Crash Landing Pizza

Used to give this 5 stars but cheese now either «crisp» (explanation of staff after buying whole pies recently) or lower quality. Very disappointing as I used to rate this amongst best pizza in Seattle. Now Tutta Bella in Wallingford, Ridge on Phinner or NY pizza place on cap hill. Disappointing.

Crashed this joint on a walk through this hood and got a slice, or was it three? I don’t know what true «New York Style Pizza» is, having never tried it in the New York but this pizza tastes great. Thin crust, they pile on toppings like you wouldn’t believe. All you New Yorkers needn’t agree, but this place is pretty dang good.

A small hole in the wall, Crash Landing Pizza is easy miss, but I was intrigued by the place as I pass by it on the way back from the gym almost every day. They do a limited selection by the slice, so I tried the pepperoni. Pizza was ok, but nothing really stood out. It has a slightly thicker thin crust (if that makes sense), but the cheese was a little too hard and the pizza could have probably been helped by reheating in the oven. Along the same style, places like Ballard Pizza Company stand out more.

More like a 3.5, but it’s a cute business.
We were drawn into CLP because of the space theme and the promises of a New York style pizza. Located near the Ballard Goodwill, we’ve been eyeing them for some time and it was only after our trip to New York did we decide to actually try their ‘za since we enjoyed many slices while in NYC.
The slices are average, not overly huge or floppy. They will warm up your slice if you like. I opted for a cheese and a meat slice. They were tasty but did not trigger the NYC-​ness we had experienced a few short weeks previously. I was still hungry, so I asked for a third slice, something with corn. The corn was sweet, had a bit of crunch and was probably my favorite slice of the night. The slices range from $ 2−3ea.
I’ve since come by a few more times. Usually after a thrift at Goodwill. I’ll ask for a couple slices and leave a few bucks lighter but with a skip in my step because I looooooove pizza.
Service is quietly patient. I’m neither super engaged with them, nor am I ignored. I am simply served. Which is perfectly acceptable. The location is small, a few tables inside, benches outside, a clean restroom. You can see the kitchen from the register which is kind of neat (to me).
A dose of Sriracha (which they have on-​location) really awakens the flavor. But they have the other usual condiments (parmesan, red pepper flakes) available too.
CLP is great for that taste of pizza, without the expense of getting a whole pie (nor all the cals).

I don’t know if this is «True New York Pizza» so I won’t bore you with those comparisons. It is pretty solid pizza. Good crust, sauce and pepperoni. I don’t come here a lot, but when I do I am pretty happy.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

How I wish there was a bigger dining space! Once again, totally impressed with the perfect crust — I had ricotta, roasted peppers, roasted garlic and was not disappointed — yet again!

Miracle on 65^th St — a few months back, I was sent out on a ‘pizza for pregnant wife’ run, and she prefers CLP.
I arrived at the Crash Landing door just as they were locking up. Light off, keys were in the door, the guys had their day-​end pizza in hand. They must have noticed my look of ‘wife is gonna kill me’ fear/sadness…one guy said «you want a slice?» opening up his pizza box…
«Hells yeah, but it is for my wife» and with that, he just handed me the entire box and gifted a few tasty slices. It could have been a bumpy crash landing if I returned home empty handed!

I grew up in NJ, so the NY-​style pizza I ate was the real deal, going into the Village with friends on weekends. This is where I go for my NY pizza fix in Seattle.
‘Nuff said…

It’s thin but that’s the only thing NY about it.
It’s an ok slice. Some of the slices on display looked old. I came in for a late lunch and the pizza was ok. Nothing great, nothing awful. Sauce could be better.
The dudes working at Crash Landing were blasting AWFUL rap music (I actually love rap) and just screwing off the entire time. Not a deal breaker for me but I can see this annoying some customers.
I’m sure it’s better if you order an entire pie fresh out of the oven. I doubt this pizza snob would be impressed anyway.

