Roberta’s Pizza

This might be repetitive to review Roberta’s in two places (also under UrbanSpace Vanderbilt), but I enjoyed it that much. The pizza itself was fresh out of the oven, leaving the cheese perfectly melted and the crust hot to the touch. The original and white pizzas were simple and flavorful and, although delicious, I’m not entirely sure they were worth $ 10 for a small personal pie. But hey, it’s Manhattan; I’m used to it by now. If you like brick oven pizzas, Roberta’s is most definitely worth a try.

This place is probably the best food option at Grand Central except for maybe Shake Shack (okay, it’s not in GCT, it’s in the Urbanspace food court right next to GCT, but close enough).
I tried the Bee Sting, as it seemed the most unique, and it was pretty good but not as mind-​blowing as I expected. They just drizzle the honey over the pizza after baking, and the combination of honey, grease, and soppressata made the flavor of the cheese, sauce, and bread pretty difficult to discern. Next time, I’m looking to try the Famous Original or Margherita, and hopefully in the original Brooklyn location.

Go for the Famous Original or Magherita!
Even though UrbanSpace is packed to the gills during the lunch rush, I can always manage to grab a pizza from Roberta’s in under 10 minutes no matter how long the line is. I love how thin and doughy the crust is; it’s not heavy and oily like your average NYC slice. If you’re looking for a quick, delicious and filling meal near Grand Central, this is the place to be.

Roberta’s Pizza
CAPITAL D-​LICIOUS !!!
Had a pepperoni & mushroom masterpiece. Super fresh toasty crust, great fresh ingredients. Fantastico !!

food quality rivals the original brick and mortar establishment.
This one is no frills… Order your pizza and a drink, sit down in the communal seating and wait for your # to be called… but hey, at least you don’t have to trek to Bushwick to get one of their delicious pies.

Been dying to try this place and I wasn’t disappointed! I haven’t been to the Brooklyn location, but I imagine this is just as good. I had the classic and it doesn’t look like anything special, but the extra cheese on it really elevated it to something special. I want to try the margherita next time!

Very average and expensive pizzas. Very doughy like Keste.
If you like thin crust or crispy brick oven pizzas, avoid

5 stars. Ordered the Famous Original which includes
Tomato, mozzarella, caciocavallo, oregano and chili. One of the best pizzas I have ever had. The sauce is perfect, the dough is cooked to perfection and the chili give the pizza a little bite. The ingredients are super fresh. The pizza is a little pricey, but completely worth it.

One of the best I’ve had! Brava Roberta’s!

Very very good pizza. Especially the one with honey. Great and unexpected combination and delicious. Not as good as piecerra’s pizza but very good compared to regular pizza places.

Amazing! I was told by friends that the restaurant didn’t take reservations and there may be a pretty decent wait. They also suggested I go around 3 – 4, so I followed their orders. I arrived around 3:30PM on a Saturday and was told that the wait for a table for 2 people would be 45 minutes. My boyfriend and I were committed to have some of Roberta’s authentic pizza, so we gave them our phone number and went and grabbed a drink at the bar which in the summer is all open but in the winter there is a tent with heat lamps to keep you warm. We each ordered a beer and about 30 minutes later, our table was ready.
We order the Cheesus Christ, which is essentially an all cheese pizza with a cream sauce instead of a typical red sauce. It was soo good! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Great place, don’t be deterred by it’s curb appeal

I was thrilled to discover a Roberta’s spot in the relatively new UrbanSpace location by Grand Central. It’s been on my list for ages, but I haven’t made it to BK to taste test. I was in the food hall a couple of days ago and decided to try it out. I got the Bee Sting since I’d seen it written up in several places. It was delicious, but after all the hype a little underwhelming. I thought it could have used a little more of the hot honey to make it pop. The sopressata on top was yummy, but overall again, just good. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the spotty burnt bits on the crust, though it certainly is a trademark of that type of pizza and others may enjoy it. I would probably give them another try… to taste a different pie… but unless it’s amazing it won’t be my go-​to pizza place. I’m happy to have saved the trip to Brooklyn.

Surprised their Vandy Urbanspace outpost also had baked goods, so went with a really weak Sticky Bun for $ 3.00 from a guy on the phone not answering the questions I asked him.

Was not impressed this Sunday… pizza crust quite limp, the pizza was under salted and there was not enough sauce (the dough wasn’t really that good to make up for it so…) I definitely didn’t care for the service– no hello, no thank you, no personality at the order counter… yes…that does matter.

quality wood-​fired pizza. Just wanted to say that i enjoyed the bee sting, which has a nice mix of heat and sweetness. pizza dough is perfectly crisped and just the right amount of chewy. a tad pricey at $ 12 for the small but I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. it was just so damn good. Don Antonio is a similar concept and their pizzas are priced less, But arguably Roberta’s has more creative and tastier pizzas. If you can endure the long lines, then you should definitely check this place out. also important to note is that if possible you should always eat pizza soon after it comes out of the oven (or as Domino’s calls it, «prime eating condition.»

