America's oldest Pizzeria

If you are in New York City, do not miss the opportunity of tasting some of the tastiest pizza ever made. Head straight for the intersection of Spring and Mott in Little Italy, to savor the deliciousness at Lombardi's. They have a huge sign outside declaring themselves as 'America's Oldest Pizzeria', but you won't care about the authenticity of that declaration after you've tasted their pizzas.

The picture was taken on the 31st of December 2007, and just look at the line! Although the wait was long (50 minutes!), it was well worth it. Lombardi's has tons of atmosphere and it was good to see the locals clamoring for a place in line with bright-eyed tourists, such as ourselves. Nestled amongst gritty tenements , this is a part town which is refreshingly New York compared to the touristy madness of Midtown, so if you've never been down here, make the trip.

Coming back to Lombardi's, we were ushered down to the basement dining room which was a quirky little room, walls adorned with old black and white family photos, classic film posters, or celebrity fans of the establishment. Two of the four walls carry wines to satisfy all tastes. Shirley Bassey and Frank Sinatra blared alternately from the speakers around, their loud booming voices barely audible underneath the crowd who were enjoying themselves tremendously.

Between the two of us, we managed to wolf down a 18" large pepperoni pizza in 25 minutes. Brooklyn Ale added to the wonderful experience. The exquisitely sweet and tangy mozzarella and tomato sauce was like nothing else I'd tasted before. I could never go back to Domino's ever again.

Lombardi's is at 32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012.