NYCReview
Giuseppina's
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Kimbal Musk and Stephen Baldwin and Rickon Stark would all tell you that having a famous brother has its pros and cons. They are gifted some level of fame and opportunity, but they also have to live in a pretty big shadow. Kimbal may do some great things and he probably won’t have any trouble getting his message out to the world, but if he doesn’t set up a colony on Mars or get us to The Hamptons in under three hours on a Friday afternoon, then he’ll always be referred to as Elon’s brother. Similarly, Giuseppina’s is run by the brother of the guy behind Lucali, and while they make good pizza, it doesn’t measure up to the stuff coming out of the oven at that much-more-famous spot.
Giuseppina’s looks a lot like Lucali, from the dark dining room with candlelit tables to the wood-burning oven in the open kitchen, and the pizza is pretty similar as well. There are a few topping options, but all of them are pretty subtle, and the focus is on the thin crust. We like the plain pizza best, which has some very good housemade tomato sauce, mozzarella, and a bunch of fresh basil.
That said, the calzone is chewy and pretty bland, especially compared to the truly special version at Lucali. It’s also expensive, and a cash-only spot charging $36 for a veggie pie better be making some fantastic pizza. While the food here is definitely good, we find ourselves wondering if this place would be noteworthy if there was no Lucali. Like Rickon without Robb, the answer is probably no.