quality content. Portnoy has nothing on this dude. Love hearing about these old NYC pizzerias . That pizza looks excellent I’d probably skip on the basil but the cheese quality , brightness of that sauce and coal fired crust out of a 100 year old seasoned pizza oven wow Johns is an experience’ I’m sure
Portnoy is a clown he is using his clout to bully these pizza shops. He doesn't know nothing about pizza. Portnoy did several review with Jon Taffer and that guy knows his stuff.
I had a late lunch at John's today and I agree with you totally!! I had a regular pie and I am amazed at the reasonable price based on quality AND the number of folks who appeared to be tourists eating there. It is great pizza! I forgot to get the Basil this time. I will remember next time! Mike
Now that's a review. I'll have to rewatch the first one, too. That's probably the most up close video footage I've seen of their pizza. That cheese is something else. The color and stretch of it reminds me a lot of brie. I didn't see any hard grated cheese on it, but not every pizza really has to have it, I suppose. And wow, they certainly didn't skimp on the fresh basil. I can tell for sure that was baked in a coal fired oven from the color and the body of the crust. That looks a lot like my own pizza when I use anthracite in my outdoor oven. Thanks for another excellent pizza adventure.
Wow Dirk I always wanted to know what your pizza looked like now I know. So very impressive my man it must be a hell of a pizza. Most of the time I look for grated cheese because so many low moisture mozzarellas used on pizzas are flavorless compared to the higher end ones. It’s also very possible that they dusted the sauce with some hard grated cheese because it was a bit salty and tangy
By the way I had to take the old video down because it was proving to be detrimental to the channel. Turns out that many people down voted it because of my chewing noises and so I’ve come along way with that LOL Also think I’d prefer to have the one official score even though I scored it almost as high as the first time which was a 9.4
@@pizzareviewsonthego I don’t mean to imply that my pizza is as good as theirs. I have no idea because I’ve never had it. But it does look quite a bit like that. I never thought about the fact that there might be some Parmesan or Romano mixed in with the sauce. I don’t think very many places do that, but a few here and there. Maybe a lot more in your neck of the woods than where I live. The place I work at does that.
Looks great brotha. I live in philly and never been to johns/di fara all the big names. Gotta get out more. What ya said about the coal grills having that years of seasoning is so true. We have "taconellis pizza" near me , super famous and same old style coal oven.
@@nellythedragon1447 Yes Nelly, I went twice. I did Pizzeria Beddia. I'm going back again soon. I recently visited PA last week and reviewed Russo's. I'll be in PA again this week.
If you go there get it with the Hot Peppers and Sausage. I was there this past Saturday but got a Sasso Pie because my friend is vegetarian so I didn't get toppings.
Hope you made a video to Reheat those slices! I wonder if the video would have been better if you left that string of mozzarella on that first bite. Lol. Loved the outro story describing the dining room. Now I need to go back!
Coal fired pizzas made with low gluten flour don't reheat well I find. I will see what I can do, I reserved a slice for a reheat video but I had put it in the freezer. Thanks for the feedback, I decided to describe the restaurant along with the pizza last minute and so that's why the video publication was delayed.
@5:00 Scott Wiener says John’s just uses Polly-O, though it’s the food service version. They sell three food service varieties of low moisture mozzarella in loaf form when you look at the Polly-O website today: whole milk, part skim, and one called “Pizza Perfect”. John's just uses the blue label whole milk low moisture mozzarella. Bonus: They use Stanislaus 7/11 tomatoes and General Mills "Gold Metal" Full Strength flour.
Interesting. Cheese does remind me of Polly-O. That crust is so light, I'd never think it would be a GM gold metal flour. I guess it comes down to the oven and quick cook.
@@pizzareviewsonthegoA bunch of the old school spots use a bread flour at around 12% protein or specifically use Full Strength (12.6%), which was invented in the early 1920s and they continues with it: Sally's, John's, Modern and Pepe's there's a pic of Frank Pepe's next to a heap of full of bags of Full Strength. The highest gluten flour wasn't invented yet. Two key facts, via Scott Wiener's "Demystifying Pizza Ingredients" presentation, I recently learned: 1) In 1965 "mozzerella" in the US got a legal definition. Before that pizzerias were using a wide variety of both fresh, semi-fresh, and aged mozzarella (like Scamorza or Scamorza-like), as the industrialization of cheese spread starting in the 40s. 2) After 1965, most pizza makers converted to the new legally defined "mozzerella" that used to just be called "pizza cheese" more specifically designed for pizza and other applications. Same for provolone and other cheeses. If I could link stuff, I'd send you the link of the pictures outside of John's that shows the ingredient shipment they got outside of the shop. People forget how old that Polly-O is the New York area and how dominant it was for a while. I notice retail Polly-O is wetter than most other brands, which some home pizzamakers tend to dislike. But, yeah, I think once you bake that in such a dry coal oven, it turns out fine on a pie. I've seen videos on how John's tops the pie with cheese and it doesn't look so wet by then, but Polly-O food service whole milk *is* different from retail. By the way, Grande became popular to use specifically in slice joints as years went on, partly because of the mob. There was a deal made between Al Capone and mob boss, Joe Banano that eventually helped lead to it's dominance being sold via big NY area distributor, Roma Foods. Rumor is, John's "No Slices" moniker exists because they were one of the holdouts against Grande and that was codeword for they followed the mob's rules. There's a New Yorker article (and others) and a video about this.
