Cello's Pizzeria

"Walk along St. Marks on any weekend night and there will inevitably be a line of tipsy 20-somethings near the corner of 2nd Avenue waiting for Cello’s. They may be saying something untrue about their roommate, but they’re right about the pizza here: it’s so far the best slice in the neighborhood. The slice shop has some L’Industrie DNA—which is fitting, since the chef used to twirl pies at the Williamsburg shop. Cello's $4-ish slices are noticeably light in your hand, but still chewy and charred on the bottoms with a crust almost reminiscent of rustic Tuscan bread. Go for the tomato pie, which stands out for its acidic sauce and dollops of sweet burrata. And, as long as you don’t need your breath to be smooch-ready, the broccoli rabe and sausage with enough garlic to clear the room is great. photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Will Hartman" - Will Hartman

"Cello’s, which opened this week, is the newest — and the last, its owners hope — to open. The slice shop is run by Steve Klein, an owner of the Dough Doughnuts chain, and Larry Kramer, behind the American restaurant Whitmans. A chicory slice, sold by Funzi’s, is on the menu, although it now has bacon. Many of the pizzas use the same tomato sauce as the Rosa’s Pizza chain, which Klein is involved in." - Emma Orlow

"What, exactly, is going on at 36 Saint Marks Place? Last summer, the small East Village storefront became home to Funzi’s Pizzeria, a throwback slice shop that showed lots of promise. It closed after a few months over a dispute between owner Kevin Cox and his landlord, then reopened as St. Marks Pizzeria with new owners. (That pizzeria has since closed, too.) Signage for a new slice shop, called Cellos Pizzeria, recently showed up on the storefront using the same font as the previous two businesses." - Luke Fortney