Russo’s New York Pizzeria

I meant to write this the other day but got a little busy so sorry about that. I have to say we had some really good pizza oh man so good. Also our appetizers were absolutely delicious and I definitely recommend the ravioli. Now I may get this wrong but I’m pretty sure our waiter was named Michael and I so hope I got that right cause it wasn’t on our ticket but he was fantastic. Very prompt with everything and let us know how everything was coming along. Oh and let me mention if you are active military or Veteran they have a fantastic discount.
So go check them out. Oh I almost forgot I ate here one other time of course the pizza was great then but that time we had room for dessert so we got several of them. They were also good. I think we almost got every dessert they had and my least favorite I want to say hmm maybe the cheesecake but it was still good no cheesecake factory good but good.

I love Russo’s! I have ALWAYS had excellent service and I love that the owners and managers are always there checking on tables to make sure their customers are happy. This is a locally owned and run restaurant. They have been providing excellent food and service to Germantown for over 9 years. They have upgraded their bar over the past few years and the bartenders I have encountered there are great. The patio is a wonderful place to hang out in summer evenings and this an excellent place to have an end of the year sports party or any large party celebration. The pizza’s are the best in town (and by that I mean all of Memphis) and their soup is amazing. The tiramisu is a must if you feel like a great dessert. This should definitely be on your «go to» list of restaurants here in Memphis.

Food is excellent! Service stinks! They really need to be more attentive and friendly. Only time anyone showed any attention to us was when we were walking out the door.

Honestly, this is usually a great place to gather and have dinner with my family. The breakfast is usually good too, and I went here for my family today. The service was atrocious. They said we had a 30 minute wait and It took an hour. Also, it took an hour and 15 minutes after ordering to get our food! Definitely not a place I will consider again.

*sigh*…why is it that most restaurants in the Memphis area which try to mimic big city spots end up being so…‘small time’.
Our waitress was very nice and seemed to be trying very hard to do a good job, but we rarely saw her due to what was apparently a short-​handed wait staff. This seemed odd as there were about 10 employees behind the counter with no apparent duties.
Half the tables were empty yet there was a 15 – 20 minute wait.
This place is trying hard, but the owner needs to pay better attention. He does not have laurels upon which he may yet rest.
They bring complimentary flatbread to the table, but it is cold, stale, and hard.
We requested olive oil in which to dip the bread. They brought it in a small plastic cup. It was tasteless and almost the consistency of water — not a very good quality.
Very long wait for our entrées.
The basil in my caprese was not fresh and had little taste.
Not sure if I’d go back again. Probably would if our party wants to go there, but certainly won’t be my choice.
Edit: Oh, and hours later… explosive diarrhea. Yay me.

Soo good! Fresh ingredients, high quality pizza! Got the prosciutto pizza, the mozzarella quality was perfect!

Great soup. Little Giant pizza. Not so fresh ingredients. Nice place.
Here is the good: the restaurant really is nice. Just a step above and a lot more classy. It is clean. My server was good. The tortellini soup was incredible. I’m so glad I ordered that. The mushrooms on the pizza were awesome. The pizza dough was good. I liked the simplicity of the lunch menu. I’m guessing there’s a different menu depending on when you go. That’s about all the good I can come up with. I’m at 2.5 stars. I’ve been trying to find a reason to round up, but I can’t.
The tortellini soup had to have been made in house. Fresh cooked spinach, grilled chicken breast, and meat tortellinis. I might return only for the soup which was that good. The only thing that I would have liked better is if it had cheese tortellinis instead of meat. I even liked it better than Vietnamese phở.
The waitress was great about refilling my tea and even offered me tea to go. The only problem is that she kept taking my cup from me to refill it. Why can’t she bring the tea to me?
The pizza just didn’t do it for me one bit. For one thing, the slices are promoted as being Giant. That’s their words, not mine. I know of a place that sells very large slices, and I measured them because I was so impressed. They are twice this size (if my geometry is right) and they don’t make up words to describe their size. So the lunch slices are not giant (in my opinion), rather they are cut from a giant pie which I estimate to be divided into 12 – 16 slices. I did just happen to have a tape measure on me and measured them just to show my disappointment. Had they been sold with no description of size, I’d have no basis to complain.
So here’s the toppings: mushrooms, fresh jalapeños, meatballs, and pepperoni. I listed mushrooms first because they were nice large slices. Don’t remember if they were described as being fresh, but they were. Next we have fresh jalapeños. The only time they were fresh was when they were sliced to be canned with vinegar, sugar, and dill. This ruined it for me. Had they been described simply as jalapeños, I’d have accepted them being pickled. Next we have pepperonis. How in the world do you put pepperonis on top of the pizza and they don’t get cooked? I’ll tell you my theory shortly. Then there are meatballs. I just looked up the definition just to be sure. They have to be rolled into small balls to be called meatballs. It just is not a meatball if you give me little bites of MEATLOAF! I wonder if they serve spaghetti with these same meatloaf bites.
I did not like this pizza at all. I’ve never been to New York City so i don’t really know exactly what New York pizza is supposed to be, but if this is it, please forgive my stupidity. How can you cook a slice in the oven and bring it to my table without it being hot, the cheese in a lava state, and the pepperonis fried like bologna? This is how I think they managed to do it. They cooked a large cheese pizza and sliced it. They top it by the order and warm it. There may be those who would argue that’s the only way to sell a slice. I would respond with a list of other pizzerias who do it right. I have pictures.
The dough was made in house and is pretty good. The sauce is scarce and didn’t complement the overall disaster. I’ve had mozzarella cheese before that was good, and cheese that was delicious. For me, this cheese just bordered above what I would consider bad. I did not care for the bread things on the table. Would have been better with oil or butter. I considered them extra freebies and didn’t let it affect my score.
The price is not bad, but is a little higher than competitors. $ 1.99 for tea isn’t bad. $ 8.95 for a slice and a choice of soup or salad wouldn’t be out of line if they’d deliver a good pizza. I’m considering the upscale appearance. Also considering that you have the choice of 4 toppings. Of course I wasn’t impressed with 3 of my toppings. I know where $ 7.00 will buy me a slice 11″ across the crust and 11″ from crust to point. It is only one topping but comes with salad and drink. Or it comes with 2 slices and drink. I’m scratching Russo’s as a place for great pizza.