Crash Landing had ok pizza, but it wasn’t anything I would write home about. I was excited after reading the reviews to come get some quality NY Style pizza, but felt let down once I tried it. The prices are good and the pizza is ok, but it doesn’t even rank on places I would go to get good pizza. One of the other reviews said this place is missing something and I agree. Maybe I came on a bad day for them, so give them a try and see if you get better pizza than I experienced.

Update 7÷26÷12: I changed my review from 3 to 4 stars, like I said, it’s 3 ½, but we eat here fairly often (we live a few houses away) and if we order this much, then it’s not THAT «meh.» Oh yeah, I have to also add that the staff is always super nice, it’s a great little neighborhood pizzeria.
Original review: 3 ½ stars, kinda close to 4 stars, but it’s just. missing…something.
The crust is perfect NY/​East coast thin crust style, it’s so good you eat the edges and not just the cheese part… What’s missing? Is it not enough sauce? Not sure. The cheese and crust are great, but it doesn’t have that overwhelming, knock-​you on-​your-​ass flavor.
I lived in NYC for most of my adult life, and I missed some of the pizza I grew up with in South NJ and the pizza that I loved when I first moved to NY, deep in Brooklyn. There’s not one place in NYC that I would say is a destination spot for pizza anymore — no, not Ray’s or Famous Ray’s, or Two Boots, or well, maybe Lombari’s in Nolita…
So, when I think about NY pizza, this is pretty darn tasty. I’ve heard that they have amazing gourmet slices (I think my husband had one and quite enjoyed it) and are vegetarian friendly. We order a small cheese pie here every other week (no delivery, FYI), just because I’m a purist. Enjoy.

Probably the best pizza I have had in Seattle. It isn’t fancy, just good old fashioned New York style pizza. The crust is thin (but not cracker thin) and homemade. They put just the right amount of cheese, sauce and toppings. Perfect for take-​out on a rainy Seattle evening :). My only complaint is that they close super early for a pizza joint.

Basically, if a pizza joint has «NY style» somewhere in the window or in its name, it’s worth a try. I had had this spot bookmarked on Unilocal for quite a while and, when I found myself in Ballard for lunch, I went and found it. Street parking is abundant.
This place = simplicity + quality
The pizza is on display for customers to see. They don’t do the crazy combinations like artichoke, crème fraîche, and wheat grass or some shit. Those are stupid. They have cheese, pepperoni, and maybe a couple other varying options. You pick a couple slices, have the option of getting it heated up or not, grab a drink from the fridge, sit down, and eat.
I had a slice of cheese, a slice of pepperoni, and a Jarritos soda. Shit was delicious.

3 ½ stars…
Feel like a slice?
Cheap, cheap, cheap.
Thin crust, thin crust, thin crust.
Toppings, toppings, toppings.
Eat, scarf, snarf.
Leave with your belly warmed and happy.
(Staff was friendly and efficient, they have a model train that you can make run while you wait, and well a rocket ship stuck into their wall. Nifty).

I had the Groupon and tried this place out. On their website, there is very limited info, but there was a «summer pizza» with tomatoes, roasted corn, peppers and goat cheese that I decided to try out. When I ordered the guy said they were out of tomatoes and recommended swapping in artichokes. Fine by me. I asked how much — $ 17.90. That seemed steep to me, but if these were all fresh veggies, then I was all for it.
Much to my surprise when I got home with said pizza, there was no goat cheese. No roasted corn. Essentially, I got a pizza with peppers and artichokes for $ 18. That is ridiculous. Was it good? Yes and no. It was close to NY style (I lived in NJ for five years), but then again, you would never put artichokes on an NY pizza.
The real test is the price, and frankly, this was not an $ 18 pizza. Considering the Groupon price, I actually paid $ 12.90, and I would say it was worth about that. Still, I’d think twice about ordering again from a place that can’t get it right when you order the only pizza combination actually listed on their website.

