Prova

My in-​laws were visiting and wanted thin NYC pizza so we decided to try out Prova.
Atmosphere– modern yet cozy in more residential part of Chelsea but close to subways.
Food– We ordered one salad and 3 pizzas between 4 of us: margherita, the eggplant and the capricciosa (artichoke, olives, mushrooms). Soooo good! We finished them up and also shared two desserts-​I highly recommend the flourless chocolate almond cake. I would say if you come hungry the pizzas are thin and a bit larger than personal size so you can have 1pizza/​person.
Next day on their quest for great pizza they tried Luzzo and reported back that they preferred Prova.
Definitely will be coming here again!
Giving 4 stars bc staff was a little abrupt at times.

I was disappointed with quality and service and hope it was an off night. I am writing this review because I would like to give the restaurant an opportunity to correct the problem.
Our waiter did not respect our request for sun-​dried tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes on the DOM pizza. My friend has a texture issue with tomatoes so she had to remove them. I would have sent it back so that you knew there was a problem but she was uncomfortable with that. In addition the pizza was soggy in the center. Also our waiter was chatting with the young ladies next door to us as for an extended period and we had to «interrupt» him to take our credit cards.
I expect more from a restaurant with four stars. In fact I think I’m being generous giving three. I will try you again and hopefully will be able to revise this review.

Been to the best pizzerias in Naples and this is the best true Italian pizza I have had in the States (yes, better than Don Antonio NYC). Service was excellent and friendly, pizza/​coffee was delicious and fresh, making me feel like I was back in Italy.
People calling the pizza poor quality or «soggy» clearly have never tried true Neapolitan pizza. Best around by FAR.

Went with a group of 6. I guess it was decently priced because we paid $ 45 per person after all the food, two bottles of wine, tip, and tax.
The prova pizza was the best out of what we had. The sausage pizza and the egg pizzas were not as good and they got soggy really fast. The crust and bottom of the pizza was a bit too charred for my taste.
The gnocchi was overcooked and bland. The linguine was also underseasoned but at least it wasn’t mushy pasta. But I don’t like eating pasta that isn’t fresh made at restaurants, and these pastas did not taste fresh made.
The meatballs were ok. Very standard. A little too much breading though. I actually liked the complimentary bread a lot more than any of the dishes we actually ordered. The bread had a nice crust on the outside and a good chewy inside.
The server was ok, not the most attentive, but he tried. The bussers were brisk and you can tell they were trying to hurry — a pet peeve of mine. The hostess was super sweet though and very friendly.
Overall, a lot of misses. I wouldn’t come back.

Had to take a star away, unfortunately. I really loved the happy hour cocktail special at this place. I brought a friend here the other day and I am sad to say that that has been removed. Cocktails are now $ 13-​$ 15 aka the price at a cocktail bar so a bit absurd if you ask me.
Still do like the place and the wine so I’ll be back, but getting rid of the cocktail special was a big turn off for me.

This is a nice date or group dinner spot, and the food tasted pretty good. We had a fun time, but neither the food nor the overall experience really matched the price, so Prova gets 3.5 stars from me.
Four of us ordered the baked eggplant and fried calamari to start. We also asked the waiter for some wine recommendations (a dry white), but I noticed that his three recommendations didn’t make sense (chardonnay?) and also happened to be the same (high) price point (even though the wine list covered a wide range). So we disregarded them and ordered a bottle of prosecco instead. It was good. The calamari had a nice, crispy texture, but didn’t really taste like anything. The eggplant was great, definitely get that.
Then we ordered pizza. My favorite was the prova (zucchini, speck, burrata) — the burrata was creamy and thick, and I was worried that the speck would be too salty, but it was perfect. The uni-​ca (uni, squid ink, lemon) was worth a try — not what I was expecting at all, but pretty tasty with the squid ink. The other two — margherita, capricciosa (prosciutto, artichoke, mushroom, olive) — were fine, but nothing special. Everyone thought the crust was good — thin, light and chewy.
If you’re looking for a neighborhood date spot or group dinner, this might be your place — it didn’t really fill up until around 8ish.

