Top Pizza in Capital Region?

Question

I have been eating my way through the Capital Region. Discovered Chinese and sushi and am now on a quest for good, chow-ish pizza. Greek food and bagels are not something I'd look for in the Capital Region. Pizza might be challenging too. Based on my preliminary research these are some of the pizza places I've identified (in no particular order):

*DeFazio's (Troy)
*Marisa's Place (Guilderland)
*I Love NY Pizza (various locations)
*? (Guilderland Avenue, Rotterdam)
*Highbridge Pizza (Rotterdam)
*Villa Valenti (Troy)
*Sovrano's (Albany)
*Marino's Pizza (Saratoga Springs)
*Smith's Tavern (Voorheesville)
*Fresco's (New Lebanon)
*Fireside (Schenectady)
*Homestyle Pizza (Schenectady)
*Capo De Pizza (Schenectady)
*Our Original Pizza (Schenectady)
*Pizza King (Schenectady)
*Marino's Flying Pizza (Schenectady?)
*Paesan's (?)


Please help me save time and money by selecting the top 3 to try. Let me know if I've missed any places. Thanks in advance. I'll report back on my experiences.

Answer

Depends what you are looking for. NY Style? Slices? Pies? Toppings? Will you be eating in or taking away?

Regardless, I'd rule out Homestyle, Smith's, and Sovrano's off the bat. 

I would add Pasquale's on New Scotland Ave in Albany.
If you are looking for a NY Style slice shop, I'd also consider the hole in the wall that is DC on Western Ave across from SUNY.
The DeFazio's pies for eat-in are very good, if not in the NY stlye.

Best of luck.

Answer

Try Pizza King. They have wide variety of toppings and they warm it up right in the oven. Also if they have it, try the veggie pizza it is amazing a huge slice loaded with fresh vegetables.

Answer

If you are around Saratoga I would recommend Harvest & Hearth The pizza is wood fired with top notch ingredients such as nitrate free sausage. I have eaten here 3 times and enjoyed it each time. ( I would go more often but it is expensive for pizza). The pizza is also good at the Village Pizzeria in East Galway, on Rte 29 west of Saratoga. Both places have web sites with menus. From your list I have had pizza from the Fireside in Schenectadty and Smith's Tavern in Voorheesville and would rate the places I mentioned above as definitely worthy of being included on your list.

Answer

Testo's in Troy.

Answer

More Saratoga Springs pizza recs to try besides Marino's:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/461940

Answer

You must try Kay's on Burden Lake, it is the best!!

Answer

Since Fresco's made the list (they just opened in Pittsfield as well) I'll add a couple of Columbia County slices - LaGonia's in Philmont - great garlicy sauce and JoJo's in Ancram - incredibly crispy crust.

I also have fond memories of a place in Clifton Park - Venzia's maybe? - huge calzones

Answer

i personally love Marino's in saratoga and Kay's in burden lake (thicker "homestyle" pizza if that is such a thing)

but Bacchus opened up in troy and it's very tasty thin crust wood fired pizza in a cool rathskeller....

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bacchus-troy

Answer

I went to college in Albany and our favorite place back then was Paesan's. The other popular place was Sovrano's however it tasted much better after a night of drinking then it did during daylight hours. Sorvano's has a very dough crust which was great for absorbing the damage of a night out. However in both cases it's been 10 years since I've had either so not sure if things have changed.

Answer

Not mentioned yet but very good also - Bellini's in Slingerlands Price Chopper plaza. Really like their woodfired oven pizza. 
Best in Albany? Well - pizza is one of those things that people seem to have strong feelings about. Not sure there will ever be agreement but everyone has their favorite pie or pies.

Answer

We like Little Anthony's on Central in Albany/Colonie.

Answer

? (Guilderland Avenue, Rotterdam) is 4 Corners Pizza. Grandma slice, good flavor.

Answer

Today I tried a sicilian slice at Big Guy's (in the shopping center/strip mall off Rosa Road not far from Cella Bistro). I discovered Big Guys thanks to a post somewhere in the long "TOP NY Capital Region . . ." thread. Very good and only $2.

Answer

Dear god get marino's off that list.

Replace with Pope's and you're on the right track.

Answer

Tell me again why Village Pizzeria (E. Galway) isn't on this list?

