Totale Pizza

There’s no need for us to get into the discussion, “Is Pizza America’s national food or not.” We are sure to gather overwhelming votes that will amount to a resounding “Yes.” And, when it comes to great pizzas New York does prove to be a strong contender by offering some jewels of its own that can bribe the devil into being a good boy.

If you’ve been tucking into your daily dose of pizza without fail, you would know that the old fashioned slice stands in poor grace as compared to the Neapolitan pizza, also known as “artisanal pies.” Here too, the Pizza eating populous is divided into fractions, those that swear by the traditional slice and those that have been seduced by the artisanal pies. This article will be of little use to the former, but to the latter, it’s worth its weight in gold.

If you’ve been mourning the sad “demise” of the stellar Pizza Una Pizza Napoletana, you can shed the funeral attire, don your brightest clothes, and bring your biggest appetite to Totale Pizza that’s recently opened up in the East Village.

Una Pizza Napoletana alumnus, Gregory Ryzhkov, has opened up a wood-burning oven Pizza on St. Mark’s Place in collaboration with Eli Halali. You might know him as the co-owner of 2 Bros. – the dollar pizza joint right down the street. While Eli is pretty insistent on calling it a place that offers artisanal pies, pizzaiolo Gregory Ryzhkov is less hesitant about using the Neapolitan moniker.

Do not expect Totale to be a swanky place, just because it has two big wigs associated with it. It is a tiny joint that has place enough for 34 seats and if you find the place full, carry your pizza to the nearby Tompkins Square Park and gorge on it there.

The menu is startlingly short, with only six pizzas, including margherita and marinara. But oh, what pizzas! To begin with, the dough used to make them is no ordinary dough. It is bubbled dough made with Caputo flour from Naples. One bite and you are sure to know the difference and lament on what you’ve been missing out on for so long.

Ryzhkov’s Margherita DOC is topped with buffalo mozzarella from Campagna, sweet crushed San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil and olive oil. His Prosciuotto e Rucola stands to become an all time classic with a shower of baby arugula and a few ribbons of Parma prosciutto. And there’s also the namesake artisanal pie “Totale” with red onions, pecorino Romano, roasted pine nuts, and rosemary.

Drooling already? Hightail it to East Village and get here before the long queues start forming. Starting at just $7 apiece, these could be Manhattan’s most gently priced pizzas.

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