Welcome to the Neighborhood, Frankie & Vali's Pizza!

The long awaited pizza shop sitting next to and under the same ownership as the newer and very popular Greenberg Bagels has finally arrived! Frankie and Vali's, Bedford-Stuyvesants newest pizzeria/ slice shop is sending them out the window, much like the bagels zipping out the door each morning at Greenbergs. To say "there's something in the water" is an understatement -- the streets between Greene and Lexington are officially cornered by New Yorkers' favorite carb items and for good reason.

When I first arrived at the counter I immediately asked about ordering a pie, thinking I could do a 50/50 blend of pepperoni and plain cheese. I was quickly greeted and politely told, "everything you see in the window, slices only, until we are sold out." This was just the first Saturday the restaurant had been in business, so I immediately felt a little honored and privileged to get some of the last slices remaining with friends, and to be part of the early hype and energy emitting from the shop and block.

I decided to try a variety of slices, grabbing everyone made that day: the rosso, plain cheese, pepperoni, and my favorite of the bunch, broccoli and ricotta. The broccoli in particular wasn't just any kind of broccoli slice starting with the main ingredient: broccoli rabe. I thought it was spinach at first glance and I'm so happy it wasn't! Broccoli rabe with ricotta cheese - you can't delay on trying it; it's that good, and the combination of flavors are smart and simple.

All the slices stood out in their own right compared to what's local and common in the area. The dough, how it was cooked, the char and thinness, the quality of ingredients - all were fresh and more artisanal in taste than the typical New York pizzeria in my opinion.

The Greenberg Bagels and now Frankie and Vali's story continues to grow. Maybe it's the comfort food type in a pandemic, or the grab and go style that's so conducive for the environment, or the water, or the location... Whatever it is, it's good and needed, and the success they are receiving is the culmination of hard work and dedication paying off. To read more on both establishments, check out the Brooklyn Mag article from May of this year, and do yourself a favor and get out for a taste! The city is coming back, and businesses are ready and able to greet patrons with doors wide open.