-----
Village Pizzeria
2727 Route 29, Middle Grove, NY 12850

Answer

Paesans was my favorite when I lived in Albany. There veggie pizza was awesome, so was the plain cheese. I think the Ontario location has the best pie, but I would avoid eating in on a Friday or Saturday night, it is a favorite spot with the student crowd.

Pasquales is just not my thing. A former coworker raved about it, but I just didn't like the sauce. 

Pizza DaVinci in Troy is worth the trip on 15th and Hoosick. I love there sauce and variety. Their eggplant parm pizza is a favorite at my house and beyond, despite its unconventionality. I actually like their pizza much more than the newish wood-fired place in downtown Troy under Daisy Bakers.

Answer

Has anyone tried JG Roman Villa in Rotterdam? Great sicilan style pizza. No slices though, you have to order a whole pie.

-----
Roman Villa Restaurant
273 Duanesburg Rd, Schenectady, NY 12306

Answer

new yorker pizzeria opened last year in the hannaford plaza on wolf road. it's on the side facing sand creek road. he's an ex-long islander and is about the closest i've had to being back there. my wife is very picky on her pizza and she hasn't found any place she likes as much as where we used to live on long island.

Answer

General opinion of my Guilderland/Schenectady/Glenville friends is Smitty's (aka Smith's Tavern in Voorheesville). Hope you got there! Also why are all these people eating slices??? It is NOT the upstate NY way...maybe in the city, but not here. You gotta order a pie.

-----
Smith's Tavern
112 Maple Ave, Voorheesville, NY 12186

Answer

In a hurry and grabbed a quick slice at Double D's in Malta . . .might need to switch my pizza delivery place now . . . still so many places to try including Smith's, Paesan's and Troy. Also spoiled because I had Carmine's (followed by pastry at Fortunato's) in Brooklyn last week.

Answer

I hope you get a chance to try Defazio's!! Fantastic pizza!! They also have the option of a whole wheat crust! yummy!! and be sure to try their homemade pasta! There is also their shop next door, you can pick up their pasta and sauce.

Answer

More Perreca's in Schenectady Little Italy is now serving pizza. I had the eggplant. Thin crust. Crispy. They also had a cheese pie and an anchovy pie.

Answer

The fig, carmelized onion and arugula pizza at Creo' (Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany). Thin crust, very fresh and delicious.

Answer

Tried a few slices at Caputo's today. They've been open in CP for a few months. Thin crust was pretty good. I had a plain cheese slice (not fresh mozzarella) and a slice with artichokes, fresh mushrooms, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. The cheese slice was bland. The artichoke slice was really good. Didn't miss the Inferno Pizza cafeteria atmosphere. 

The Gazette gave Caputo's a lot of love:

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2010/sep/19/0919_29under/

Answer

Smith's Tavern pizza is a 2 out of 10

Answer

Has anyone tried the pizza at Antipasto's Vegetarian Bistro & Wine Bar?

http://www.antipastos.com/

Answer

Favorites so far (in no special order):

Our Original Pizza (Schenectady)
Perreca's & Civitello's - squares with grated cheese (Schenectady)
More Perreca's - brick oven, thin crust (Schenectady)
Creo' - brick oven, thin crust with fig, carmelized onions, arugula (Albany)
Harvest & Hearth - brick oven, thin crust, artisanal/organic with fresh mozzarella, etc. (Saratoga)
Villa Pizzeria (Galway) - brick oven, thin crust, margherita (Galway)

Answer

For slices or takeout I'd second the recommendation of DC's, on Western Ave near SUNY.
Great crust, a perfectly spiced homemade sauce, and plenty of cheese where some places tend to skimp nowadays. The cheese flavor is wonderful and buttery, I believe because it's shredded fresh every day. Definitely not an eat-in kind of place. But they make some really good hot sandwiches too; a good egglant parm and chicken parm that just have to be homemade, and a great Philly cheesesteak made with real ribeye- I asked...

Answer

Got to add Sapienza to that list. Excellent pizza with really good crust

Answer

the other day we tried parma italia on the corner of rt.9 and grroms rd in clifton park/half moon. it was quite good and we will be going back. i think it's only been there a couple of years. aside from the tasty pizza, i had a shrimp entree consisting of lightly battered shrimp sauteed with broccoli, mushrooms and onions with melted mozzarella and a marinara cream sauce. they were very nice and accommodating. as it's only a few miles away, they will even deliver to us. i couldn't ask for more.

