I SAW THE SIGN: With its charming neon sign and stories of classicly gruff New York–waitstaff attitude, we wanted so much to like V&T. But the pizza just didn't do it for us.
V&T Pizzeria is a Morningside Heights spot that often draws raves in many of the various "best of" stories that run in the city's various publications at various times of the year.
We don't know why.
On recent visits to this oft-spoke-of Italian eatery, we found the pies to be thin but soggy, laden with both too much cheese and too much sauce, and only a couple notches above what you'd get at a typical corner slice joint.
On our last visit there, Slice photographer and correspondent E-Rock and I ordered a half-plain, half-mushroom. You have our assessment of the plain side above, and the mushroom counterpart was not saved even by the fungal embellishment. In fact, we received what appeared—and tasted—to be canned 'shrooms. My word!
We confabbed with Seltzerboy, and he backed our opinions. "It's not very good," he said. "I suspect it's one of those places that gets mentioned because it's good for the neighborhood�and people always want to believe that their neighborhood has the best this or the best that. The other thing is that it's a big Columbia hangout."
Which is unfortunate, because that sign has got to be one of the best neon pizza signs out there and the dining room was super cozy, filled with lots of happy looking diners. Still, we're just not feelin' V&T.
V&T Pizzeria Location:1024 Amsterdam Avenue (between 110th and 111th streets) Phone: 212-663-1708 Fax: 212-663-0679 Hours: Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
Even as a Columbia grad who has eaten at V&T more times than I'd like to admit, I find it hard to defend the pizza. It doesn't taste too bad, but it is a soggy mess. I suspect the problem is that they don't have a proper pizza oven, and they certainly don't heat the pizza to a high enough temperature.
The next closest pizza restaurant is Polistina's on Broadway & 82nd or you can get a quick slice at Sal and Carmine's on Broadway and 102nd. Both places are far above average and are good bets if you are in the area.
I was about to post basically what Mike said. I've never understood why V&T's makes "best of" lists, since it's always been nothing but average. But still for some reason I ate there a billion times (just a Columbia thing I guess).
i have a fond spot for V&T, in part because, yes, it did keep me fed during my Columbia years. and in part because my father used to bring it to my mother when she was pregnant with me, so i technically had V&T while in the womb.
the pizza itself had a few virtues (when last i ate there, which was at least 7 years ago) certainly compared to the neighborhood's other options, such as mutant slice merchant Koronet. but it pales in comparison to the Nick's and the Pasty Grimaldi's of the world.
of course, being stuck out in Seattle, V&T -- or indeed anything with less than a half-inch crust -- sounds pretty good these days.
Gotta agree.. in my undergrad years, I always rolled my eyes when people wanted to go to V&T's. It's soggy and flavorless.
I actually do enjoy the ginormous slices at Koronets on Broadway btw. 111 and 110. Foldable slices, thin (albeit chewy) crust, perfect for adorning with sprinkles of pepper, garlic, and parmesean.
I'll concur with what just about everyone has said. V&T's crust is too thin and limp -- it must be eaten either with a fork and knife or after refrigeration. I actually like the flavor of their cheese pie, but the texture and messiness is a deal-breaker.
I'm a Columbia grad too, and I think people's feelings about V&T's are like their feelings about Columbia: we all remember being there in happier days, so we can't help but believe it's better than it really is.
Ok, for anyone who hasn't been to Koronet, you really have to go: it's at 111th St. and Broadway (on the east side).
The pizza isn't great per say, but it's huge. Like REALLY huge. Like the biggest pizza you've ever seen in your life. Definitely a place worth checking out at least once.
Here's a question for the Columbia people: what was your favorite place around Columbia? (recognizing that nothing around Columbia was *that* great).
Koronet. Damn! Slice photographer E-Rock, a Columbia grad himself, took me by there once. We were full and so didn't eat, but he wanted me to see those slices. Bigger than my effin' head, they were. I want to visit again and eat there this time.
no Columbia in me, but I grew up on 113th so here is the secret:
Yes the V&T pies are often to soggy, but its an extremely problem to remedy, just ask for it extra crisp. Done, you'll find yourself with a slamming pie.
On the toppings tip its hit or miss. Get the fresh garlic and either the sausage or the eggplant. Stick with that formula and you'll find its worthy of the best of lists, although it'll never be at the top. Deviate though and yeah, you'll get a decent enough companion to the beer, but nothing special.
As for slices up there, Sal and Carmines on 102 is definitely the best option, but its not spectacular either. Kornet is great when you are very poor and/or drunk, but otherwise avoid it, you are better off at Columbia bagels.
True enough about the sogginess. One thing that doesn't help is that they put foil under the pie in the delivery box, presumbaly to keep in the heat, but it just traps in the moisture.
