Hi Friends!

Our tastebuds are exploding after a visit to one of Brooklyn’s finest pizza establishments, Lucali’s.  Located in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighborhood, Lucali’s is on the top of  everyone’s pizza places to try.  Getting a table is not for the faint of heart.  There is waiting and standing, and then more waiting.

BUT.

My friends, I tell you the truth, once you taste that slice of heaven, the wait will be worth it.

A little about our experience…

We went on a Sunday, arrived on location about 3:30 pm, found street parking (for free- Yippee) and found our way to the line.  There were about 6 groups ahead of us at this point. Mind you, reservations are made in person around 5:00 pm (4:45 ish).  We stood in line, then it was finally our turn to place our name on the list. We were able to get a slot for 6:30pm. The end was in sight!  

While we waited for our reservation, we walked around the neighborhood and enjoyed the Christmas decorations. Since Lucali’s is BYOB, we stopped by Henry Street Wines & Liquors for a nice bottle of vino to enjoy with our dinner. We heard that its common for people to hang out at Bar Bruno while they wait for their table. In the neighborhood, we also found a nice bakery (Mazzolla’s Bakery) and bought lard bread to take home with us- the smell was so delicious, it was really (I mean really) hard not to eat it as an appetizer.

After a nice stroll, it was finally our turn to eat!!!

And eat we did.

We ordered a cheese pizza, a garlic & cheese calzone and another pizza to go, I mean it was only right that our pooch got to try a little crust at home! Let’s take some time to appreciate that crust. The end was perfectly crunchy. OH MY!

I am told that the cheese is a blend of 3 different types. Parmigiano Reggiano, low moisture mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella. I couldn’t get enough of that flavor.

The sauce was more on the acidic side for me. My hubby loves it like that, I’m more of a salty sauce girl & completely dislike a sweet sauce. Although, I have to say that on the pizza, the sauce was perfect, it was not too acidic for me at all and it did not overpower.  I only tasted it when it came on the side of our calzone.

I really appreciate the fact that the fresh basil was added after the pizza came out of the oven. They were certainly not shy about basil and used a healthy amount. Anyone else LOVE fresh basil?!

The garlic calzone was equally as good. I’m not a huge fan of garlic and felt that it was not overpowering the flavor.

Our overall experience was great.  We even met Mark Iacono, (the owner), he came by to say hello. Getting both the pizza and the calzone was definitely a good call.  We are looking forward to making our way back to Lucali’s soon!

If you plan on heading to Lucali’s, below are a few tips.

• Be sure to have cash on you- its a cash only establishment.
• Get in line early.
• Prepare to stand in line. In the winter bundle up & wear comfy shoes.
• If you plan to BYOB, hit up your local liquor store. The one in the neighborhood is a little pricey.
• Enjoy the neighborhood!
• Order both the pizza and a calzone!

Cheers & thanks for reading!

Be sure to follow @lacatanese on Instagram.