In March 2021, I wrote how famed Naples pizzeria L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele would be opening a location in New York City.

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele has expanded quite a bit and has locations in various countries including a couple of US locations in California.

While we haven’t tried da Michele at its original location, we did give the restaurant a try in Barcelona in 2019 and it didn’t disappoint!

The restaurant is known for being the pizzeria in Eat, Pray, Love. Eater mentions that “in Italy, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele is a tiny shop that only sells two pizzas — marinara or margherita.”

The restaurant finally opened a couple of days back (on December 27). We decided to go early on opening day, being one of the first groups to dine at the new restaurant.

The restaurant is pretty massive and beautiful! When you walk in, you’ll notice a long, sleek bar and some tables. At the back of the room, there’s a counter where non-pizza items are prepared.The next room features the pizza oven and ample seating. Head Pizzaiolo Michele Rubini was making the pies on opening day. He also delivered the first pie we ordered to our table. We were told a lower level taverna space will be opening in the near future.

The Food: We ordered two pies and an appetizer. Here are our thoughts about the food.

Pizza #1: Margherita: Tomato, Fiore di Latte, Pecorino, BasilNeapolitan pizza is a wetter pie. This version at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele was bigger than the average Neapolitan pie. No, we’re not complaining! The pie was cut into eight slices. The crust was very flavorful and the cheese was very tasty but what stood out most was the outstanding sauce! Overall, this was a delicious, awesome pie!

After chatting with Chef Michele, we learned that the tomatoes were imported from Puglia. (I’d love some of these tomatoes to make a home pie with!)Appetizer: Montanarine– Deep Fried Pizza Dough Topped With Marinara Sauce, Parmigiana, Fiore Di Latte & BasilI expected to see a Montanara pie on the menu but it wasn’t offered. For those unfamiliar, a Montanara is a fried pizza. We had one at L’Antica Da Michele in Barcelona.

A Montanarine appetizer was offered so we gave it a try. These were basically mini pizzas a little bigger than a cracker topped with delicious sauce and cheese. The dough was a bit crispy yet still airy.

We all enjoyed this bite while deciding which pie to order next.

Pizza #2: Bianca– Double Fior Di Latte, Pecorino, BasilI loved the saucy Margherita so I was more interested in another red pie. Kim suggested the Bianca, a white sauceless pie. It sounded great and I’m really glad we ordered it!

This pie was very cheesy without feeling heavy. When I bit in, I couldn’t believe the incredible salty and buttery flavor and texture. Also, the crust may have been even better on this pie than on the first one.

The Bianca was also a home run!

Final Thoughts:

L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele is a welcome addition to the NYC pizza scene. The space is beautiful and you might feel like you took a quick trip to Italy while eating there.

As for the food, it definitely didn’t disappoint. Big, flavorful, wet pies which are still foldable are the highlight of the menu with more items being added soon.

Just don’t visit expecting NY style pizza. I’m a fan of Neapolitan pizza and these were just awesome!

L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele is located at 81 Greenwich Avenue in New York’s West Village.

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