Historically speaking, an osteria was a spartan, no-frills establishment where people would go to have a drink. The original osterias date all the way back to the Roman Empire. If you go to Ostia Antica or Pompeii, you find the osterias of the era. They were like bed-and-breakfasts, with rooms for rent above the dining room where people could listen to music.
The dough is what really makes a Sodo pizza stand out - the sourdough base is made using flour from heritage grains and is fermented for 72 hours to make it light and digestible. But the toppings are no afterthought, with the team sourcing ingredients from local producers, including mozzarella and burrata made in Acton, pepperoni and nduja cured in Islington, honey from Walthamstow and leaves from a salad farm in Dagenham.
You may have heard "stone" and "steel" used interchangeably, but the two cannot be any more different. Of course, their purpose is the same - to ensure an even cook and concentrated heat on the bottom of the pie - but their makeup and relative conductivity differ. Stones are usually made from cordierite (a heavy-duty mineral), while steels are made from thin, seasoned metal. Stones tend to be much thicker and heavier than steels as well, which can make them more awkward to move.
Budakan's specially developed base uses a high-protein Canadian flour for structure along with a small amount of rye, resulting in a slightly nutty flavour and the perfect NY-style chew. The dough is then fermented for a minimum of 48 hours ensuring a super light, but crisp crust. As for the toppings, Hot Saint will serve classics as well as new takes like the Spicy Hawaiian: San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, guanciale and smoked ham hock, pineapple, smoked chilli and jalapeños;
Neapolitan pizza is a masterclass in textural perfection. It strikes the perfect balance between fluffy and crisp, making us yearn for more with each bite. As the toppings are traditionally minimal, usually sticking only to tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil, the quality of the dough is very much at the forefront and definitely requires some finesse. There are many steps to making the perfect Neapolitan pie at home, but the process surprisingly starts with a very specific choice of flour.
The price range for at-home pizza gear is as wide as the topping choices. On the simple, affordable end, there is the humble carbon-steel slab that slides into the oven you already own it's like a basic cheese pie. At the other extreme is pure splurge: a hulking hybrid oven that burns propane or wood and becomes the centerpiece of your outdoor cooking setup. Think of it as a pizza topped with Italian white truffles.
Enter Di Fara Pizza, a legendary Brooklyn pizzeria now bringing its iconic, handcrafted Brooklyn-style pies straight from the supermarket freezer to your home oven. As someone born and raised in northern New Jersey/New York City, I've tried most, if not all, of the iconic and delicious slices around. So when I caught wind of the famous Brooklyn pizzeria's entry into the world of frozen food last year, I knew I had to check it out for myself.
The hand-stretched pies, fashioned into 13-inch rounds, can be customized to preference, with gluten-free crusts and vegan cheese available to suit dietary needs. Customers have called Diavola the best pizza in Indianapolis on TripAdvisor, with one person writing, "This place excels at pizza with a perfect thin crust on the bottom and crusty outside." Burrata can be plopped onto orders for an additional $3, but many people feel the recipes need no improvement -
Since opening Tony's Pizza Napoletana at 1570 Stockton Street in 2009, chef-owner Tony Gemignani deserves a lot of credit for keeping pride in the neighborhood. He has invested in it with this restaurant as well as three surrounding business: Capo's, which is another pizza and pasta-focused restaurant; Toscano Brothers/Dago Bagels, a bakery featuring Italian breads; and Giovanni Italian Specialties, a store selling items such as fresh focaccia sandwiches, flours, condiments, and dough balls that you can pass off as your own at home.
There are many made-up celebrations these days, but at least National Pizza Week delivers something tasty. Coming in hot on the heels of so-called quitter's day, when many people abandon their New Year's resolutions, pizza shops around the U.S. will be tossing around some deals that could save customers some dough. Of course, many people don't need an excuse to eat pizza-on any given day, about 11% of Americans do so, according to a study released in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.