5 most underrated pizzerias in WNY

[BarleyNY]

13 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I used to love buffalo sauce but I guess too much of it, I kinda am over it.  Kinda like Pearl Jam.  I will still listen to them if they're on, like I won't skip forward but I don't seek them out.  Kinda burned out.

 

I can see that. I don’t have it that often, but I like the flavor and spice level. 

[Jauronimo]

On 5/20/2024 at 4:21 PM, Buffalo716 said:

Prince Street Pizza 

 

One of the most popular pizza joints in New York City.. literally is churning out of buffalo style pizza with cup and char pepperoni 

 

Literally one of the most popping places in the city... Stole Buffalo Pizza

Prince Street is a Sicilian slice.  Its basically a focaccia with sauce and toppings.  There are sicilian pies all over the tri-state area with long histories.  Buffalo pizza, like most other thicker american style pizzas, is a cousin of Sicilian pizza.  Buffalo pizza uses way more cheese than what you get on a Prince Street slice (cheese on top of sauce rather than sauce on top of cheese like at Prince Street), has a sweeter and thicker sauce, and the dough is lower hydration which produces a smaller crumb. Its a denser more bread like crust than the airy focaccia style Sicilian (at least the original Bocce's recipe is).  I know the Prince Street pizzas are cooked in a black steel pan with a decently high rim, swimming in olive oil, so the dough essentially deep fries in the oven.  I could be wrong but I thought classic Buffalo style pizzas were cooked on a greased pan with a short rim. 

 

I don't think its accurate to call everything with a cup n char style pepperoni on it a Buffalo style.  

[boater]

No underrated pizza for me. I have Bocce, Francos, and Mister Pizza convenient to me. I even have Gino's if I want NY style. It's always a problem deciding where to go.

 

When I lived near Transit Road, I liked Picasso's. I would file them as underrated.

 

People who diss the Buffalo pizza scene just aren't trying. There is something for everyone.

[Mark80]

On 5/20/2024 at 4:36 PM, Augie said:

 

One of my friends was close with a Santora kid so we spent some time together. I always really liked their pizza, but we might not have been paying for it which always makes it better!  I thought this was on Main St in Williamsville, but that was a long time ago. 

That is Sorrentino's on Main St in Williamsville.

[BuffaloBill]

On 5/20/2024 at 5:42 PM, Buffalo716 said:

Having traveled all over this great country for football... I have also eaten food all over this country 

 

There are certain regional pizzas... That I would say they have the right to be called a pizza City 

 

New York City 

Buffalo 

New Haven 

Chicago 

Detroit 

 

All have identifiable styles that people around the country try to recreate 

 

Now I'm not saying there's not good pizza outside of those places.. I'm saying those places have became Pizza meccas due to their distinct styles

 

 

I know this will generate hate around here but I do not find the “top” Buffalo Pizza places to be that good.  Too much cheese and soggy crust in my opinion. It may simply be the case of resting on laurels.  Wings, fish fry and beef on weck in the homeland are awesome, some of the big named pizza not so much.

[Buffalo716]

3 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Prince Street is a Sicilian slice.  Its basically a focaccia with sauce and toppings.  There are sicilian pies all over the tri-state area with long histories.  Buffalo pizza, like most other thicker american style pizzas, is a cousin of Sicilian pizza.  Buffalo pizza uses way more cheese than what you get on a Prince Street slice (cheese on top of sauce rather than sauce on top of cheese like at Prince Street), has a sweeter and thicker sauce, and the dough is lower hydration which produces a smaller crumb. Its a denser more bread like crust than the airy focaccia style Sicilian (at least the original Bocce's recipe is).  I know the Prince Street pizzas are cooked in a black steel pan with a decently high rim, swimming in olive oil, so the dough essentially deep fries in the oven.  I could be wrong but I thought classic Buffalo style pizzas were cooked on a greased pan with a short rim. 

 

I don't think its accurate to call everything with a cup n char style pepperoni on it a Buffalo style.  