Pizza gem in the heart of Chelsea! If you live in the area or stroll by you will see lots of dollar pizza joints to choose from. Prova is far from this! It’s a dark lite, trendy, wood oven Italian spot.
The menu has a variety of items, but you come here for the pizza! Each pizza comes with 6 slices. You can share or eat it by yourself. The pizza combinations are Classic Italian with a little twist. My favorite is the margarita. The pizza uni looked delicious through.
This spot is great for date night or even for drinks. They have a huge bar and seating area.
Service is great. Super attentive servers and food comes out quickly. My recommendation is to get a pizza for yourself because it’s that good.

IN SHORT: High-​quality Neapolitan pizza with a distinctive New York vibe.
THE STORY: I once had a friend who claimed she had regular cravings for «artisan pizza.» I think this terminology was meant to distinguish pizza with bubbly pockets of air drizzled with truffle oil from drunk Artichoke Pizza or late night Dominos, but it always struck me as peculiar. Did she want thin crust pizza with gourmet, high-​end toppings like burrata and white truffles? Or would she be okay with a simple margherita pizza as long as the ingredients came straight from the hand of an Italian farmer? Or was she really after a certain atmosphere that had nothing to do with the artisinal production of food, but rather just felt a lot nicer than Famous Original Ray’s? I literally never knew.
Regardless, she would have loved Prova, where she could have gotten all of that and more. At Donatella Arpaia’s newest restaurant in Chelsea, classic Neapolitan-​style pizzas like the Margherita with San Marzano peeled tomatoes and creamy mozzarella share the menu with more out-​of-​the-​box offerings like the Uni-​ca pizza with pecorino romano, sea urchin, squid’s ink, mint, and lemon zest.
Charcuterie, cheeses, salads, and a few sweets provide nibbles before and after the pizzas, whose thin, charcoal dusted bottoms and soft, doughy crusts are truly excellent marriages of New York-​style flavor profiles and Naples-​style techniques and traditions. The eponymous Prova pizza features a zucchini purée that resembles a pesto, supple slices of speck, imported burrata cheese for extra creaminess, parmigiano reggiano, and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for a completely luxurious slice.
The Capricciosa pizza is also a delicious union of high-​quality ingredients like san marzano tomatoes, proscuitto cotto, artichokes, mushrooms, gaeta olives, and mozzarella. The pizza is rich, warm, and perfectly blistered from the scorching wood-​burning pizza in the back of the cozy, but vibrant space.
Like Marta, Motorino, and Co., some of my other favorite contemporary pizza joints in the city, Prova’s service is swift yet charming, diligently working the warm and rustic space in order to provide handcrafted, exceptional pizzas that will satisfy that «artisinal» craving we all apparently have in this fine city.
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Came here with my husband on Friday and we were very pleased! We just came back from Naples/​Amalfi Coast 3 weeks ago and were missing the amazing food there. We ordered the Magherita Pizza, arugula salad, calamari, and meatballs. All were excellent!
The pizza dough, size, were totally on point. It was just like the way they make it in Southern Italy. The ingredients were fresh, but obviously it doesn’t taste exactly like the ingredients in Italy bc our local produce are grown in different soil and climates. But, they do have one pizza pie on the menu that has tomatoes from Mt. Vesuvius. We did not try that pie but next time, we will– be tomatoes from that region is soooo deliciously sweet! Being just back from Italy, we had high expectations and we left very very happy! I would give their pizza 8.5 out of 10 for authenticity to Naples, taste and presentation!
Arugula salad: simple, fresh, excellent. Just the way they make it in Italy. No frills, just a little olive oil, salt and pepper. 9 out of 10.
Calamari: fresh and home made batter. you can tell its not the frozen ones in the bag that they re-​fry when you order. The batter is light and crispy, if you peel it off, you will see the actual squid. their accompanying marina sauce has a spicy tang to it, its great! 9.5 out of 10.
Meatballs: 10 out of 10. My husband (who is Italian) loved it and its rare for an Italian to love anyone else’s meatballs because they ALWAYS prefer their mother’s! LOL! If you visit, please do try it!

