John’s Pizzeria – New York, NY: John’s Pizzeria manages to hold itself, despite being located among myriad eateries and pizza parlors at the dazzling Times Square, for its thoroughbred New York brick oven pizzas in an upscale ambiance.

The setting is essentially stylish with crisp white tablecloths, lots of aesthetically arranged flowers everywhere and a large wall mural, complemented with elegant looking wooden furniture, a dome-like lofty ceiling and tasteful chandeliers. The atmosphere is chic, classy, casual and very well-appointed. A trendy staircase leads to the second level seating arrangement.

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Having heard so much about the place, we decided to go there for dinner on a week night, and though the place was packed with the evening theater crowd, the eatery still sported a calm and relaxed atmosphere that was replete with soft music and an unmistakable aroma of fresh pizza wafting from the brick-oven kitchen adjacent to the dining area.

The pizza menu comprises both, the traditional pizza along with a range of other combinations. Apart from their famous pizzas, John’s Pizzeria serves up a nice bunch of appetizers, salads (their house salad with fresh crisp romaine lettuce topped with mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions and john’s home-made vinaigrette dressing is simply superb), pastas (the Penne Arbiata at $10.50 is perfectly flavored with the right amount traditional of Arbiata sauce), entrees, sandwiches, paninis and a few extras.

In addition to the items mentioned above, we had Chicken Wings (full order for $11.99) tossed with crushed red peppers, fresh garlic and rosemary, served with real bleu cheese dressing; again delicious and mouth-melting.

For pizza, we decided to binge on a Margherita Pizza (large for $ 18), topped with Mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and tomato sauce. The seasonings were perfect and the tomato sauce tasted refreshingly authentic and not an overtly run down tangy version like the ones offered at numerous pizza chains all over New York City. It is surprising how preparations as basic as these can vary so much in taste from eatery to eatery, but John’s Pizzeria definitely got it right.

Despite being crowded, the service was exceptional. The waiters were friendly, attentive and always ready to offer suggestions whenever we hit the wall. Their timing was perfect and they did a good job of juggling between multiple tables.

Overall, John’s Pizzeria is for local patrons and tourists who want to savor authentic NYC pizzas and definitely not for fans of highly commercialized pizza chains. It’s perfect for a quick and casual afternoon lunch when the eatery is less crowded. The portions are large and the pizza is easily the best that you can get in New York. Even the other traditional Italian delicacies are not watered down versions of the real thing. The awesome food combined with a lively atmosphere and personalized service earns John’s Pizzeria a Bombastic Rating.

What I liked: the delicious food, the flawless service and the stylishly informal ambiance

What I didn’t like: nothing really

Rating: Bombastic

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