To be fair most Buffalo pizza places proof their dough .. which the thin New York City joints don't really

 

My friend has a pizza joint in buffalo and he's always proofed dough and even made Sicilians

 

Places like picassos have been making medium thickness tray pizzas forever that could resemble a Prince Street Pizza ... Even when portnoy went to Picasso's he literally said looks like a Sicilian

 

Now you're right it's not 100% a copy... And obviously New York City has been putting out Sicilian pizzas for a long time too... 

 

But Buffalo style is basically a modified Sicilian... With heavy heavy amounts of cheese 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22 by Buffalo716

[Jauronimo]

17 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

To be fair a lot of Buffalo pizza places proof their dough .. which the thin New York City joints don't really

 

My friend has a pizza joint in buffalo and he's been proofing dough and even making Sicilian style pizzas for a while 

 

Places like picassos have been making medium thickness tray pizzas forever that could resemble a Prince Street Pizza 

 

Now you're right it's not 100% a copy... But quintessential Buffalo Pizza is typically a nice medium thickness with cheese and toppings basically to the edge creating little crust with cup n char and a sweet sauce

 

Prince Street has medium thickness, toppings and cheese to the edge creating little crust... With the cup n char 

 

It definitely physically resembles buffalo style pizza closer then Chicago or typical New York City Pizza 

 

Even if they have their own spin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theres no reason to proof a thin crust pizza.  It would cease to be thin and no clue how you would get it on and off a peel when its time to cook.  Whether its NY thin, New Haven, or Neapolitan, you ferment until optimal, you stretch, then you cook immediately for best results..  

 

Pan pizzas from sicilian, to grandma, to Detroit, to an old school pizza hut style, and to a lesser extent chicago style require proofing in the pan since you push so much air out of the dough during the spreading/stretching process.   Without the proofing step the crust would be dense and chewy.

 

Totally agree that Buffalo style is a close relative of Sicilian with the main differentiator being the amount of cheese, the sweetness in the sauce, and the use of cup n char pepperoni.  I basically use the same dough recipe for making Sicilian, Detroit, Buffalo style, and classic pan pizzas (home cook; not a professional) which goes to show that they all have a common ancestor.  The rest of the differentiation, which is noticeable, is in ingredients, proportions, and process.

[Buffalo716]

2 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Theres no reason to proof a thin crust pizza.  It would cease to be thin and no clue how you would get it on and off a peel when its time to cook.  Whether its NY thin, New Haven, or Neapolitan, you ferment until optimal, you stretch, then you cook immediately for best results..  

 

Pan pizzas from sicilian, to grandma, to Detroit, to an old school pizza hut style, and to a lesser extent chicago style require proofing in the pan since you push so much air out of the dough during the spreading/stretching process.   Without the proofing step the crust would be dense and chewy.

 

Totally agree that Buffalo style is a close relative of Sicilian with the main differentiator being the amount of cheese, the sweetness in the sauce, and the use of cup n char pepperoni.  I basically use the same dough recipe for making Sicilian, Detroit, Buffalo style, and classic pan pizzas (home cook; not a professional) which goes to show that they all have a common ancestor.  The rest of the differentiation, which is noticeable, is in ingredients, proportions, and process.

No absolutely and agree

 

Buffalo literally uses heavy heavy cheese... Probably double or triple amount of a New York City pie

 

Some people like that... Some don't 

 

That's actually what makes Buffalo pizza so heavy the amount of cheese they use 

 

Buffalo Pizza is definitely a close cousin of a Sicilian ... Even when Portnoy went to Picasso's, he said looks like a sicilian LOL 

 

I agree there are differences in the process... But close cousins as you say

Edited May 22 by Buffalo716

[DrDawkinstein]

Grew up on that West Seneca/Depew Santora's. To the point I will never forget 668-3355. One of the few phone numbers I have memorized in the age of cell phones.

 

I'll also throw a vote in for Pizza Heist in Depew/Lancaster. That's my family's go-to nowadays.