As a Brooklyn native, I’m usually picky when it comes to pizza. Really glad I decided to give this place a chance!
My boyfriend and I had the Prova Pizza — zucchini purée, speck, imported burrata cheese, parmeggiano reggiano & EVOO (idk what that is…) The 6 slices were Italian style, very thin with a fluffy crust. I was a little skeptical when I read that it had a zucchini purée, but I actually really enjoyed it. The purée acts as the sauce — what a great twist to traditional pizza!
To round our meal out, we also had some bread with olive oil and drinks. The bread was warm and soft with a crunch to the crust. My boyfriend had a beer, and I tried the red (not sure if they have white) sangria. I wasn’t as fruity and sweet as I’d like, but it went well with the pizza.
For dessert, we decided to try the baba al rum, a traditional Italian dessert. We were pretty full from the pizza and drinks, so this was a perfect dessert. The cream in the middle was nice and fluffy, and not overly sweet. The cakey part was also very airy and delicate. The inner part had a great texture to it.
Service was A+ (probably helped that we came in around 2:15 and they close at 3 before opening again at 5:30). Nevertheless, our server was attentive and knowledgable about the menu.
I also love the décor — very open in the front, which is perfect for summer days like this. As you go towards the back, it gets a little darker and more intimate. I would imagine it’d make a great spot for a date night. I also love the wine bottles they use as accents on the wall.

If I wanted average pizza I wouldn’t have trekked all the way to the west side.
We went with the sausage & broccoli rabe as well as classic margherita pizza. The sausage was very bland, probably since it was a white pizza.
Admittedly, their eggparm appetizer was out of the world. bumped this up from 2 stars to 3. I would go back and order 2 of these and a call it a night.
If you find yourself nearby, stop in. I wouldn’t add it to a «must try» list though.

Not nearly worth all the praise …
Pizza is one of those things that can be so amazing it makes you forget it’s full of calories. The pies and Prova didn’t give me the warm and fuzzies but I would return to try other options.
Arrived here to an almost empty place around 10:15 last Saturday night. Atmosphere 4 stars this place was filled with couples, candlelight and cute décor.
We waited 20 min for someone to come over to take our drink order and answer a quick question about Italian wines (by the bottle) when we finally ordered bevs it took another 10 min for someone to come over and take our food order. We opted for two pies to share between the two of us the Dop and one with artichokes, mushrooms.
Luckily the Naples style pies cook quick as we were heavy into the bottle of wine when the arrived. Flavor wise everything was spot on I did feel the addition of more salt may have been the way to go for the kitchen.
The dough was decent but a little thicker than I would have liked .
There reason for 3 stars instead of 4 was the service. I get it your establishment is built around a more European way of servicing customers but with a near empty dining room to have patrons waiting 30 min to order food that seems a bit excessive even for NYC .
If I was in Chelsea again (which is a rarity) I’d consider Prova unless another amazingly new pizza place opens up that doesn’t make me wait 30 min has an open table.

Prova serves really good pizza. The size of each pie is small enough so you can probably eat 1 by yourself. But it can be shared by 2. It’s an in-​between size. Bring 3 people and order 2. That should work out if you don’t want to over-​stuff yourself.
I tried their arugula salad, the meatballs, and their Margherita pizza.
Their arugula salad was good. The meatballs were decent. It comes with a huge pecorino flake on top that you break apart.
The salad and the appetizer were all right, but their main thing is the pizza. Man what a pizza it is. This is a pure, Neapolitan style pizza – straight from Naples.
The sauce is on the sweeter side. It’s not as bad as I describe it. It’s a good sweet with, not candy sweet. Also, the fresh mozzarella was delicious. Their crust is light, delicate, and tasty. It had good char as well.
I’m from Atlanta, And their pizza isn’t good as NY’s. But they do have decent Neapolitan style places in Atlanta. I eat there all the time. However, it seems Prova’s brings it to another level. Even though I eat Neapolitan pizza every day, I found myself craving Prova’s Margherita.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have chance to try their other pies. Their Uni pizza looked very interesting. Maybe next time I visit NY, I will try it. But their Margherita can’t be beat.

Pizza might seem simple but it really isn’t and Prova totally gets that. Visit their website and read about their process. The special flour? The special oven? Yes, it all makes a difference.
The crust is supremely thin yet flavorful and the outer crust isn’t crazy crispy — it is charred while being the right amount of soft. We kept is classic with the Margherita but I was definitely tempted to try some of the more exotic pies eg squid ink.
The meatball appetizer is also worth checking out. I would skip the salad however; salads are the same price as the pies and while good they’re just simply dressed and nothing to write home about.
Lastly, the service was great. My water glass never ran low and they were super attentive.
A great casual spot and sure to become a neighborhood gem!