Thanks Norman, I was quite happy with this review. Not really a Napoletana style, but more of a traditional NY coal fired pizza which was indeed fashioned in the spirit of Neopolitans. John Sasso the original owner was an immigrant from Naples.
A legendary classic. The way they apply the sliced cheese (iirc) and sauce works best for me at home too. That's quite a bit of basil -- cerainly didn't skimp, lol. Uncooked or simmered sauce?
new yorker for over 40 years. john's is defacto standard coal fire pizza, simple, thin, fresh tomato flavor and good cheese. must try if visiting nyc, go to the original downtown bleecker location, not midtown.
@@pizzareviewsonthego yea, seems on track. Joe’s is 23 bucks. I grew up in the Pelham pkwy section of the Bx. As a kid I could get a huge, greasy gavonne slice for 2 dollars with a peach Snapple on eastchester rd. Those days are gone :’(
Also by the time I finish the review and all that talking the pizza cools down and I want it piping hot so I go home, I reheat it and dress it up with the chili flakes
Do you know if your pizza was cooked in an oven on the right side of restaurant or left? I've heard right side has the better ovens ... more seasoned ... by people much more knowledgeable than me. And I've been there at least 20 times.
Just walked out of John's... After we accidentally ate at Bleecker Street Pizza adjacent to it 😂 Both very different. Neither are a religious experience. Awesome review nonetheless. Keep it up!
Man, if you shipped me a pizza from John's on dry ice I would probably still give it a 9. EVERY review I have seen on RUclips is a 9+ or a A+...Did I hear you say the cheese was NOT mozzarella? Good choice of topping with the basil. I try to order basil on all my pizzas. This has to be one of your highest scores.
Not fresh mozzarella it’s low moisture mozzarella it’s quite different but it’s such a good low moisture cheese that it’s almost as milky as fresh mozzarella. Absolutely my second highest score under DiFara and tied with best pizza.
@@lukehemsworth3686 They do that because they don't put it on their standard pie. If anything you pay less with it off the pie. Most Margheritas at the good spots are like $23
Is it true that San Marzano tomatoes is rare occurrence on NY pizzas. Because of the specific microclimate, small plots of farmland and strict growing guidelines in the region it’s hard to come by true San Marzano. I hear even if the same class of tomatoes are grown elsewhere it still does not classify as true San Marzano tomatoes.
Politically speaking, no they do not classify as true San Marzano's. The tomatoes grown in Naples are kind of patented. The ones grown elsewhere are of the same stock but grown in completely different soils but not so much climate. California climate is very ideal for growing tomatoes, but the soil is different. Despite the difference, it doesn't necessarily mean it's worse than Naples. Whether you want to call them true San Marzano's or not would depend on the quality and taste.
I always find a spot in 10 minutes at least. After 7pm it's free in most areas, some areas it's free all day. For this place I like to park on any of the residential streets along 7th avenue, Jones street, Cornelia, or on 7th ave. Try Leroy street and Beford street. Waverly is always a good street, just a few blocks away.
Needs more flavor in the sauce. Pizza is good and light. Definitely could eat the whole thing but it's flavorless. Sauce could use some oregano or Italian seasoning.
Many people prefer much more robust sauce perhaps one that is simmered with garlic and herbs and as for me, when I go with that margarita, I always opt for basil I never really go for basil and oregano because when you’re using a very good tomato sauce such as San Marzano here on the Bleecker Street pie you want to taste that quality of the tomato. For some, it could be underwhelming especially if you’re used to NY style pizza. and yeah I meant I myself prefer DiFara’s sauce over this because it is zesty and spiced, however, it’s nice to taste very raw sauce sometimes, especially sauce such as this, marketed as San Marzano‘s.
I don’t know man. I don’t believe in the hype that droopy thick crust pizza doesn’t look like it belongs in the 8’s Nevermind 9’s but hey don’t judge a pizza by its looks.
@@Thecarexchangepodcast Those crusts were chewier than John's I find. I don't care if it flops, as long as its crispy or light and not gummy. I got a crispy first bite, watch on the phone, better audio. Also Grimaldi's is way paler. I knocked it for being chewy just like I knocked Juliana's to be too chewy, should be tender if chewy and not gummy.