[Buffalo716]

4 hours ago, boater said:

No underrated pizza for me. I have Bocce, Francos, and Mister Pizza convenient to me. I even have Gino's if I want NY style. It's always a problem deciding where to go.

 

When I lived near Transit Road, I liked Picasso's. I would file them as underrated.

 

People who diss the Buffalo pizza scene just aren't trying. There is something for everyone.

Picasso's makes amazing pie 

 

Lots consider them the gold standard of Buffalo pie

[BullBuchanan]

6 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

agree on WNY pizza. disagree on buffalo sauce. I love buffalo sauce, tho my favorite wing sauce is a gochujang sauce that I make. 

Bar Bill in Clarence kinda sucks. My friends and I have been many times, but stopped going after worse and worse experiences. Bar Bill in East Auora is still fantastic though. As is M&H across the street from it (EA location). 

I glossed over that part. The one in East Aurora has definitely been a top 3-4 place for me every time I've gone. @hondo in seattle definitely give the East Aurora location a go if you can.

[Buffalo716]

6 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Of course, flavor is more important than spice level.  But I'm not a traditionalist.  I'll make or otherwise eat classic Buffalo Wings made with Frank's Redhot from time to time.   But I really enjoy more inventive, "new fangled" recipes with better (IMHO) flavor profiles.  And this is where some non-Buffalo restaurants occasionally shine.  

 

I suppose it's a weird tradition, but I eat wings virtually every week during the football season when I sit down to watch the Bills.  Sometimes the wife either makes them or orders them.  When I make them myself, gochujang (fermented spicy Korean chili paste) is almost always an ingredient. 

Have you ever been to Macy's pizzeria on Genesee? 

 

They have all sorts of specialty wing flavors... Including probably 7-10  that they hit up on the char pit

Edited May 22 by Buffalo716

[BullBuchanan]

55 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Theres no reason to proof a thin crust pizza.  It would cease to be thin and no clue how you would get it on and off a peel when its time to cook.  Whether its NY thin, New Haven, or Neapolitan, you ferment until optimal, you stretch, then you cook immediately for best results.. 

You proof all those kinds of dough too, just that most people do it in the fridge for a couple days. When you take it out of the fridge you then let it come up to room temp for 4-6 hours and it rises again in that stage.

[Buffalo716]

3 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

I know this will generate hate around here but I do not find the “top” Buffalo Pizza places to be that good.  Too much cheese and soggy crust in my opinion. It may simply be the case of resting on laurels.  Wings, fish fry and beef on weck in the homeland are awesome, some of the big named pizza not so much.

Maybe you should ask for light cheese? Buffalo Pizza uses two and a half to three times the amount of premium cheese then a New York City place does

 

It's the cheese which heavies up the pizza.. and you get a lot of grease from the whole milk mozzarella 

 

Maybe if you want the Picasso's or abott etc but asked light cheese..  you would be more satisfied

[Augie]

Okay, you guys know your pizza…..and I have a question. I always thought of a “hand tossed” pizza as normal. We did a cooking class in Rome once and the chef said they toss pies down in Naples and elsewhere, but we rolled our dough. Does rolling happen often? I just always had visions of dough twirling in the air. 

 

BTW - Best pizza of my life! 

 

EDIT: We used an immersion blender making the sauce and my wife had one waiting for us when we got home. It’s been a year, and it’s still in the box. We have such good intentions, but…….🤷‍♂️

 

.

Edited May 22 by Augie

[Buffalo716]

17 minutes ago, Augie said:

Okay, you guys know your pizza…..and I have a question. I always thought of a “hand tossed” pizza as normal. We did a cooking class in Rome once and the chef said they toss pies down in Naples and elsewhere, but we rolled our dough. Does rolling happen often? I just always had visions of dough twirling in the air. 

 

BTW - Best pizza of my life! 