Here's a tip: (re)heat each slice in a skillet. It crisps the bottom and turns a dodgy pie into something quite tasty.
No-one here has mentioned Che Bella just a few blocks north (Amsterdam and 120th). Not the best pizza in town, but I would say the best in the area (unless Koronet's size-is-everything approach tips the scales for you.)
You guys are all wrong! V&t Pizza is the best the trick is you have to ask for it well done.I admit regularly it is soggy but well done it is the best. Try it if you dont believe me. Sals and Carmines is also the best they have sweet crusts. Arturos on the east side has the best sicilian slices!
I love V&Ts, I'll confess, but even I knew the pizza wasn't good for you and the service ranges from indifferent to hostile, but it's still my favorite NYC cheap pizza. (But I also used to love Tom's and Ollies so maybe I just have no taste). I couldn't tolerate Koronet. Ick. It used to make me puke and I ALWAYS regretted it. I remember getting off the subway in the middle of the night at 110 street even though I lived at 116 with a gaggle of other drunk, stoned or drugged students so we could buy 2 buck slices of Koronet. Ah thems was the days. But for me V&T had two reasons I loved it the most of Columbia establishments: 1) the odd salty yet tangy cheese 2)and that was the first restuarant where I know I could always get wine without being carded. I look really young for my age and before I turned 21 I looked about 12 years old. This wasn't a problem for the indifferent old-world waitstaff. The last time I was at columbia, four years ago I visited it and was shocked to see some of the same waiters as ten years ago. They were old back then. V&Ts is an acquired taste.
I used to eat at V&T when going to school up there 25 years ago. It seemed to be superior to the other places in the neighborhood at the time. I took a girlfriend up there 20 years ago. A cockroach crawled up on the table from the backside of the plastic tablecloth. I ate up there a few years ago, after having been exposed to good pizza all over the country. I have to agree with most of the other posters here. Either my tastes changed, or the pizza went downhill.
dudes,
che bella on amsterdam at 119th. not only for morningside heights, but in all nyc, this place can hold it's own. i can't believe no one has given them dap. go there now.
This has to be one of the sloppiest slices in NYC. The slice I had the last time I was there was more like tomato and cheese soup on under cooked dough. This slice is best eaten by tipping the slice into a bowl and then just eat it with a spoon. Otherwise the glop will just flow off the bottom "crust" onto your hand like lava flow from Mt. Vesuvius. Yuck.
Years ago, I was visiting a friend who attended the Columbia Law school. He took me to a place called the Coronet, a slice place. To the best of my memory, I thought it was located somewhere like the present V&T's site at around 110th and Amsterdam. I'm I mistaken?
V&T's WAS the best pizza in Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980s! Going there was one of the delights of my childhood. Sadly ever since the early 90s the quality has dropped so much that I can't bear to even go in there anymore. In Morningside Heights a better bet for pizza is either Koronet Pizza (110 and B'way) with it's super large slices, or Famous Famiglia's(111 & B'way) which makes a decent slice.
I live at 109 & Bway. I'm surprised you reviewed V&T before Sal & Carmine's. V&T is OK (when cooked). I tried Koronet my first week here and haven't been back since (it's like a slab of extra thick cardboard covered in molten rubber). I prefer to walk down to Sal & Carmine's. Those two guys know what they're doing -- try it plain or with sausage (I like to add basil and red pepper) and make sure it's fresh out the oven. If you're getting a whole pie, call in (212-663-7651) and they'll have it finished for you in the time it takes you to get over there. There's also a difference between the large and medium. Medium pizzas tend to be a little thicker. In any case, you're in for a simple treat: classic salty italian-style dough, and fresh ingredients, better than anything else in the Morningside area. But back to my point -- why V&T before S&C?
While at times V&T can be soggy, when it's good, it's the best pizza in the city. Also, they have the best cheese cake. I have friends all over the states who agree with me. In fact, a group of 36 is coming to town this weekend. Guess where they want to go?
I used to go to V & T in the 1980s. I was living up at 181st and then at up at Broadway Terrace off Broadway near Cloisters territory. I used to get together with a few friends and we'd drive down by St John the Divine to go to V & T. It was always mobbed. We never had a bum pie then. My fave was meatball and eggplant with extra cheese, nice and crispy.
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V&T Pizzeria is a Morningside Heights spot that often draws raves in many of the various "best of" stories that run in the city's various publications at various times of the year. 
24 Comments:
Even as a Columbia grad who has eaten at V&T more times than I'd like to admit, I find it hard to defend the pizza. It doesn't taste too bad, but it is a soggy mess. I suspect the problem is that they don't have a proper pizza oven, and they certainly don't heat the pizza to a high enough temperature.