Quite possibly the best pizza I have ever eaten. I’d read plenty about this famous pizzeria but never was able to bring myself to travel all the way to Bushwick, so when they opened a stall in the new UrbanSpace Vanderbilt, I couldn’t not come to try it out. The famous original pizza is cooked perfectly, from the charred but not overly blackened edges to their choice of using a buttery cheese. I love how airy and pillowy the crust is and have never tasted anything like it before. My pet peeve is crusts that are too dense and require jaws of steel to gnaw off. The pizzas come in two sizes, and the small is a filling portion for lunch.

You no longer have to travel to Bushwick to try the amazing wood-​fired pizza from Roberta’s. This outpost features a full menu of Roberta’s pizzas made with mozzarella made fresh every morning, savory salami that comes from American and Italian producers, and local seasonal vegetables. Get there for brunch on the weekend for a taste of Speckenegg Pizza, an «eggy» take on its classic Speckenwolf Pizza. The wood-​fired pizza that is baked right in front of you is topped with fresh mozzarella, mushroom, onion, oregano, speck, and — of course — beautifully runny eggs. When that yellow yolk pops all over the pizza and soaks into the crispy pizza dough, you know you are in heaven.

This is the Manhattan outpost of Roberta’s in Brooklyn.
It’s in the UrbanSpace Vanderbilt food court (at 45^th & Vanderbilt), so they have a smaller, limited menu than what they have at the main location — mainly Small (8″) and Large (12″) pizzas, a romaine salad, draft beer, wine, soft drinks and a few bakery items (sticky buns, cookies, etc.).
Keep in mind that their pizza is not your typical NY-​style-​pizza-​by-​the-​slice you’d find at many pizza places in the city. They make «Artisan», or «Designer» style pizzas, but really more of a Naples-​style pizza that you’d find in Southern Italy. So, don’t expect to buy a slice and for it to be similar to a Joe’s, John’s, Ray’s or Gotham type of pizza. They use high quality and for some, unusual ingredients, but together can make for a tasty pizza.
The price for the 8″ (personal size) is $ 10-​$ 12 and for the 12″ is $ 14-​$ 17, depending on which pizza you get. The 8″ is about the size of two slices you would get at a regular-​type pizza place, so, for an apples-​to-​apples comparison, you’re paying about $ 5 a slice here. Sounds pricey, but for what you get and for the prime location, I think it’s a fair deal. Just about any lunch in Midtown Manhattan is going to cost you between $ 8-​$ 12, so their price is about right.
As far as the two Pizzas I ordered:
Famous Original (tomato, mozzarella, caciocavallo, parmigiano, chili flake, oregano). I thought the pizza had an exceptional, distinct flavor, probably because of the caciocavallo cheese as very few, if any, pizza bakers use this type of cheese. Caciocavallo is a cheese from Southern Italy along the Apennine Mountains near the «boot» of Italy. The name translates to «over the horseback cheese», because of tying together cheese gourds and then hanging them over a pole to age, similar what you would do over a horse to transport it, as they did in the past. The cheese is a cross between Provolone and Gouda and has a butter and almond or hazelnut type flavor. Very unique and very good. The tomato sauce wasn’t too acidic and the crust was soft and thin, and they slightly burn the edges, which I love. It might be slightly too thin for my taste, but overall, this pizza was excellent.
Bee Sting (tomato, mozzarella, sopressata, chili flake, chili oil, honey). I ordered this pizza thinking this would be my favorite as I prefer a meat-​topped pizza as opposed to a plain cheese pizza, however, I was somewhat disappointed by it. At first, the pizza had a good flavor, but then the spiciness of the chili flake & oil just overtook the flavors. Now, I love spicy food and eat a ton of it and I’m not sensitive to it, but I just think they use a little too much on this pizza. If they were to tone it down a little, I think it would be better. And the slight honey taste at the end was a nice touch. Pizza was ok, but I think the Famous Original is better given it’s unique flavor.
Overall, I think their pizza is very good, although, not as good as what you would get in their Main Location in Brooklyn, but that’s how it is with just about any outpost of any restaurant. But, for not having to take a 30 minute subway ride to Brooklyn, I think it’s a pretty good option.
Definitely worth a try, however, if you’re stuck on basic NY-​style-​pizza-​by-​the-​slice, then this might not be your cup of tea. But if you like quality, uniqueness, originality and something close to what you’d get in Naples, then this place is for you.