BITE OF THE MOMENT: Denino's Greenwich Village

[All photos by Conor Rose]

At the heart of the never-ending citywide pizza wars, Denino's shows an old-school joint can master the tricky territory of keeping up with the times without sacrificing flavor and technique. The Staten Island staple has been around since 1951 and has practically achieved landmark status in its neighborhood, and has recently hopped over the river to Manhattan. Though it's been around for a while, the pizzeria understands its new crowd - the Manhattan locale is positioned just south of Washington Square Park on Macdougal Street, an area crawling with hungry tourists and students of varying dietary restrictions and preferences, those of which Denino's is able to cater to with its simple, timeless menu.

If for some wild reason you're at Denino's and you're pizza averse, there's other small plates, salads, and pasta (gluten-free too!) available - but if you come here, you're probably here for the pizza. Following a plump and creamy burrata with proscuitto, and paired with glasses of sangria and Montepulciano, we decided to order a gluten-free pie and regular pie, going halvsies on the toppings, opting for a gluten-free half clam, half 1951 Original, and a regular half calm, half Garbage.

The clam pie is a must, rated highly by both Eater and regular food loving people, and living up to the hype with briny, garlicky clams, minced and sprinkled generously throughout the pie, further topped with olive oil, parsley, and a hefty, stretchy blanket of melted cheese. Those wanting to stick to a classic can't go wrong with the 1951 Original's tomato sauce and mozzarella (made fresh in-house!), and meat lovers will be satisfied with the Garbage pizza, dotted with sausage, meatballs, pepperoni, mushrooms, and onion. Pies come in 16" (14" for those sans gluten) so sharing is ideal, but we won't judge if you down a whole pie to yourself.

As a gluten-free side note: in a world full of gummy or crumbly gluten-free crusts, this one (from an outside vendor) held up throughout the meal, staying both crispy and soft, holding its weight under toppings - and even going strong for breakfast pizza leftovers.

No need to travel to Staten Island to try the original when it's right here in Manhattan - in the endless sea of pizzerias to choose from, we say head to Denino's.