The next closest pizza restaurant is Polistina's on Broadway & 82nd or you can get a quick slice at Sal and Carmine's on Broadway and 102nd. Both places are far above average and are good bets if you are in the area.
Slice Michael at 11:06PM on 04/07/04
I was about to post basically what Mike said. I've never understood why V&T's makes "best of" lists, since it's always been nothing but average. But still for some reason I ate there a billion times (just a Columbia thing I guess).
Alos, Polistina's closed a few years ago.
Slice Greg at 1:29AM on 04/08/04
i have a fond spot for V&T, in part because, yes, it did keep me fed during my Columbia years. and in part because my father used to bring it to my mother when she was pregnant with me, so i technically had V&T while in the womb.
the pizza itself had a few virtues (when last i ate there, which was at least 7 years ago) certainly compared to the neighborhood's other options, such as mutant slice merchant Koronet. but it pales in comparison to the Nick's and the Pasty Grimaldi's of the world.
of course, being stuck out in Seattle, V&T -- or indeed anything with less than a half-inch crust -- sounds pretty good these days.
Slice jon at 2:03AM on 04/08/04
Gotta agree.. in my undergrad years, I always rolled my eyes when people wanted to go to V&T's. It's soggy and flavorless.
I actually do enjoy the ginormous slices at Koronets on Broadway btw. 111 and 110. Foldable slices, thin (albeit chewy) crust, perfect for adorning with sprinkles of pepper, garlic, and parmesean.
Slice astrid at 9:23AM on 04/08/04
I'll concur with what just about everyone has said. V&T's crust is too thin and limp -- it must be eaten either with a fork and knife or after refrigeration. I actually like the flavor of their cheese pie, but the texture and messiness is a deal-breaker.
I'm a Columbia grad too, and I think people's feelings about V&T's are like their feelings about Columbia: we all remember being there in happier days, so we can't help but believe it's better than it really is.
Slice Jeremy at 2:08PM on 04/08/04
Ok, for anyone who hasn't been to Koronet, you really have to go: it's at 111th St. and Broadway (on the east side).
The pizza isn't great per say, but it's huge. Like REALLY huge. Like the biggest pizza you've ever seen in your life. Definitely a place worth checking out at least once.
Here's a question for the Columbia people: what was your favorite place around Columbia? (recognizing that nothing around Columbia was *that* great).
Slice Greg at 1:01AM on 04/09/04
Koronet. Damn! Slice photographer E-Rock, a Columbia grad himself, took me by there once. We were full and so didn't eat, but he wanted me to see those slices. Bigger than my effin' head, they were. I want to visit again and eat there this time.
Adam Kuban at 11:16AM on 04/09/04
I once ate four. I almost didn't survive.
Slice Greg at 12:57AM on 04/11/04
no Columbia in me, but I grew up on 113th so here is the secret:
Yes the V&T pies are often to soggy, but its an extremely problem to remedy, just ask for it extra crisp. Done, you'll find yourself with a slamming pie.
On the toppings tip its hit or miss. Get the fresh garlic and either the sausage or the eggplant. Stick with that formula and you'll find its worthy of the best of lists, although it'll never be at the top. Deviate though and yeah, you'll get a decent enough companion to the beer, but nothing special.
As for slices up there, Sal and Carmines on 102 is definitely the best option, but its not spectacular either. Kornet is great when you are very poor and/or drunk, but otherwise avoid it, you are better off at Columbia bagels.
Slice Abe at 7:18PM on 04/20/04
True enough about the sogginess. One thing that doesn't help is that they put foil under the pie in the delivery box, presumbaly to keep in the heat, but it just traps in the moisture.
Here's a tip: (re)heat each slice in a skillet. It crisps the bottom and turns a dodgy pie into something quite tasty.
No-one here has mentioned Che Bella just a few blocks north (Amsterdam and 120th). Not the best pizza in town, but I would say the best in the area (unless Koronet's size-is-everything approach tips the scales for you.)
Slice Gareth at 6:21PM on 06/23/04
You guys are all wrong! V&t Pizza is the best the trick is you have to ask for it well done.I admit regularly it is soggy but well done it is the best. Try it if you dont believe me. Sals and Carmines is also the best they have sweet crusts. Arturos on the east side has the best sicilian slices!
