With more than 1500 pizza places in New York City, you have to be outstanding to separate yourself from the pack.
From dollar pizzas to more expensive restaurants, thin crust or regular, there’s a critical mass of pizza joints in Gotham. For a pizza to stand out above the rest, it has to be way above that crowded high bar.
Gruppo on Avenue B in between 6th and 7th street may just be one of those pizza places that deserves to be on multiple lists.
Recommended to me by a neighbor, I finally made it to Gruppo on a Saturday night. It wasn’t that busy considering it was prime time during the weekend. I’m not complaining, just observing. I’m happy to sit down immediately. Gruppo gives off warm and cozy; a great place to congregate with some friends, a date, or just meet up with some friends.
We ordered a large pie — half “Shroomtown” and half “Tres Fuegos” which came with eight medium to large-sized slices.
The Tres Fuegos side was made up of spicy marinara sauce, sauteed shrimp cut in pieces, crumbled spicy chorizo and topped with manchego cheese. The shrimp was plentiful, the chorizo provided delicious texture and there was just enough kick in the marinara and chorizo that it wasn’t overpowering, but made you wanting more.
The popular Shroomtown’s base of marinara sauce and cheese helped to feature the three types of mushrooms: portobello, shitake and button mushrooms all with a nice touch of white truffle oil. Though I think it lacked the complexity of what I tasted in the Tres Fuegos, the slices were packed with mushrooms and like the spice in the Tres Fuegos, it was just enough truffle oil to make you want that next bite.
We ate the entire pizza and could have ate another piece each — not that we weren’t full, it was just that tasty. And consuming four slices at Gruppo didn’t make us feel heavy and greasy afterwards — that’s difficult to do.
All in all, Gruppo’s thin crust offering was one of the best, if not the best thin crust pizza I’ve ever had. And there’s something (good) to be said about a large pizza that doesn’t make you feel bad about yourself after devouring half of it. Gruppo all day.
Gruppo
98 Ave B
New York, NY 10009
East Village, Alphabet City