So we got the groupon for here and went for the first time last week, and we’ve already gone back twice.
New York style pizza is definitely my favorite, and when we went with the groupon we actually decided to eat in. Best part — they have ranch dressing in the fridge! I haven’t seen that around here anywhere else, but the ranch dressing makes the pizza.
Since, we’ve ordered pizza for pick up twice, and both times it has turned out nice and greasy and delicious. Really good. Highly recommend. The best NY style pizza I’ve found in Seattle so far — but I’m still looking!

Yup. It’s good alright. Ask for the seasonal pizza menu. You get more toppings at a better price, and the options are yummy. We had a spinach/​roasted red pepper/​garlic/​chicken pizza – and substituted the chicken for mushrooms, and it was nice. Good crust, good cheese, good toppings selections.
Only has 2 tables inside. It’s mostly just a place for carry-​out, but Green Lake is nearby, and a nice place to have a picnic if the weather is nice.

Being a New Yorker at heart, the claim that Crash Landing offered NY style pizza sounded crazy. But once I had the over-​sized slice of mushroom pizza in my hand, folded it and took a bite I was shocked. While not exactly the same flavor I’m used to, it’s pretty damn close!
The price is right and the pizza is great. Check out Crash Landing.

I’m from the Jersey Shore, and I’ve been looking for good New Jersey /​New York-​style pizza for the entire time I’ve lived here. I finally found it. By far, it’s the best I’ve had in town.
Why is it awesome? Well, pizza is three things: dough, sauce, and cheese. All three are done to perfection here. The dough is not too thick (like most Seattle pizza is, meaning it’s too chewy and never crispy) and not too thin (like a lot of California pizza is). It’s crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside, exactly as it’s supposed to be. The sauce is not just tomatoes, but salt and oregano and I’m-not-sure-what-else but it has some flavor, and it’s the kind of sauce I’d love to have over pasta. And they use just the right amount of cheese, not too much, not too little.
And they have real pizza ovens. I mean, I do love Delancey and Serious Pie, but it’s different having wood-​fired pizza. It’s just not the same as the proper metal rectangular pizza oven that basically every pizza joint in New Jersey and New York has. Wood-​fired is just unnecessary in my book, and leads to inconsistency… I’m not looking for an «authentic Neapolitan» pizza… I want a New York slice. Which Crash Landing has. All day. (That brings me to another Seattle complaint: why doesn’t every pizza place serve slices? A restaurant makes so much more money on slices than on a whole pie… it’s just good business to sell them, like every single place in NY and NJ. Duh.)
Anyway, they have a new customer, and a very happy one.

No complaints about the staff or location. They were polite, hard-​working, and the place was tidy and pleasant. The pizza, unfortunately, was boring and unbalanced. The pricing is also questionably high for such a simple incarnation of pizza. The crust is good, though that is mostly due to the fact that the place does at least use a real oven, as opposed to those awful conveyors. But that was where my enjoyment ended.
The cheese, sauce, and pepperoni were each a colossal failure. The cheese was sitting on top of the smallest amount of sauce I’ve ever seen on a non-​white pizza, and was fairly low-​grade. The sauce may have been the most amazing on the planet, but I wouldn’t know because there was hardly any on it.
The pepperoni was too thin, too large, too spicy, too salty, and too greasy. Perhaps if they were to apply it fresh to the pizza after it has been baked, the flavor would be milder, but it completely overwhelmed the rest of the flavors. I found it not the least bit pleasing, to be honest. I ended up peeling off the rest of it, only to find that the overbearing flavor had greased itself onto the whole pie. I ended up removing the cheese, too, and just eating the crust. Since this is my closest neighborhood pizza shop, I might pop-​in for a slice now and then, but this will never be my destination when I want a whole pie.
Also, I have been all over the New York City metro area, and have had pizza at dozens of establishments there over the years. This is nothing even remotely close to NYC style pizza. The only similarity here is the thin crust approach. Nothing else qualifies.