Slice Katie at 1:24PM on 06/25/04
I love V&Ts, I'll confess, but even I knew the pizza wasn't good for you and the service ranges from indifferent to hostile, but it's still my favorite NYC cheap pizza. (But I also used to love Tom's and Ollies so maybe I just have no taste). I couldn't tolerate Koronet. Ick. It used to make me puke and I ALWAYS regretted it. I remember getting off the subway in the middle of the night at 110 street even though I lived at 116 with a gaggle of other drunk, stoned or drugged students so we could buy 2 buck slices of Koronet. Ah thems was the days. But for me V&T had two reasons I loved it the most of Columbia establishments: 1) the odd salty yet tangy cheese 2)and that was the first restuarant where I know I could always get wine without being carded. I look really young for my age and before I turned 21 I looked about 12 years old. This wasn't a problem for the indifferent old-world waitstaff. The last time I was at columbia, four years ago I visited it and was shocked to see some of the same waiters as ten years ago. They were old back then. V&Ts is an acquired taste.
Slice christy at 3:45PM on 07/29/04
I used to eat at V&T when going to school up there 25 years ago. It seemed to be superior to the other places in the neighborhood at the time. I took a girlfriend up there 20 years ago. A cockroach crawled up on the table from the backside of the plastic tablecloth. I ate up there a few years ago, after having been exposed to good pizza all over the country. I have to agree with most of the other posters here. Either my tastes changed, or the pizza went downhill.
Slice David at 11:39PM on 08/17/04
try Cheesy Pizza at 100th/Bway. Positively delish.
Slice Cheesy at 11:37AM on 10/12/04
dudes,
che bella on amsterdam at 119th. not only for morningside heights, but in all nyc, this place can hold it's own. i can't believe no one has given them dap. go there now.
Slice jacknife at 12:48PM on 01/18/05
This has to be one of the sloppiest slices in NYC. The slice I had the last time I was there was more like tomato and cheese soup on under cooked dough. This slice is best eaten by tipping the slice into a bowl and then just eat it with a spoon. Otherwise the glop will just flow off the bottom "crust" onto your hand like lava flow from Mt. Vesuvius. Yuck.
Slice Angel Elf at 11:03AM on 08/27/05
Years ago, I was visiting a friend who attended the Columbia Law school. He took me to a place called the Coronet, a slice place. To the best of my memory, I thought it was located somewhere like the present V&T's site at around 110th and Amsterdam. I'm I mistaken?
Slice PIGMON at 7:41AM on 09/06/05
if you aren't traveling for it, a well done pie (take the rest away) is a very good thing
Slice Skank at 7:26PM on 05/03/06
I can't agree more. V&Ts is entirely overrated. It must be pure sentimentality, because the slice just doesn't stand up.
Slice JVM at 1:11PM on 05/08/06
V&T's WAS the best pizza in Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980s! Going there was one of the delights of my childhood. Sadly ever since the early 90s the quality has dropped so much that I can't bear to even go in there anymore. In Morningside Heights a better bet for pizza is either Koronet Pizza (110 and B'way) with it's super large slices, or Famous Famiglia's(111 & B'way) which makes a decent slice.
Slice Ariane at 3:31AM on 09/08/06
I live at 109 & Bway. I'm surprised you reviewed V&T before Sal & Carmine's. V&T is OK (when cooked). I tried Koronet my first week here and haven't been back since (it's like a slab of extra thick cardboard covered in molten rubber). I prefer to walk down to Sal & Carmine's. Those two guys know what they're doing -- try it plain or with sausage (I like to add basil and red pepper) and make sure it's fresh out the oven. If you're getting a whole pie, call in (212-663-7651) and they'll have it finished for you in the time it takes you to get over there. There's also a difference between the large and medium. Medium pizzas tend to be a little thicker. In any case, you're in for a simple treat: classic salty italian-style dough, and fresh ingredients, better than anything else in the Morningside area. But back to my point -- why V&T before S&C?
Slice Michael at 9:48AM on 11/09/06
While at times V&T can be soggy, when it's good, it's the best pizza in the city. Also, they have the best cheese cake. I have friends all over the states who agree with me. In fact, a group of 36 is coming to town this weekend. Guess where they want to go?
Slice Alex at 9:41PM on 02/15/07
I used to go to V & T in the 1980s. I was living up at 181st and then at up at Broadway Terrace off Broadway near Cloisters territory. I used to get together with a few friends and we'd drive down by St John the Divine to go to V & T. It was always mobbed. We never had a bum pie then. My fave was meatball and eggplant with extra cheese, nice and crispy.
Stushi at 5:03PM on 10/01/07
I have been eating at V&T since 1962 and it makes the best-tasting extra-cheese, garlic, well-done bacon pizza!!!!! Just ask for a firm crust...
I love it...
...but some others don't like the pizza there: too sloppy, etc.
So be it.
Enjoy! The best pizza I ever ate was in the Catskills and then in Pittsburgh!!!
Hugs, Neal
nealhugh at 10:55PM on 01/03/09