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Apr 06, 2023

20 distinct pizza styles you must try — and where to find them on Staten Island

Ungaro Coal Fired Pizza Cafe relies on a coal-fired oven for its distinct taste

Ungaro Coal Fired Pizza Cafe relies on a coal-fired oven for its distinct taste and mouthfeel. (Staten Island Advance/Lauren Lovall)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — How well does a pizza lover know thy pizza?

Some experts in the borough's delectable pies can smell a good one coming by sniffing out oregano-forward sauce or aggressive garlic application. Or there's the special sight of a pie with a roast-y distinct crust coming from a brick, coal-fired or wood smoked oven.

Listed alphabetically, here are 20 pizza styles illustrated by restaurants from shore to shore, including some one-of-a-kinds.

There are 107 dedicated pizza places on the Staten Island, not to mention restaurants that serve the item on their menu. So not all of our great restaurants are named here due to that vast number. But feel free to add to the conversation at [email protected].

The famous clam pie from Lee's Tavern. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)SIA

1.) Bar pie — smaller than 10-inches in diameter with a cracker-crunch crust and toppings that go about a finger's length to the edges; best consumed on premises (Lee's Tavern in Dongan Hills)

The finished M.O.R pie at Denino's (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) Staff-Shot

A notable variation aka Tavern Pie is when cheese is placed right on top of the dough, then applied with toppings and, finally, a gentle ladling of sauce to finish (Denino's of Port Richmond)

Rustic Pizza & Pasteria's biscuit-like crust in Grant City (Staten Island Advance/Lauren Lovallo)

2.) Biscuit-crusted pie — A pie with an unctuous, almost flaky, cheese-baked crust (Rustic pizza in Grant City)

Joe and Pat's of Castleton Corners (Staten Island Advance File Photo)staten island advance

3.) Thin crust — Roast-y, floury crust with a cracker-like texture (Joe & Pat's)

Dough By Licastri's vibrant greens on a pie (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Staff-Shot

4.) California-style — Generally thin-crust pie topped with greens or uncooked toppings after it comes from the oven. Best we can do here is Dough By Licastri to illustrate although their crust is on the thicker side. (Dough By Licastri of Dongan Hills)

Ungaro's pie with its charred edges (Staten Island Advance/Lauren Lovallo)

5.) Coal-fired — Crust sports a pleasant char and bold ash flavor that complement creamy and acidic toppings; best eaten in the restaurant (Ungaro's of Port Richmond)

Big Al's Chicago-style pizza (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

6.) Chicago-style — A deep dish pie stuffed with copious cheese and chunky tomato sauce with a wide flange crust. Our translation is a round pie dubbed "Chicago" by Big Al's of Great Kills. (Big Al's)

Onion Focaccia at Bruno's (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri) Staff-Shot

7.) Focaccia — A square creation with a fluffier, more pillowy dough than Sicilian and the delightful mouthfeel of olive oil-basted dough (Bruno's NYC Bakery and Restaurant of Dongan Hills)

Osteria Santina offers pizza. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

8.) Grandma — Square pie with a relatively thin, biscuit-like crust typically notable for a striped arrangement of sauce and cheese (Osteria Santina of Westerleigh)

Pronto's distinct crust from the New Dorp restaurant (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si

9.) Pan pie — Thick on the crust edge leading into a sunken set of cheese and toppings, the dough is sturdy enough (yet airy and flavorful) to hold a myriad of weighty toppings like cheesesteak, Buffalo chicken and cooked spinach plus ample fresh mozzarella (Pronto Pizza of Staten Island)

Mangia in Tottenville (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

10.) Mangia-style — Hefty, evenly crafted crust holds generous and hefty additions atop cheese, i.e. artichoke and fried spinach topped with creamy gorgonzola sauce and is rectangular-shaped when served whole. Not quite a pan pie, Sicilian or deep dish but all of that nicely put together. (Mangia in Tottenville)

Oaxaca Deli's Mexican riff (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

11.) Mexican Pie — A side gig to a taqueria with creative license on South of the Border ingredients like avocado, pico di gallo and chorizo (Oaxaca Deli of West Brighton)

The Round Pie's unique creation might be dubbed a "Miftari Pie" for the signature details of the pizza. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si

12.) Miftari pie — The name "Round Pie" where this varietal originated doesn't do this pizza justice, by general standards. There are many distinct parts to this creation by developed by the Miftari family members — it's tidiness, consistency and delectable crunch from the ball-bearing like bits of breadcrumb on the bottom of the dough. (The Round Pie of Castleton Corners)

A Neapolitan pie from Casa Nino's Pizza Bar in Woodrow (Staten Island Advance File Photo)

13.) Neapolitan — Made with fresh mozzarella and fresh tomato sauce sourced from the Naples region of Italy with specifics on flour that yield a fragrant, pliable dough and patina pattern on top. (Casa Nino's Pizza Bar in Woodrow)

New York Pizza classic slice pie from Cafe Milano in West Brighton (Must credit: Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

14.) New York Style — Made with low-moisture mozzarella that bubbles and marries into a marbled melding of sauce and cheese. The crust is notable for its interior fluff and outer crunch — lots to appreciate in this with texture and flavor. (Cafe Milano of West Brighton)

A broccole rabe, cheese and sausage pizza at Seppe at Urby in Stapleton. (Staten Island Advance/Carol Ann Benanti) Staten Island AdvanceStaten Island Advance

15.) Pan Pizza — Dough edges caramelize with the unctuous juices from toppings and cheese cooked right in a pan. Call it Sicilian but the pan-roasting puts this in another genre. (Seppe of Stapleton)

Pizza Rustica at A&C Superette (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri) Staff-Shot

16.) Pizza Rustica — Arguably not a traditional pizza, but a pizza meant to be acknowledged. It's a custard pie made around the holidays with bits of cured or cooked meats such as prosciutto, ham, salami, sausage crumbles, pancetta, etc. (A&C Superette in Castleton Corners)

A Sicilian at Brothers (Staten Island Advance/Lauren Lovallo)

17.) Sicilian — Square pie with a dense and thick dough base (Brothers of Port Richmond)

Sfincione with caciocavallo cheese (Courtesy of Leonardo Giordano)

18.) Sfincione — Topped with breadcrumbs mashed with or without anchovy and roasted with Caciocavallo cheese and extra-virgin olive oil (Mona Lisa of Annadale)

Goodfella's now in Great Kills with its famed vodka pie (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si

19.) Wood-fired brick oven — It's got smoke on the palate. It's got toothsomeness with the dough. And sometimes the toppings play on those qualities with briny prosciutto and an edge of creaminess from Vodka sauce. (Goodfella's of Great Kills)

Bario's white pie (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si

20.) White — A perfect balance of ricotta and mozzarella cheese roasted with olive oil for a smooth cheese sheen, sometimes "clammed" up with generous amounts of garlic (Bario's in New Springville)

Native Staten Islander and pizza lover Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor.

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