Rubirosa Ristorante
Row 1
Three years ago, the buzz among the New York City pizza cognoscenti was around South Brooklyn Pizza (now closed, sadly), Motorino (No. 19), Roberta’s (No. 3), and Paulie Gee’s (No. 21). These days, the latter three make up the old guard of pizza newcomers who have set the standard, and South Brooklyn Pizza has gone to that big cardboard box in the sky. Since then, the new addition to that “old guard of pizza newcomers” is Rubirosa in Nolita, a spot opened by former Esca cook Angelo (A.J.) Pappalardo, who learned how to make a super-thin crust and barely there cornicione at the age of 12 at his father Giuseppe's Staten Island stalwart, Joe & Pat's (No. 32 in 2014).
The slice at Rubirosa (which New York Magazine reported was named for a Florence, Italy, restaurant whose owners named it in turn after international playboy Porfirio Rubirosa) is the kind that inspires cross-section marveling and game-changing pizza paradigm shifts. Those who consider the city’s average dollar-slice crusts the New York baseline finally understand the nuance of pizza. This is one of the few places you can walk into and ask for a stracciatella pie (impressive enough), and there are nine standards on the menu that you’ll want to rotate through, including the classic, supreme, and "tie-dye" (vodka, tomato, pesto, fresh mozzarella), but the pie the restaurant singled out, and the one panelists voted vociferously for, was the vodka pie with fresh mozz.
— Arthur Bovino, 101 Best Pizzas in America 2015, 8/6/2015
The Daily Meal Editors and Community Say...
Foursquare Tips
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Try the vodka pizza, the crisp yet pliable thin-crust pies have a delicate char and a crackerlike crust. Its one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. -
A waiter: Rubirosa? I heard he was this man who used to be a playboy and he had sex with everyone, and then he became a librarian. -
Although owner Angelo Bianchi says he does not give special reservations to his cohorts, its not unusual to find DJs, artists, and designers dipping into his thin crusts on any given night. -
Best Eggplant Parm I've had. Great toasted bun and side salad. Rubirosa just did a pull-up jumper right in Parm's facial. -
Stellar thin crust pizzas, but don't overlook the pastas they're phenomenal. [Eater 38 Member] -
Go for broke and get the caprese pizza. They replaced the mozz with fresh home made straciatella and it is the bomb. -
Soul-satisfying red sauce Italian done right. Great lasagna, chicken parm, some of the best pizza in Little Italy. -
Get the vodka pizza, it will probably make you fat, but its worth it -
Be sure to come here with a group so you can sample as many delicious pizzas as possible. The best part - you can get a pie with two types! Our top picks: Vodka, Rubirosa Supreme & the Caprese. -
Splitty Splitty alert on the braised lamb pappardelle and cavatelli with sausage. This tag team combo could give Demolition a run for their money. -
Come with a few people so you can tour the menu but everything should revolve around the vodka pizza! Other faves incl eggplant parm, stuffed artichoke, Rubirosa salad and tomato ravioli. Mangia! -
The Vodka slice is without question the best slice in New York, but everything is amazing so you can't go wrong. -
Pepperoni pizza with vodka sauce or the lasagna for two. Either provide requisite greasy goodness. -
The vodka pizza is the best pizza in NYC, making our list of "The Tastes That Make the City: NYC Edition."
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cavatelli with sausage and broccoli rabe
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This lively restaurant is one of your best bets for classic red-sauce cuisine in New York City. Make sure to try one of the homemade pastas, and one of the ultra thin-crust pizzas. [Eater 38 Member]
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The perfect order: @rubirosa_nyc signature salad, vodka pizza, bucatini, side of black kale. Boom! -
Order gluten free and remember what pizza used to taste like before your body stopped tolerating wheat! -
The gluten-free mozzarella sticks taste just like the real thing. -
That eggplant parm sandwich is the best in the city.
