Critic-Favorite Lucia Pizza Opens First Upper West Side Slice Shop

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Lucia Pizza, a critic-favorite New York City pizzeria with a loyal following, opened its first location on the Upper West Side on Monday, owner Salvatore Carlino told Patch.

The new slice shop has opened at 159 Columbus Ave., near West 67th Street. The location is Lucia's fifth in the city, joining locations in SoHo, Gramercy, South Brooklyn and the Upper East Side.

"I've always been obsessed with that stretch of Columbus Ave.," Carlino said. "I think everybody is. It's really beautiful in the wintertime. It's surreal to me that I get to open up a store there."

The restaurant is bringing pizza — that has earned 'Critic's Pick' accolades from the New York Times — to what was once a Starbucks, not too far from Lincoln Center.

"I think that there was a bit of a void in that stretch, by Lincoln Center — a bit of a void of pizza that's made with a little bit of patience, you know? Good, quality pizza," Carlino said.

For Carlino, quality pizza is somewhat of a higher calling, and he's not the first person in his family to think so.

His parents met at a mixer for Italian and Greek immigrants and, despite an initial language barrier, fell in love with each other and pizza, Carlino said.

"My dad didn't speak Greek. My mom only spoke Greek, but they were able to make it work," Carlino said.

Together, they owned a pizzeria for 47 years — first Castle Pizza in Gravesend, Smiling Pizza in Park Slope, and then Papa Leone's in Manhattan Beach. They retired in 2017, and Carlino started Lucia in their backyard a few years later.

The iconic logo for Lucia's signs and t-shirts is inspired by the logo on a Papa Leone's t-shirt from the 70s, Carlino said.

On the menu, Carlino said to expect classics like pepperoni and mushroom pizza, as well as a Caramella Picante slice, which has cherry peppers, pepperoni, and hot honey.

Other favorites, he said, are the Sausicha, which has crumbled sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, red onion and Calabrian chilies, and the spinach slice, which has cream of spinach as the base of the pie.

And, in honor of the original shop, there's a Papa Leone slice.

Lucia's Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Know of a business opening or closing on the Upper West Side? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.