I can count the number of times I’ve been to (on?) Staten Island on one hand. In fact, if I had lost 3 fingers I’d still be able to count the number of times I’ve been there on that same hand. Alas, if this review is indicative of anything, it should convey the simple divineness that is Pizzeria Giove.

If you live anywhere close to Staten Island I implore you to visit this charming, warm, family-owned pizzeria in the middle of this borough. The issue, however, if you don’t live close is that getting there isn’t exactly a walk in the park. In fact, it’s quite literally a hop (onto the ferry), skip (over the river) and jump (sit for 30 mins in an Uber) to get here.

Pro tip: go with at least 4 people so the cost of the Uber can be split. Once you hop off the ferry this will be your quickest and easiest route – who knows when to trust public transit in a NYC outer-borough amirite?

Once you’ve arrived (congratulations by the way, that was no easy feat – thank god you have pizza as your consolation prize), in – I’m not joking here – New Dorp, New York (just like the song, yes), you can relax and prepare yourself mentally for some damn awesome pizza.

You simply must order the Variopinta pie. Composed of fresh mozzarella, crispy salty pancetta, thinly sliced zucchini and infused with a garlic and herb infused butter this pizza is a literal masterpiece. If you’re thinking ‘not a big fan of white pizza’s, think I’ll pass’ I’m warning you that to do that would be a disservice. Order this. It’s won awards galore (pizza awards are a definite and legit thing thank you v much) and, thank me later. 

Other pizzas were also top quality, albeit not as special. The crust is thin and tasty, but not too crispy. There are plenty of vegetarian pizza options and the staff is flexible with half-pie orders. There might be a wait at prime-time hours, but in my limited experience we had the restaurant nearly to ourselves on a Saturday at 1pm.

Feel free to order the house salad as an app to offset the potential guilt of ordering a meal of cheese and dough, but let’s be honest, when has salad at a pizza restaurant ever been a good idea?

Given all the pizza options I have in Manhattan the fact that I’m itching to come back here is a testament to the supreme taste of this incredible white pie. 

4.2/5