One of the best Neapolitan Pizzas here in NYC. The margherita is terrific, the DOP is with real «Mozzarella di Bufala Campana».
Must try (PROVA!!) the calzone: delicious.
They also serve pasta and, listed among salads, Zucchini alla Scapece (just try them and let me know. won’t be disappointed!).
If you are in a small group, seat at the Bar: Theresa the bartender is very gentle and attentive.

I just found my favorite Italian restaurant! Great pizza just like in Italy with crust perfected!
Their eggplant parmagiana was also different. Although the eggplant was super soft, the mozzarella cheese in between was chewy and I think they cooked it with their own fresh tomatoes. There were tomato peels here and there.
Nice accommodating staff though. We shall return!

Uni pizza. I liked the citrus flavors on the pizza itself, and the uni added an interesting touch. Too bad they were tiny pieces of uni, worth $ 30? Don’t know.
Their other pizzas were actually pretty good too. Thin crust — think Marta. Their uovo (egg) pizza was definitely a highlight of the evening.
Desserts were not that interesting, but still decent. Can’t go wrong with panna cotta. Just keep in mind this is more of a pizza place (go elsewhere for dessert…)

Fantastic ambiance and location undermined by an average experience and ho-​hum food.
We went because this place was listed as one of New York’s best pizza places and it does seem to have fairly authentic Napoli pizza and crust. However, even though the place was relatively empty we had strangely confused service (kids drinks that took about 20 minutes to arrive and pizzas were not adjusted with no basil per our request).
And, while the Cetara pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes and anchovies was very good, the Urcina with squid ink and uni was dry and the flavors didn’t work very well together. Oysters were good, but overpriced.
Would also be nice to have iced tea available for the non-​drinkers in the crowd.
I think this place could be much, much better with the right service focus and some attention to the menu.

AMAZING pizza!!!
The Margarita was my favorite, but I also really enjoyed the Cacio e Uova too (note that the egg on that is baked onto the pizza rather than fried and placed on top). Sat at the bar, and the service was pretty good. I loved the ambiance (low key, trendy, chelsea). Will definitely be back!

After Donatella and Heartwood in the same spot comes Prova, the 3^rd pizza joint from Donatella Arpaia and her partners. I hate to say it, but I think I preferred both Donatella and Heartwood over the newest incarnation, and will probably be back here in a few months to try an as yet unnamed new pizza restaurant.
The space is pretty much the same, except the pizza oven in the open kitchen in the back is no longer gold. It is a nice spot, and the service is decent, though not great. The pizzas are pretty good, but with a new high end pizza restaurant opening seemingly every week though these days, they need to step it up a bit. It pales in comparison to Marta, GG’s, Rossopomodoro, Vic’s, B Side, etc.
Aside from the pizza, which is broken into two categories (Tradizionale and Novella), all there is to get is Salads, Salumi and Cheeses, those 3 sections you usually skip over on the menu to get to the good stuff.
We did try the Soppressata from the Salumi ($ 9) and the Caciovallo Di Bufala from the Cheeses ($ 10). They brought out the none-​too-​appealing plate of cheese, followed a few minutes later by the better-​looking plate of meat, and then after a few more minutes thankfully, some bread to eat it with. The bread was the saving grace, as it was really excellent — hot and chewy thin strips that went well with the meat and cheese.
For the pizzas, we went with two from the Novella section. First was the namesake Prova pie ($ 19), toppped with tomatoes, fior di latte, rucola and prosciutto di parma. The crust was nice and chewy and the dough was very soft, making for a good base for the pie, but it was a little tough to eat with the long pieces of prosciutto hard to gnaw off between bites. On the other hand, the Cacio e Uova pie ($ 15), had better toppings, with the fresh eggs and sheep’s milk parmigiana adding some seriously good flavor, but the dough on this one seemed to be produced by a completely different pizza chef and oven. The slices were stiff and the crust was very hard. I’m not sure if this was the intention, but while it tasted good enough, it wasn’t as pleasant as the texture of the other one.
They still don’t have dessert, offering up just a few standard flavors of gelato, so we skipped that. Donatella and the whole management crew was walking around the whole night checking on the guests. I hope things improve here, and I might be willing to come back once they liven up the menu with more stuff and add some dessert (hint/​plea: bring back that great rainbow cookie ice cream sandwich that was served at Donatella, and I’ll definitely be back to give it another try).