Slice of Queens: La Villa Pizzeria & Restaurantl

A ‘SLICE’ OF QUEENS New Park Pizza of Howard Beach

By Robert Intelisano

Since 1956, New Park Pizza has been serving delicious slices from their same original location at 15671 Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, Queens. New Park was one of the first 10 pizzerias in Queens. I have fond memories of going to New Park after baseball and basketball games, since I was a young boy.

Back in the day, the only option to order slices there was to wait in line in the storefront, and when it was your turn, lean forward and look through a small opening to order your slices. Originally, it was mostly a quick stop “grab and go” place for daytime workers and local customers.

Over the years, word travelled, and New Park Pizza expanded their seating by adding 36 seats in the back of the pizzeria, along with 2 indoor bathrooms. Their original bathrooms were outdoor. In the back, there are also numerous iconic old photos of Coney Island, Rockaway’s Playland, the World’s Fair, the Flatiron Building and the original Madison Square Garden to name a few.

One of the best things I love about pizza is you can order it in a variety of ways. New Park Pizza features a thin-crust New York style pizza with a crispy crust. Their crust is unique (the bottom is unlike any other pizza) because they throw salt in the oven which adheres to the bottom of the crust and helps it gain a beautiful char.

Their pies are cooked in 2 sets of old-school deck ovens at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which creates the cheesy heat bubble char on the top without drying out the cheese. Their sauce is savory and sweet. I prefer folding the slice because of the salty aftertaste flavor of the crust both on the upper and lower levels of the mouth.

For those who have a family or friends where some like the charred crust and some prefer a softer and chewy crust, that would be the time to order a whole pie instead of individual slices. New Park’s pie (see picture) typically will have 3-4 charred slices. For those who prefer only a charred slice, I suggest sitting in the back, picking out your slices, then take a seat and enjoy the ride to flavor town!

I was excited to meet up with George Russo, a longtime client and family friend, to enjoy a late August New Park lunch. George and his family have spent many years in the restaurant, catering and hospitality industry. George owns and operates Villa Russo in Richmond Hill as well as United American Title Agency on Lefferts boulevard across the street from the Villa Russo. George and his family also have experience in the pizzeria business. He gives back to the community as he is on multiple boards, and he is the current President of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens.

While I was waiting for George (I always arrive early and observe when doing my pizza reviews) I asked a longtime resident and patron what she thought of New Park. She said, “not only is it the best slice in Queens, New Park came up big when needed most after Super Storm Sandy when they were giving out 2 slices and a soda for free to those that were affected.”

George hadn’t been to New Park in a while and was waiting in the front as I was waiting for him in the back. Old habits are hard to break as I was looking forward to sharing my New Park charred slice theory with him. He let me pick out the charred slices from the back and said, “these slices are even better than I remember.”

An interesting point is that their top pizzaiola had called and would be coming in later that afternoon. That being said, our slices were as good as ever! One of the many things I like about New Park is that they have remained faithful to their roots and haven’t tried to expand, franchise or open in places like Madison Square Garden like other pizzeria’s, which often sacrifices quality for profit.

In this pandemic and these inflationary times, New Park retains tremendous value as slices are still only $3.25 and a regular 8 slice pie is $21.50. There is a large parking lot in the back and New Park remains one of the few places open late on Cross Bay Boulevard as their hours are 11am-1am Monday-Sunday.

For those flying in from out of town, the best time to try New Park is either before or after flying into or out of JFK airport, as they are an 8–10-minute drive from the airport. I have several out of state friends that DEMAND we go directly to New Park as soon as they land when visiting me. Of course, they don’t need to twist my arm. Buon Appetitto!

Email me at Rob@InsuranceDoctor.us to share your favorite Queens pizzeria and slice.