I bought a Groupon to try this place out for lunch. After me and my fiancé finished lunch we were told we couldn’t use a Groupon for lunch as the prices are cheaper and considered specials. None of this was stated in the offer and the Manger still refused to accept it. Now the food. My lasagna was cold on the edges and lukewarm in the middle. Didn’t get a refill on my tea for 30 minutes. Ravioli was very good. I paid regular price and left. I won’t be going back.

Great atmosphere. Great food. Service was a bit slow for a lunch in my visit today. If you’re concerned about poorly made pizza or small portions, don’t be. The selection here is plentiful and the flavor is on point.

The pizza here is good has the authentic New York feel to it. It is not my favorite pizza in Memphis but by far the best in the area. I tried the tomato basil soup yesterday; was really good had great flavor perfect for a cold day it also came with a side of garlic bread for dipping! I have only eaten in once I usually do take out since I work nearby and I have had nothing but good experiences with the take out. These people are always nice when you call and once I get there I usually wait 2 minutes at the most to get my order I am sure that can get slower once the lunch rush kicks in around 12:30. But, super nice staff and the food is good I will defiantly keep going back for lunch… I alos hear their breakfast is good that is on my list to try.

I have been here 2 times now and both times the service was fine. The first time I came I had a calzone that I thought was pretty good and would order aging the thing is huge so you will have lunch for the next day. Today I had the pizza and I’m not a fan I felt like it was missing something or it was to soft. I also had the Tortellacci its had a really good flavor and the sauce was really good not overly creamy or to rich. I had an early dinner at 4:45 on Sunday and they gave us a basket of flat bread and oil, I did not like this bread as well as the garlic knots so if you go and wanna try the knots go after 5pm.

I really do like Russos. They have good pizza and they have really good breakfast on the weekends. The issue is they have the WORST customer service. I’ve been here many times at all different times of the day on many different days. The servers are super slow and absent minded and it takes centuries to get your food. If you’re in any type of hurry or time constraint don’t go here. You’d do better off ordering something for pick up.
The giant pizza is a great buy if you have a large party to feed at home. I’ve also had a bday get together here and they accommodated my large party. Their desserts aren’t really good. They taste pretty generic.
Russos has the potential to be really really great but they have to do something about the customer service and the time it takes to bring food out.

I’ve been to Russo’s quite a few times, but it has almost always been for pizza.
Hands down the best NY style pizza in town and probably within a few hundred miles.
I’m picky and even more so when it comes to my pie (you won’t find many four star reviews in my account).
Caveat, I always get my stuff to go.
Tonight I got a large plain cheese pie — my standard when judging a pizza joint.
Nicely done as usual. The herbs on top are key. I also ordered two sides — fresh spinach and sautéed mushrooms.
Spinach — Nailed it! Sautéed with garlic and minimal olive oil. Nice and hot even after the drive home (about 20 minutes). Perfectly cooked and not greasy or oily.
— I had this a second time and it was very different. Not as good as the first.
Sautéed ‘shrooms — A little more oil but a nice flavor. Glad I got them. They would make an excellent topping for a plate of pasta.
Russo’s is worth a try. The owner is often in the restaurant and it seems like he is a hands-​on guy. He will chat with you if he isn’t too busy.

