My thirst, desire, lust (exaggeration much?) for New York pizza has existed ever since the last time I left the beautiful city way back in August of 2009. Now, don’t let the places around Florida fool you; they are not even close to New York-style pizza as they supposedly claim. A good New York pizza has to have a thick crust, has to be consisting of big slices, and the toppings can never fall off the pie under any circumstances. Floridian Yorker pizza rarely ever meets any of these circumstances, which leads to disappointing results. As of now, the closest to New York pizza I’ve experienced comes from the Little Caesars in the Hunter’s Creek area---and they don’t even try!
And then came this place. A N.Y. Pizza House is the closest to New York-style pizza I’ve ever experienced, and this also comes with great close proximity to the beach and wonderful service---as well as one of the best and most creative calzones I’ve ever eaten. Serving tourists and locals for over 10 years, N.Y. Pizza House has been hailed for having among the best pizza in the Cocoa area. This was recommended to me by a local, who mentioned that they have a massive pizza the size of a table. The Mackin’ Slice is their most popular item, which is a slice of their overly massive 26-inch pizza pie.
On the beachline, it’s quite easy to find. Right after the Ron Jon Surf Shop it’s located on the right side of the road. Inside is a massive kitchen on the left side, and a series of tables on the right. We were so hungry that we ordered a bit much by the time the bill arrived. I ordered the bruschetta, some garlic rolls, and the 26-inch pizza. Michael saw something that just sounded too awesome to skip: shrimp scampi calzone. This is your usual calzone stuffed with shrimp in addition to mozzarella and ricotta cheese.
Bruschetta was a nice blend of cheese, spices, and parsley. While this appetizer wasn’t that big to share, the little we had was quite good. The garlic rolls tasted just like New York, but it’s definitely an acquired taste. Not everyone will enjoy its heavy garlic taste and smell. I recommend a pack of tic-tacs along with this bread. And then came the calzone. My oh my did that calzone arrive. This calzone looked huge, and was longer than the plate. It was several inches tall, and smelled delicious. But the true beauty came after the first cut. The moment we cut open the calzone, shrimp and cheese started pouring out like a fountain of cuisine beauty.
We drooled relentlessly from the first cut to when everyone got their share of the calzone. This is hands-down the best calzone I’ve had that isn’t Satchel’s Pizza---but it’s a very close second place. The shrimp was thick and full of garlicy cheesy flavor. Unlike most calzones, this one did not cut back on the cheeses, and did not cut back on all the extra goodies. It was as if a nice calzone had been punched in the face by Florida seafood. The only way this calzone would have been perfected was if the crust had been enhanced. But this is not a complaint in the least bit. This helped the wait for the pizza, which was running a bit long (understandably).
The 26 inches of pure heaven arrived. This pizza was big enough to look intimidating, but also looked great enough to finish despite the consequences. It also looked like it could kill if you were to drop it on someone. It was $19, and its a couple extra bucks per added topping. It was worth every single penny from the first bite to the last. This pizza was big, was thick, and nearly was able to keep all the toppings intact. Now remember that because of the water and different levels of atmosphere, duplicating New York pizza is impossible. But being halfway is more than good enough—which is exactly what this place accomplished.
Just one slice can fill you up. Two slices and you are dropping an anchor in your stomach. But one slice just isn’t enough, especially when it’s good pizza. None of the ingredients overpowered the others, as it was the right mix of cheese, marinara, pepperoni, and bacon. In the New York pizza scale, this place ranks a North Jersey, and that’s damn close. The pizza is more expensive than your average pie, but that’s justified with size, flavor, and pure accuracy with its New York name.
Bottom Line: A N.Y. Pizza House as of now is as close to New York pizza as you’ll ever get…..well, in Florida anyway. The pizza is fantastic, easily among the top 3 pizzas I’ve had in Florida since I started this blog. The calzone however nearly stole the show by offering a fantastic mix of seafood and Italian. All the food here was fresh, hot, and was full of unbelievable flavor. I truly felt like I was back in Manhattan for those few moments I was eating lunch. As long as you are a fan of good pasta, you must come try the food here. And don’t you dare wuss out on the 26-inch behemoth that is their specialty item.
Thank me later.
Final Verdict: Highly Recommend
A N.Y. Pizza House
3850 N Atlantic Ave
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931-3529
(321) 868-7177
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