from the train station, this spot continues to bring in large crowds. It's also a traditional Italian restaurant, however, Long Islanders may not realize that Gino's of Long Beach specializes in the dessert department.



There is an ice cream and gelato bar to the left when you walk in. This part of the restaurant is especially popular during the warm months when beach-goers stop in with one thing on their mind, Gino's gelato.

Upon entering the pizzeria, you'll notice a little different set-up at Gino's. Instead of displaying the pizza under glass, Gino's keeps various slices on a pizza rack behind the counter workers. The first slice that stood out to me was the supreme slice, known there as the "special slice". Usually you could only find this at a pit-stop Sbarro or some other fast food pizzeria. However, at Gino's, the supreme slice is a well-known favorite.

The second slice that stood out was the regular. For some reason this spot gave me a traditional feeling, so I went with the regular slice (w/ pepperoni). I also selected the grandma slice, which looked a little different than most, and sat down to see what the place was made of.

Popular Slice: Supreme, Pepperoni, Grandma

Price: $3.50, $3.00, $3.00

Of course, the pepperoni made the slice a bit greasy but you have to expect that at any pizzeria. It was still delicious and lived up to expectations. However, the grandma was definitely under-par. There was very little sauce and the top was over-cooked. It came out very dry and there wasn't much taste to it. Overall, it was an average experience for me. Great place, atmosphere, and tradition but the food might of been a little off on the day I visited. 

My Rating: 8/10

Pizzaiola

Address: 
3191 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, NY 11572

Pizza Menu (click)

Pizzaiola is located within a shopping center on Long Beach Road in Oceanside, just a few miles down the road from the south shore beaches. It's a great pit stop for anyone on the way to the beach during the summer and is always a place to go for the locals. The shopping center provides hundreds of parking spaces, making it easy to park at anytime of the week.

Upon entering, you notice the large amount of seating separated for people stopping in for a slice. Booths and tables fill the back of the restaurant and are used for patrons enjoying waiting service. The counter is customer friendly and is usually accompanied by several workers. You'll also notice the variety of food prepared under the glass counter. At all hours of the day, Pizzaiola serves everything from potato croquettes and sausage rolls to calzones and specialty slices.

Popular Slice: Grandma

Price: $2.30

Pretty much the perfect grandma pizza...Neither thin nor thick with a crust covered in melted mozzarella cheese. The sauce is very original (somewhat sweet) and supplements the slice to perfection. 

My Rating: 9.5/10

Vincent's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant

Address:
14 Atlantic Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563

Website:
http://www.vincentspizzeria.com/

Vincent's is a well known spot in Lynbrook, located on the shopping strip of Atlantic Ave. between Merrick Rd. and Sunrise Highway. During the afternoon, countermen serve groups of twos and threes that flow in and out of the doors. Lynbrook High School students often enjoy the quick walk down the block to grab a slice as well. At night, Vincent's staff waits on families sitting down for entrees and pasta specials. It's very much an all around Italian Restaurant.

Today I was able to meet with a few countermen, Rudy and John, just before the afternoon rush arrived. The first thing I notced was the cleanliness of the restaurant. Tables were being cleaned the moment after a customer got up, each and every time. The second thing that stood out was the variety of pizza. They might have the most beautiful display of pizza I ever laid eyes on. John quickly declared the Christina slice as the most popular. However, Rudy saw the Margarita as the most delicious so I had to taste both.

Margarita (top), Christina (below)

Popular Slice: Christina, Margarita

Price: $3.00, $2.50

The Christina slice is a crunchy garlic bread covered with fresh mozzarella, thickly cut. Thick tomatoes are also layered over the top. The Margarita slice is very different from any other I've ever tasted. First, it's square like a grandma slice but it's covered in a spicy marinara sauce. It is then topped off with a melted layer of fresh mozzarella. I'd have to go with Rudy on the Margarita slice here. It was definitely something I've never tasted.

My Rating: 9/10

Mr. Miceli

Address:
19 North Park Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY11570

Website:
http://mrmiceli.com

Mr. Miceli's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant is perfectly planted in the heart of Rockville Centre on Park Avenue. Surrounded by restaurants and bars, this pizzeria does its best to benefit off it's lively location. It's for this reason that it has so much popularity. From Thursday through Saturday, Mr. Miceli keeps his doors open until 5:00am. Many people in Rockville Centre on weekend nights will stop in to satisfy that unstoppable crave.

I was able to catch up with Mr. Miceli himself today before the afternoon crowd rolled in. We engaged in a friendly conversation which taught me a lot about his passion. "I like people," he said. "Some people just do it for the money."


I also learned that most of his past took place right where we stood. "I've been doing this everyday for 30 years," Miceli said. "It'll be 31 in October."





After this he told me about the customers favorite slices. The regular slice goes fast during the day but the buffalo chicken is the heavy favorite at night. He also said the chicken-bacon-ranch slice was very popular.



Popular Slice: Regular

Price: $2.50

You know you'll always get friendly service when you come to this spot. And on a night out in Rockville Centre, there's nothing better.

My Rating: 8/10

My Top Three

1. Pizzaiola - Oceanside, NY

Address: 3191 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, NY 11572

Best slice: Grandma ($2.30), White ($2.95)


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2. Lia's Pizzeria Cucina Italiana - Oceanside, NY

Address: 60 Atlantic Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572

Best slice: Buffalo chicken ($3.40)

3. Umberto's Pizzeria & Restaurant - New Hyde Park, NY

Address: 633 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040

Best slice: Sicilian ($2.25), Grandma ($2.50)

As you can see, I am biased towards my hometown pizza in Oceanside. However, I do love Umberto's just as much as the other two. All three of these restaurants are also great places to sit down for pasta dishes and other entrees. Enjoy!

**New posts with new experiences will be up shortly.

Montana's Pizzeria

Address: 

13 Atlantic Avenue, Freeport, NY 11510

Website:

http://montanasny.com

Montana's Pizzeria is a great spot just five blocks away from the famous Nautical Mile in south Freeport. It's located in a small strip mall which provides plenty of parking for their numerous customers. Upon entering Montana's, you are greeted by the counter workers on the pizzeria side of the restaurant. You'll soon be impressed by the cleanliness of the seating area and the modernized dining room adjacent to the pizzeria.

View of dining room from entrance.

I immediately asked Jerry, one of the counter workers, which slice is most popular with the regulars of the area.

"Grandma, it's coming out now," he answered without hesitation.

So I sat down and enjoyed the delicious work of art.

The Grandma slice.

Popular Slice: Grandma

Price: $2.75

The slice is neither thin nor thick and is overwhelmed with sauce. The crust is made for a perfect crunch and the melted strip of mozzarella gives the entire slice great balance.

My Rating:

9/10

After finishing up, I went to the locals for some unsurprising opinions.

"This place is great," said T.J. Higgins of Oceanside. "I've been coming here with my family forever."