Our neighbors, Pete and Barb M., just turned us on to NY Gianni’s Bronx Style Pizza – we’ll call it Gianni’s Pizza from here on in – and boy are we ever glad they did. Y’all will recall how miserably Cosmo’s failed the Lonnie’s-hot-fast-pizza test. So I figured, to be fair, I’d have to run Gianni’s through the same test. OMG! What a difference!
I called Gianni’s after looking at their website and asked if I could place an order by phone but eat it there. The very friendly fellow on the other end of the line said, of course! and wanted to know how soon we’d be there. “Seven minutes” I said. “It will be done in twelve. Come on down!” Sure enough, it was hot and ready when we got there, a short drive down Burnet Ave from our Eastwood home.
And what a warm welcome we got, too. Gianni and his lovely wife and mom (or so we believe, having been too famished to politely get this information) were so sweet; they made us feel genuinely at home. The place is tiny, mostly for take-out, but the little room where there are four small tables was very nicely decorated, there was pleasant music playing, and there was no danged TV blinking away to distract us from what we came for: great food. Gianni pointed out that they have wi-fi and so anyone is welcome to come with a laptop and play their own TV.
So how was the pizza? Mamma mia! Ecco una pizza come Dio la vuole! Everything hand-made and fresh, the “Grand Concourse” (meat lover’s) pizza was indeed grand, loaded with cheese and almost overpopulated with ham, bacon, pepperoni, ground beef, all on a thin hand-tossed crust just thick enough to hold up to eating from the hand.
I really do not like mediocre pizza. There’s so much of it around these parts. I will even drive all the way up to Marshall St. and put up with rudeness to get a good pizza. Thank goodness, that won’t be necessary any more. Dave and I will be going back to Gianni’s repeatedly – there’s quite a menu to work our way through.
By the way, Gianni has worked for years at some of your other favorite pizza joints. I won’t say where – go on in and ask him yourself. While you’re there, try ordering in Spanish, the other language of this bi-lingual couple. When Gianni found out I’m a Spanish teacher, he said I should have my students come down and order their meal all in Spanish. I think I’ll make that a very strong suggestion! They’ll be well rewarded for their efforts.
Gianni’s Pizza is located at 1428 Burnet Ave., not far from the corner of Teall and Burnet. It shares space with the Liberty Bakery, so you’ll likely go home with a half dozen cookies, including Central New York’s famous half-moons. They’re open Monday through Thursday 11-9 and Friday through Saturday 11-10. Alas, they are closed on Sunday. If you go in, please tell them the Chus sent you.
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[...] Part 2 Posted in Italian by Dave Apr 04 2010 TrackBack Address. Lonnie has already written here about how much we liked Gianni’s Pizza. Naturally, we had to go back. This time, while [...]
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[...] posted a suggestion on my “Hearsay” page for Gianni’s. Syracuse food bloggers David and Lonnie Chu recently posted a great review, so I eagerly anticipated a good pizza [...]
I know these guys from a couple years ago and I’m glad to know where they are now. It’s almost impossible to get a proper pizza in CNY but “Johnny” really knows his stuff! I’ll be in!
Looking forward to trying it out! I was just saying to my sweetie last night how I was in the mood for some real NY style pizza, but we didn’t know of any places in the area that would meet our expectations. This sounds like it!
Thanks for more pizza tips! I will definitely be trying this place this weekend (that pie looks delicious!). I usually go to Nick’s in Armory Square, but this is a lot closer so I’m excited to try it.
I ACTUALLY HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING THE OWNERS OF GIANNI’S PIZZA AND THEY ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE. =) AS FOR THE FOOD IT’S EVEN BETTER!!! I LOVE THEIR CASTLE HILL PIZZA (BACON CHEESE BURGER)AS WELL AS THEIR MORRIS PARK PIZZA (THICK CRUST GRANDMA)IT’S DELICIOUS… BUT WHAT REALLY KEEPS ME COMING BACK IS THE FRIENDLY ENVIROMENT THAT MAKES YOU FEEL RIGHT AT HOME.
Yes this is authentic NYC pizza pie. The kind you have to fold to hold the big slices in your hands. Too many other pizza joints falsely advertise NY style and you try them once and wonder what they think the term means!
Sounds and looks fabulous — and so close to Shifty’s!
I had my first Gianni’s Pizza last night. I arrived far before Gianni said my pizza would be done, and I’ve never had more fun waiting for a pizza! Giannia and Rosa were very friendly and we had a lot of laughs. The pizza was fantastic! The price was right. I’ll surely be going back for more pizza real soon! If you’re a pizza lover, Gianni’s is a must!
Thanks, Dave and Lonnie for telling me about Gianni’s!
Karl Sterling
All i have to say is “tomato pie” and “Latin Baked” wings. I’ve been a fan 6 years strong, If “Flavor’s” what your looking for go no further Gianni’s got it going on competition is none
This post has generated more comments from individual commenters than any other we’ve done. Obviously Gianni’s doing something right! Brian P. loves Gianni’s pizza so much, he posted something like nine comments, each supposedly coming from a different person. Well… Brian really deserves all the credit for these, the rest of the comments he wrote:
“uptown baby, i took one bite of Gianni’s delicious pizza i died then came back just to get another slice, you have that original New York style hand tossed pizza you need to Franchize. When johnny’s twirl’in a pie that’s Amore”
“man john i thought my food was smokin good till i tried yours im closin up shop, you ran me off the map, thanks man early retirement i guess”
“mangia this place has it all if you eat anywhere else your a fugazy in case you dont know thats a fake”
“oh jon man you make i killer pie you gotta cater my sons wedding”
“i gained 200 pounds i eat Gianni’s 8 times a day i love it my wife loves it my kids love it”
“well fat pauly i lost 25 pounds from rosa’s delicious salads im not going to lie ill sneak in one of johnnys delicious rolls once in a while i like the chicken parm roll”
“Gianni’s pizza and Libert bakery all in one dinner and dessert with one stone gotta love it”
“your right buddy you are a genious”
At any pizzaria, I believe there are several items that must be sampled:
1. A slice
2. A full pizza
3. Buffalo-style chicken wings
4. A specialty pizza (if available)
5. Specialty chicken wings (if available)
I separate a slice from a full pizza as a slice is pre-cooked, heated on request and, while it may be good, it can’t touch the deliciousness of a slice of a whole pizza cooked just for you. As for the wings, every pizzaria does #3 (mild, medium & hot). Specialty wings deserve a category of their own.
