King Umberto

"King Umberto erected a glass-enclosed pavilion last year to provide its restaurant diners with more social distance and, this summer, it added a huge, marble-floored, open-sided terrace with tables and couches for lounging. With more than 140 new seats, it was the perfect excuse to introduce a new menu, "pizza on the patio." Nor could the timing have been better for John Cesarano, who owns King Umberto with his brother, Ciro, and the 45-year-old venue’s original partner Rosario Fuschetto. It’s John who runs the pizzeria and, over the last three years, he has become obsessed with artisanal pizza, learning the centuries-old ways of Neapolitan wood-fired pies as well as the "neo-Neapolitan" traditions that have taken both Italy and the U.S. by storm. John set up a little shed along one side of the terrace, got himself a fancy new oven, and perfected a 14-inch pie that has the structure and refinement of a classic Neapolitan, but with the crunch and crackle of New York. Along with the classic Margherita and Marinara, there are more fanciful pies such as those inspired by cacio e pepe and Amatriciana pastas. Plus an amazing calzone, filled with ricotta and either meatballs or eggplant. Best bolognese"