This is a great place to eat. The pizza’s are excelllant. They have bunch on the weekend. I went on Sunday for the first time. I will say the time we ordered and got our food was a long time. The staff did appologize. I was not happy with the wait, but the food was outstanding. They said it is not normal on the weekends for food to take that long to come out. I will go back and give it another try. We all have off days.

It’s fine. Service is touch-​and-​go, ambiance is dressy family-​friendly. I’ve never gone here and thought, «MAN I can’t wait to come back!»
Who does that with restaurants known for being family-​friendly? They have a huge carry-​out pizza which is kind of their novelty item. My kids recently had strawberry cake, and it tasted very artificial, almost like a strawberry cereal, or crunchberries.
They do offer a gluten-​free pizza, on the same frozen crust everyone else in town uses, and it’s pretty good fresh from the oven.

I certainly can’t understand how anybody says 5 stars… unless they are friends and family
Returned after two poor experiences in the past and Russo’s continues to be… eh. Service is hit or miss depending upon your expectations; Think «Denny’s»
What annoys me is the food is just so so. To start the Caesar dressing doesn’t taste like Caesar, Greek is more balsamic vinegar than real Greek. The pizzas are beautiful but miss something in flavor. Never a ‘wow…that’s really good’. It’s a safe place to go — but make sure you have good company at the table to give your evening some flavor.

Deeply disappointed. I saw the high rating of this restaurant and drove our east to for bland food (at best). The atmosphere is fine, and that night the patio area had amazing music. I would have loved to have been out there, but there was a 30 min wait. Totally understandable. It was a bit hard to find, off the road and in a strip-​mall type setting. «Russo’s» isn’t featured on the sign visible from the road, and is super small on their actual sign. Look for «New York Pizzeria» if trying to find it.
The inside is good for families — big tables and a TV with pictures of New York on the walls. It was *quite* loud and hard to hear across the table. The menu is hilarious. It’s a book (!) which tells the story of the chef/owner’s culinary odyssey and is pages long. We got caesar salads and a pizza to share. We waited about an hour from the time we entered until the pizza was there. They give you yeast rolls with the powder parmesan to fill up on while you wait. Also, only wine and beer — there is not a full bar.
The pizza was an okay size for $ 21 but the quality was subpar. We ordered the chicken pesto and I am 99% sure they just plain forgot the pesto… we searched and searched, prodding the crust and peeling away the cheese, but nothing — no red sauce and certainly no pesto. I would have mentioned it to the waiter, but the poor guy had way too many tables. He was a champ, but we didn’t see him much. We looked for him to ask him for something to dip it in to give it some flavor, but by the time we flagged him down and he got back the food was rather cold.
It felt like an Italian, more expensive, version of Perkin’s. Big menu, spacious dining area, nice patio, bland food, and stressed service.

Went their today and this place has great service, and delicious calzones. The five stars is for the calzones and service, I didn’t try anything else so my review is based on only that

I am so happy to be able to update my review to a better rating.
We’ve been going to Russo’s since they opened, and the food has always been very good and consistent. I wish I could say the same about the service though, over the years it’s been very uneven. We even stopped going a couple of times after repeated bad experiences with the wait staff. Apparently we weren’t the only one and there was some sort of dust up on a Facebook group and the owner personally pledged to do better.
We’ve been several times since and noticed a complete change in the front of house staff. The wait staff knows the menus, is attentive, gets the orders right, and generally is offering top notch service. The excellent food has continued as well. That makes this place pretty much perfect in my book!
If you want pizza for the kids, or american-​italian for the adults this is a great choice. I can call out the Tomato Basil soup, the Meatball Pizzoto, and the Gnocchi as some of my favorites, but it’s all good. You can order for pick up, and they cater as well. Their 28″ «XL» pizza is a good choice for a party or a large group.
If you’ve been avoiding Russo’s due to the service, give it another try. I think they have really made a difference.

I got the 28″ pizza to go. I got it because I wanted a gigantic pizza which they definitely delivered! I got half pepperoni half supreme. Pepperoni was not that great. I wouldn’t get it again. The supreme was good. It’s a very thin pizza.
I live downtown, would I drive here for their pizza? Hell no.
Would I drive there again if I wanted a gigantic pizza? Absolutely!