Famous Ben's Pizza
Pizza restaurant · SoHo ·
Old-school pizzeria serving Sicilian slices & calzones
Old-school pizzeria serving Sicilian slices & calzones
"Since 1977, when this corner of Thompson and Spring was still largely Italian and Portuguese, Ben’s has been slinging pizzas, many of them channeling snack shops back in Sicily. The array displayed behind the glass sneeze guard is impressive, but go for any of the thick, square slices, which is what Ben’s does best. The sweet Palermo slice is heaped with olive-oiled bread crumbs and caramelized onions, reflecting the style of snacking in Sicily’s capital." - Robert Sietsema, Melissa McCart
"Famous Ben’s was founded in 1979 and remains Soho’s bastion of the Sicilian slice. Most interesting, perhaps, are the versions of the classic square pie that pre-date the cheese-and-tomato-sauced square so famous at nearly every neighborhood pizza parlor. The Palermo sliced (aka sfincione) is topped with onions, tomato sauce, and bread crumbs — but no cheese." - Robert Sietsema
"In the heart of Soho, Ben’s is a pizzeria founded in 1979 that identifies itself as Sicilian, and though many of its glass-case offerings could be found in nearly any pizzeria, this is one of the few places that serves the classic rectangular sfincone topped with sauteed onions and breadcrumbs, called “Palermo” on its identifying tag. Other slices featuring eggplant, broccoli rabe, mushrooms, and zucchini are also baked in the style of Sicily’s capital." - Robert Sietsema
"Dominating the corner of Spring and Sullivan in Soho, this sfincione-focused spot debuted in 1979; it was founded by Ben and Debbie Aliotta based on recipes from his Sicilian immigrant parents and is now owned by John Notaro and John and Ronald Pasquale. I was initially scared off by the creepy, leering chef statue outside and skeptical of a neon sign claiming “Nominated Best Sicilian Pizza In New York,” but after traipsing inside I was astonished by the unusual slices in its three-tiered glass cases. The Palermo — named for the Sicilian capital — is especially remarkable: a lovely chestnut-brown slice topped with olive-oiled, browned bread crumbs over a coarse puree of onions (if you love onions, this $4.25 slice shines), reflecting the Sicilian practice of using breadcrumbs as a substitute for dried cheeses. The other Sicilian slices are similarly meatless — one tiled with sliced fresh tomatoes and heaped with fluffy sautéed onions, another with broccoli rabe, mushrooms, and zucchini — and their tomato-sauce-and-cheese Sicilian slice is among the city's best, with bright red, pungent sauce, profuse cheese nearly cascading over the sides, and a crust that's super hard on the bottom for a satisfying crunch." - Robert Sietsema
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