Looking for that elusive perfect piece of Hamptons pizza? Look no further. Here are five pizzas worth eating this season.
You can get a whole pie at this Montauk spot, but insiders know that it’s all about the Grandma slice, a thin-crusted, crispy, warmed-before-your-very-eyes masterpiece (you need a minimum of two to survive). This is the kind of pizza that breeds impatience and burned mouths. You won’t be able to wait to eat your hot, crisp slice—and you shouldn’t. On a clear afternoon or evening, diners can sit on picnic benches adjacent the baseball field, which makes for superlative Montauk people watching. Or, do as I do and take your order to go. If you can’t make it to Montauk, the Primavera team also owns Luigi’s Italian Specialties, on Pantigo Road in East Hampton, where you can get drool-worthy Grandmas without driving the stretch.
Primavera Pizza, 54 S. Erie Avenue, Montauk, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in season, (631) 668-1601.
I’ll be the first to admit that Café Crust leaves some curb appeal to be desired (the restaurant is in a Southampton strip mall on busy County Road 39). But, location notwithstanding, Café Crust serves up surprisingly excellent, reliable pies. These are Neapolitan pizzas, with a chewy, charred crust that is, by turns, both appropriately thin and appropriately doughy. A fireplace in the dining room’s center is a cozy touch. Go for the margarita pizza, stay for the Puck’s cane sugar fountain sodas, brewed in New Jersey (who knew?).
Café Crust, 850 County Road 39, Southampton, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 10 p.m. on weekends, (631) 259-8800.
You may have driven past the bright and cheery La Capannina en route to other hamlets—and, like me, you might have kept on driving without giving it a second thought. But I’m here to tell you that every time you hit the gas past this pizza place in Wainscott, you’re missing an opportunity for epic ‘za. If you’re a Sicilian lover (I confess that I’m not), there are slices here for you, awaiting a quick reheat for the perfect crispy crust. Actually, La Capannina’s Sicilian might just be good enough to convert a pizza traditionalist like me. But, for those who prefer their pizza round and not square, the regular slice, New York style, is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
La Capannina 364 Montauk Highway, Wainscott, open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., (631) 537-2626.
This year’s newcomer has made an impressive entrée into the Hamptons pizza pecking order. Sag Harbor’s Lulu’s Kitchen and Bar, with its wood fire oven as centerpiece, offers far more than pizza—but its pizza is unforgettable. I’m not going to lie: pizzas are small (order one per person), but that wood smoke lends gravitas to everything it hits. I’m into the Artisan, a pizza studded with heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, basil pesto, and olive tapenade. Also, the whole place smells of a wood oven, which makes me want to linger the afternoon away. I suspect you’ll feel the same.
Lulu’s Kitchen and Bar, 126 Main Street, Sag Harbor, open daily 12 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., closed for Lunch Tuesdays, (631) 725-0900.
