L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in the West Village offers a charming slice of Naples with its iconic margherita pizza and a cozy yet expansive ambiance for pizza lovers.
"A pizzeria sometimes considered the best in Naples, L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (founded in 1870), set up a branch in the West Village earlier this year. Unlike the original, which was a small floury room with only two or three tables when I visited over a decade ago, this branch is gigantic and sumptuously outfitted. I soon found myself at Da Michele in the West Village. I had no trouble getting in at lunch, and picked the sunny room — one of two — where breakfast is served. As I sat drinking a glass of San Pellegrino, the pizzaiolo and his assistant arrived and made their way to the next room, where the pizza oven is set up in full view of the more formal dining room. In New York City, pizza is theater. When the margherita ($22) arrived, the diameter was greater by at least two or three inches than Una Pizza’s. As is never done in Naples, it had been cut into slices. The pizza here was not as inflated as Mangieri’s, and looked more damp. The circumferential hump of crust was not as wide either — reminding me that Una Pizza’s version had more in common with bread than the pizza that sat before me. When I carved out the first bite, the crust was dense, wet, and thin; the cheese more profuse; the tomato sauce a shade darker, but also seemingly unseasoned. And while I was able to eat two-thirds of Mangieri’s pie, I made my way through only half of this one." - Robert Sietsema
"One of the newest additions to New York’s ever-evolving pizza landscape is not so new at all, at least in terms of its pedigree. L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele opened in Naples in 1870 and has since garnered world renown. Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” may remember it from both the book and the movie; in the latter, Julia Roberts, as Gilbert, declares that she is in a relationship with her margherita. In Naples just two pies are available at the very small, very casual restaurant—the margherita (tomato sauce and fior-di-latte mozzarella, with a bit of Pecorino and fresh basil) and the marinara (tomato sauce, sliced garlic, and dried oregano, no cheese). In the West Village (2 Bank St.)—and in Los Angeles, where the restaurant’s first U.S. outpost opened in 2019—both the dining room and the menu are much bigger and more formal, with a half-dozen additional pizzas ($18-$65), plus appetizers, pastas, entrées, and dessert." - Hannah Goldfield
"L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, an offshoot of a historic Naples pizzeria, offers a margherita pizza that closely replicates the true Neapolitan pizza experience. The crust is soft with a puffy cornicione, and the cheese is cow’s milk mozzarella applied in tiny dollops, accompanied by a simple puree of canned tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. The New York location of da Michele features a large, airy dining space, differing significantly from the modest original in Naples. The menu is simple but includes options like marinara and margherita pizzas, along with other varieties and some small plates." - Robert Sietsema
"The restaurant known for its thin pies, which take less than a minute to cook, will open at 2 Bank Street, near Greenwich Avenue, in the West Village on Saturday, December 24. Restaurateur Francesco Zimone, who spearheaded L’Antica’s debut in Los Angeles in 2019, is overseeing the long-awaited expansion." - Luke Fortney
"L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, a century-old Naples pizzeria known from Eat Pray Love, is opening in NYC at 2 Bank Street, West Village, under restaurateur Francesco Zimone. The NYC location will feature a more expansive menu, including pastas, burgers, and steaks, along with its signature pizzas. Designed to feel like a home, it will include a lounge, a wood-fired pizza oven, and a wine cellar, seating around 200 people. Zimone highlights the importance of an inviting atmosphere, emphasizing comfort over traditional restaurant layouts." - Erika Adams
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