There are no shortages of pizzerias or Italian restaurants in Astoria. The hard part is sifting through the masses to find the good ones. We’ve had our fair share of mediocre pizza and pastas throughout the hood, which is why we’ve made it our side mission to try them all and make our own go-to list. Alba Pizza off Ditmars is definitely not one to pass up.
From the outside, it looks like a typical NYC pizzeria. There’s the slices ready for reheat and a few small quick-sitting tables. But if you ask for a seat facing 37th st, there’s an adorable seating area with large huge windows that almost feel like you’re dining outside. Much more “fancy“, if you will.
First we ordered the Veal Sorrentino – lightly breaded veal cutlets topped with eggplant, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and marinara sauce. In the previous photo you can’t really see all the layers, but here cut in half you can definitely see what’s going on underneath. Everything was perfectly cooked and flavored well.
Then we got the Portobello Mushroom Raviolis in Vodka Sauce. You can tell that this place isn’t your typical NYC pizzeria. Not just with the thoughtful presentation, but also with the flavors.
Obviously I cut it this way for an Instagram photo, but you can tell the raviolis were packed with mushrooms and had the right amount of sauce to pick everything up with.
Stephen is the most predictable person and ordered the Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza.
This was probably my least favorite part of the meal, but it wasn’t “bad” by any means. That’s just how good everything else was we ordered. I think we just picked the wrong pizza pie. It was plated beautifully though on a wooden cutting board which I thought was original.
Definitely a neighborhood spot I’d like to hit up more often. Perhaps try the pizza slices individually first before ordering a whole pie. And also good to note is that the servings were quite large. The veal came with a side of your choice, to which we chose the spaghetti and sauce.
Website: albapizza.com
Address: 3620 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105
