NYC pizza is a sacred thing, and we New Yorkers take this food group veryyyy seriously. So while pickle pizza did certainly catch us off guard (though we’d be lying if we said we weren’t slightly intrigued) what doesn’t catch us off guard is the fact that America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, stands right here in NYC. Honestly, where else would it stand?! Even more, it’s celebrating its 120th birthday this year!
Founded in 1905, America’s first pizzeria has been serving slices in the same section of Manhattan’s Little Italy since Gennaro Lombardi first crafted it using his bakers trade he learned from Naples. The shop actually began as a grocery store, selling pizza strictly as a way to use up leftover dough and cheese. However, Lombardi’s pies were so sought after that he eventually switched gears over to owning a pizza shop.
If we’re really going to get into it, Lombardi’s is America’s oldest pizzeria in the sense that it was the first in NYC before closing in 1987 following an economic downturn. Seven years later, though, Lombardi’s grandson opened another restaurant with the same name a block away, and the rest is history. Over a hundred years later, they’ve certainly still got it, serving up top notch pies every day. And, well, it’s pretty much the same as it was when it began!…