It depends what style of pizza you are making 

 

Rolling is good for like the cracker thin... But not necessarily Neapolitan with cornicione

 

@Augie with a Neapolitan or classic New York City style types.. you want the hand tossed because you get the cornicione better ... But you could stretch it with the top of your hands in a few ways

 

Edited May 22 by Buffalo716

[BullBuchanan]

4 minutes ago, Augie said:

Okay, you guys know your pizza…..and I have a question. I always thought of a “hand tossed” pizza as normal. We did a cooking class in Rome once and the chef said they toss pies down in Naples and elsewhere, but we rolled our dough. Does rolling happen often? I just always had visions of dough twirling in the air. 

 

BTW - Best pizza of my life! 

 

EDIT: We used an immersion blender making the sauce and my wife had one waiting for us when we got home. It’s been a year, and it’s still in the box. We have such good intentions, but…….🤷‍♂️

 

.

Tossing it high in the air is mostly for show. You can achieve the same effect rotating it quickly on the tops of your hands or a variety of other methods. Not very mainly styles roll it out flat from what I've seen.

[Jauronimo]

9 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

You proof all those kinds of dough too, just that most people do it in the fridge for a couple days. When you take it out of the fridge you then let it come up to room temp for 4-6 hours and it rises again in that stage.

Proofing and fermentation get used interchangeably but proofing is specifically that fermentation taking place after the dough has reached its final form.  I don't consider a ball of dough to be the final form whether its thin crust or pan.  I would refer to that step as cold fermentation (or room temp fermentation) but I know that others call that step proofing. 

 

Pan pizza includes a distinct proofing phase after shaping and stretching the dough in the pan but before baking which is what I believe 716 was referring to.  This step is only a few hours at room temp.  You don't stretch a thin crust pie out to 16" and then let it rise again for a few hours was my point.

 

Any pizza place operating in New York or Buffalo worth visiting is fermenting or proofing dough for at least a good 8 hours and likely closer to 24 or 48.  I believe the legendary DiFara makes a same day dough while places like L'Industrie are rumored to ferment 72 hours.  

 

 

10 minutes ago, Augie said:

Okay, you guys know your pizza…..and I have a question. I always thought of a “hand tossed” pizza as normal. We did a cooking class in Rome once and the chef said they toss pies down in Naples and elsewhere, but we rolled our dough. Does rolling happen often? I just always had visions of dough twirling in the air. 

 

BTW - Best pizza of my life! 

 

EDIT: We used an immersion blender making the sauce and my wife had one waiting for us when we got home. It’s been a year, and it’s still in the box. We have such good intentions, but…….🤷‍♂️

 

.

Lucali rolls out their dough with a wine bottle and even in pizza crazed Brooklyn people wait in line for hours.  I wouldn't want to push all that gas out of the dough after spending so long letting it ferment but no one pays for my pizzas.  My friends are all free loaders.

[Buffalo716]

2 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Proofing and fermentation get used interchangeably but proofing is specifically that fermentation taking place after the dough has reached its final form.  I don't consider a ball of dough to be the final form whether its thin crust or pan.  I would refer to that step as cold fermentation (or room temp fermentation) but I know that others call that step proofing. 

 

Pan pizza includes a distinct proofing phase after shaping and stretching the dough in the pan but before baking which is what I believe 716 was referring to.  This step is only a few hours at room temp.  You don't stretch a thin crust pie out to 16" and then let it rise again for a few hours was my point.

 

Any pizza place operating in New York or Buffalo worth visiting is fermenting or proofing dough for at least a good 8 hours and likely closer to 24 or 48.  I believe the legendary DiFara makes a same day dough while places like L'Industrie are rumored to ferment 72 hours.  

 

 

You definitely know what you're talking about 

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

Tossing it high in the air is mostly for show. You can achieve the same effect rotating it quickly on the tops of your hands or a variety of other methods. Not very mainly styles roll it out flat from what I've seen.

 

Yeah, I wasn’t really thinking throw it to the ceiling stuff, but I just naturally always thought worked by hand. That seemed “normal” to me, so the thin rolling pin surprised me.