L&B Spumoni GardensCHAIN

6.3/10Italian

AI-generated summary

Get the . The dough is thick but light and the sweet sauce sits on top. People call it the best square in the city. Skip the round slice, regulars say it has dropped off. Finish with , the pistachio especially. Quality swings, so you can get one that sat in the case and barely got reheated.

NYC classic — Ludovico Barbati, an immigrant from Torella dei Lombardi, sold spumoni and Italian ice from a horse and wagon before buying the 86th Street property in 1939. By the mid-1950s the stand had grown into a full pizzeria with a factory, luncheonette and outdoor dining, celebrated for its thick square Sicilian pie and house-made ices. Wikipedia

2725 86th St, BrooklynGravesend, Brooklyn2 NYC locations mappedGoogle Maps

What Reddit says671

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  • My favourite slice in the city perhaps because I love soft doughy carbs. I’m obsessed with their Sicilian slice. Perfectly soft dough, tangy rich tomato sauce and of course a great cheese pull.

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  • In my opinion the pizza is good, not great. But it’s the environment that makes it special. Sitting outside on a summer day, the place is mobbed with all sorts of people it’s just an awesome place to be.

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  • replying to u/DinerEnBlanc: It has its appeal, but I would never recommend someone to go out of their way for it. Half the reason you go there is for the vibes and not really the food. Also, their regular slices suck. If you're not into Sicilian, definitely pass on it.

    agree with you. thats why its a great local spot. for me its a 10 mins drive. late nights, sitting outside with your friends, eating slices, yelling at each other, ordering other food from inside menu like calamari, and just chilling outside. and ending it with some spumoni. classic brooklyn.

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  • Unfortunately, went there yesterday for some squares, man were they bad. Undercooked, sauce tasted like ketchup and had the texture of a donut like chew to them.

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  • L&B blew me away a few weeks ago - I had a center, a side and a corner. How is the pizza so light and airy? It’s not as filling as I thought it would be. Was very impressed.

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  • replying to u/CuteWolves: Traveled a few times there over the years. It's not worth the trek. There's one supposedly opening a few blocks from here I live in North Brooklyn; maybe I'll give them a try.

    Spumoni Gardens is still my GOAT specifically because of how the dough and cheese kind of transition into each other - the flavor is of course good too but the texture is unique.

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  • Quality varies all over the place. Usually not crispy because it's been sitting there and they're too lazy to reheat it.

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  • Been going on and off for years since I've moved to sheepshead bay, has been great at times, you do get some undercooked or burnt now and then but still holds it's flavor, usually toss in the toaster oven or air fryer for a bit, makes for great leftovers if you get a half or full tray, their spumoni ice still hits for a good treat

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  • Probably unpopular opinion but I feel the dough is too dense and sometimes a little undercooked? Sauce is great though

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  • I love them. Nostalgia wise and also when my dad was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve a few years ago unexpectedly they put together a whole feast for us on the fly and even delivered it.

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