Answer

Just tried the pizza at Panza's. Thin crust.

Answer

Tried pizza at two Clifton Park eateries:

*Parma Italia (near Green Grocer in strip mall on Route 9)
*Ferretti's (9 and Usher's Rd.) - no delivery

Eggplant slice at Parma was very good. Went back another day for a mushroom slice (fresh mushrooms). Thin crust.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/parma-italia-pizza-restaurant-clifton-park


At Ferretti's got a plain slice. Thin crust. Good flavor. Liked crust too. Might need to go back and try a pie.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ferrettis-clifton-park

Answer

Thin crust, brick oven . . .Capriccio Saratoga and Cafe Capriccio (Albany)!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/795633

Answer

Well for me growing up and still in the Capitol Region the following have always topped my list.

Vintage Pizza (Latham) - They're actually a greek family. I love the mix of cheese they use. 
Purple Pub (Maplewood) - Saw it noted a few times already. Great place for a pizza and a brew.
Spinner's Pizza (Albany) - I love the garlic blend of their crusts. 

At the moment my current normal place is Peasan's. They have decent pizza (not great), but their garlic knots are pretty good and I just haven't had a chance to look around for others that deliver to my current house (East Greenbush)

I'm actually amazed that there have always been the chain stores around here, with so many options to get a decent pizza I always wondered how they stay in business.

-----
Vintage Pizza
654 Watervliet Shaker Rd, Latham, NY 12110

Purple Pub
2 Cohoes Rd, Watervliet, NY 12189

Answer

Ya know living in albany has a few good points ,cheap housing and easy commutes ,no traffic but as far as food goes it sucks . And I dont mean to be insulting but it is what it is and there isnt any pizza up here . I mean Ive eaten at all these places and they all suck . It baffels me why only two hrs from the city and its so bad . I wont even eat it here any more . Food in general is bad here . Its always been and always will be cow town food . Its laughable 
If you dont have a coal oven you cant have pizza

Answer

Finally tried Clifton Park Pizza on Route 9. A non-descript place with a few benches inside. Pizza was pretty good! I had a broccoli slice. Better than Jimmy's (Malta) but not as good as Our Original Pizza on Crane Street (Schenectady). Also had a regular slice. Crust was good. My red slice was a little soggy. Flavor was good.

Answer

Tried the new pizza place, Giavano's. Ordered a fresh pie. They use fresh (not canned) mushrooms. Very good crust. Perfect for those who like their crust thinner.

http://www.giavanos.com/#!map/c1fj9

In the B. Lake, B. Spa, Clifton Park, Malta area I think my current favorites are:

Clifton Park Pizza (no seating except for a bench and no delivery)

Giavano's

Parma 
Pasta Pane

I have tried:

Brooke's
Caputo
Inferno
Jimmy's
New York Pizza
Panza's
Pizza Works
Publik House
SaraBella (formerly DD)

Looking forward to pizza at Villago when they open.

Answer

when I was in school (lived in the downtown dorms), we found lou-bea's was closest to nyc thin crust, oily (in a good way) pizza. There are recent reviews on yelp, so it's still alive and kicking. 

we would also occasionally head to fountain pizza where they rubbed the pizza pan with garlic which made for a flavorful crust. 

I'm sure there's better pizza but through the lense of a student, these were our best bets.

Answer

#1 DeFazios 
I havent come across any in the area that id even rank other than them.
i just cant understand why the albany area has to be so pizza challenged . I used to think it was the water but Im leaning more towards the coal ovens they use in the city that makes such a difference because they cook so hot and fast that they let a thin crust bake but its not dry . Ive eaten Marinos before and they work the dough to much its like eating flat cardboard .Coal not wood gives a distinctive flavor and crust . Frank pepes in New Haven is prob the best I have had .they also make a clam pie that is just the most delicious thing I have ever ate . The good news is their pizza freezes great so i go there and get 5 to go take them home and freeze the pieces separately . Pop them in the oven or on the gas grill and I'm eatin a pizza that almost as good the minute it comes out of their oven

Answer

Per Metroland's Readers Poll, Top Pizza (2014):

1. DeFazio's
2. I Love Pizza
3. The Fountain

http://metroland.net/2014/04/10/readers-poll-food-drink-3/

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