Louie & Ernie's Pizza

"Good news this week for the city’s pizza fans. Louie and Ernie’s, the venerable 61-year-old pizzeria in Throggs Neck, is now packaging and freezing its popular pizzas for takeout. The pies that come out of this corner restaurant in the Bronx stack up to the city’s most iconic pizzerias, and the frozen versions, which have been in the works for more than a decade, look like a promising alternative for those who can’t stick around to snag a hot pizza in-person. The 12-inch pizzas — available plain ($10) or with pepperoni ($12) — are cooked three-quarters of the way through and then frozen, for diners to finish-off at home. Orders can be placed by calling Louie and Ernie’s at (718) 829-6230. As far as New York City pizza goes, Louie and Ernie’s is the real deal. The neighborhood pizzeria has been open since 1959 and has since snagged headlines for its gracefully topped thin-crust pies. The white and sausage versions in particular have landed the restaurant on Eater’s list of the city’s best pizzerias. The restaurant’s pivot to frozen pizza takeout actually started about a decade ago, when owner John Tiso’s daughter was away at college. For the most part, that business was kept on hold until the coronavirus pandemic, and already the restaurant has received calls from out-of-state admirers in Nevada and Florida, according to local publication Bronx Times." - Luke Fortney