I have a soft spot for places that serve specialty pizzas and wings. I’ve never been much of a pepperoni, sausage, mushroom pizza kind of guy. I either go for the straight cheese or I look for the specialty stuff. I like pizzas with goofy cheeses like ricotta, or hot peppers and hot sauce all over it, or piled high with Mediterranean veggies. Everyone does pizza and wings, I think it’s the specialty stuff that sets a good place apart.
This post is a bit pre-mature, as I’ve only had myself a slice and some of the specialty wings… but here it goes:
Slice of cheese:
As far as slices go, this was a good one. If it’s any indication of how good a freshly-cooked whole pizza is, I’m looking forward to it.
Latin wings:
These are sauceless wings, fried in a tangy spice-filled batter. I’m not so much of a fried-chicken kind of guy, but they were pretty tasty.
Dart wings:
Holy moley, now THIS is what I’m talking about. The sauce is a slightly spicy, garlicy, BBQ sauce… it actually reminds me a lot of wings that I used to get at y favorite place when I was in college. When I was done, I honestly considered drinking the rest of the sauce from the bottom of the container… but the risk of having to explain myself if someone saw me won out. I actually ate these first and doused some of the Latin wings in the sauce. They have a winner with these.
I fully intend to go back and try their regular hot wings and some speciality pizzas at some point. But I can say there’s a 100% chance I’m going to be walking out with some of those Dart wings again.
I finally tried Gianni’s last night, and all I can say is wow! Fresh, cooked perfectly, and that wonderful crispy crust.. Gianni made sure to let me know as I was leaving to check out Chus on Chow..to which I replied, “that’s where I found out about you!” Thanks for exposing me and numerous others to a wonderful local business!
Ditto to all the positive remarks about Gianni’s. I tried a sausage and onion pie from them last night (my standard test pie) and was well pleased. Lots of flavor and character in the crust, generous amount of good quality cheese and both the sausage and onions were excellent. Nice people too – that never hurts. I have got to get me some Dart wings!
I remember going to G’s about 8 years ago when they first opened. Nothing compared to them. They moved across the street and then closed for a while. Nothing was better and I was upset they left. There back now and their pizza is still by far the best.
Thanks, Lonnie and Dave! We tried Gianni’s tonight and I love it! I’m a big fan of thin pizza, and this did not disappoint. Next time we’re going to try the Sicilian style, my husband’s favorite kind of pie. The sauce is really good – a little sweet and even a touch of spice to it.
Gianni’s makes the best rolls ever! They are made the way you like them and always perfect! It is nice going in there and recognized by name and the atmosphere is always great. A Wonderful Family. We order from Gianni’s all the time at my place of employment because we love them. They never mess up on our orders and delivery is always on time. If you haven’t tried them yet, what are you waiting for?
giannis is by far the best place in central new york. their pizza is deicious and you definitely wont regret ordering there. i reccomend this place to everyone. once you try giannis pizza, your taste buds will jump..i know mines did!!!!!!!!!
My wife and I have a new favorite pizza place! Stopped in for the first time 2 weeks ago. Have had their pizza 2 times since then, it’s fantastic. Tried the dart wings, saucy, tasty, garlic-ey. Yum!!! I will be working my way through the menu in the coming weeks, I can’t wait.
I’ve been searching for his new location and am thrilled that I’ve finally found Gianni. His pizza is the best in this area. Seek him out and you won’t be disappointed.
The word is out.Word is circulating around all the mobile public departments.I finally tried it today and was not dissapointed.A long loyal fan of the pizza joint up the street,I can honestly say the two specialty slices I had were some of the best I’ve ever had.I shared with members of my dept.and the agreed.I can’t wait to try a whole pie.I got there a little after they opened for day and they had fresh pies for slices ready.No stuff leftover from lastnight.So be ready to start seeing a lot of vehicles with official tags.
I served Gianni’s at my daughters birthday party. Meat pie, Broccolli Ricotta (a must for vegetarians) and mild and dart wings. Our guests went crazy, I ordered the night before and Johnny had everything ready right on time. Pizza and wings were cooked to a turn. The meat slice packed high with pepperoni, ham and sausage (real, not crumbles) was heavy and thick but could still be eaten with one hand. My only disappointment was no leftovers!
His hospitality is second to none. He can even throw the pizza dough in the air old school. God bless ya Johnny, keep up the good work.
I tried Gianni’s Pizza a few months ago and I still drive from Phoenix to…!
hello lonnie, this is john from gianni’s, just wanted to say thank you for making us a pat of your blog. I loved all the reviews, especialy about my tomato pie. again thanks a bunch from the bottom of my sauce.. love ya.
I love Gianni’s delicious hand tossed pizza, he’s right his pizza WILL make you say WOW!! I’ve tried almost every pizza shop in Syracuse and Gianni’s is hands down the best i’ve ever had. Try it he’ll make you a believer =)