Today's rewatch, after watching a round of pizza reviews from other RUclipsrs. There's a reason I always return to this channel- it's still the best!
quality content. Portnoy has nothing on this dude. Love hearing about these old NYC pizzerias . That pizza looks excellent I’d probably skip on the basil but the cheese quality , brightness of that sauce and coal fired crust out of a 100 year old seasoned pizza oven wow Johns is an experience’ I’m sure
Portnoy is a clown he is using his clout to bully these pizza shops. He doesn't know nothing about pizza. Portnoy did several review with Jon Taffer and that guy knows his stuff.
John’s is epic. Up there for sure with other greats like Sally’s Apizza, Di’Fara, Lucali. Prob #1 or 2 for me.
Great review! John's is still my all-time favorite pizza. Plus, I love the fact that the restaurant has so much history.
Aaaah the World Famous John's of B. great review Antonio!
You lucky pizzadog New Yorker.You guys are spoiled with pizza greatness.
Was there this past week, it is not overrated!
What a great looking pizza and review as always thanks
I still watch this Video Antonio classic 😎
I had a late lunch at John's today and I agree with you totally!! I had a regular pie and I am amazed at the reasonable price based on quality AND the number of folks who appeared to be tourists eating there. It is great pizza! I forgot to get the Basil this time. I will remember next time!
Mike
I want to try the Sasso, I'd probably score it higher. I like the basil, maybe they put too much though.
Really love your channel !
Good description man! I felt like i was eating it, thanks!
Now that's a review. I'll have to rewatch the first one, too. That's probably the most up close video footage I've seen of their pizza. That cheese is something else. The color and stretch of it reminds me a lot of brie. I didn't see any hard grated cheese on it, but not every pizza really has to have it, I suppose. And wow, they certainly didn't skimp on the fresh basil. I can tell for sure that was baked in a coal fired oven from the color and the body of the crust. That looks a lot like my own pizza when I use anthracite in my outdoor oven. Thanks for another excellent pizza adventure.
Wow Dirk I always wanted to know what your pizza looked like now I know. So very impressive my man it must be a hell of a pizza. Most of the time I look for grated cheese because so many low moisture mozzarellas used on pizzas are flavorless compared to the higher end ones. It’s also very possible that they dusted the sauce with some hard grated cheese because it was a bit salty and tangy
By the way I had to take the old video down because it was proving to be detrimental to the channel. Turns out that many people down voted it because of my chewing noises and so I’ve come along way with that LOL Also think I’d prefer to have the one official score even though I scored it almost as high as the first time which was a 9.4
@@pizzareviewsonthego I don’t mean to imply that my pizza is as good as theirs. I have no idea because I’ve never had it. But it does look quite a bit like that. I never thought about the fact that there might be some Parmesan or Romano mixed in with the sauce. I don’t think very many places do that, but a few here and there. Maybe a lot more in your neck of the woods than where I live. The place I work at does that.
Looks great brotha. I live in philly and never been to johns/di fara all the big names. Gotta get out more. What ya said about the coal grills having that years of seasoning is so true. We have "taconellis pizza" near me , super famous and same old style coal oven.
Thanks, hope you get around soon!
Great review!!!
Very excellent review. Incredibly in-depth. And probably the only pizza review that doesn’t copy the prez
Nice comment, thank you for saying. This channel has come a long way I think, since the early days.
@@pizzareviewsonthego Do you ever go to philly?
@@nellythedragon1447 Yes Nelly, I went twice. I did Pizzeria Beddia. I'm going back again soon. I recently visited PA last week and reviewed Russo's. I'll be in PA again this week.
Makes my top 5 spots!
If you go there get it with the Hot Peppers and Sausage. I was there this past Saturday but got a Sasso Pie because my friend is vegetarian so I didn't get toppings.
I enjoyed the video!
Hope you made a video to Reheat those slices! I wonder if the video would have been better if you left that string of mozzarella on that first bite. Lol. Loved the outro story describing the dining room. Now I need to go back!
Coal fired pizzas made with low gluten flour don't reheat well I find. I will see what I can do, I reserved a slice for a reheat video but I had put it in the freezer. Thanks for the feedback, I decided to describe the restaurant along with the pizza last minute and so that's why the video publication was delayed.
A friend from Manhattan came for a visit to central PA so I threw away the 30 min delivery settling for a 4.5 hr time. Amazing pie
Pizza can taste okay 5 hours later.
@@pizzareviewsonthego especially when it’s John’s!
Nice job. My highest all time score.
@5:00 Scott Wiener says John’s just uses Polly-O, though it’s the food service version.
They sell three food service varieties of low moisture mozzarella in loaf form when you look at the Polly-O website today: whole milk, part skim, and one called “Pizza Perfect”. John's just uses the blue label whole milk low moisture mozzarella.
Bonus: They use Stanislaus 7/11 tomatoes and General Mills "Gold Metal" Full Strength flour.
Interesting. Cheese does remind me of Polly-O. That crust is so light, I'd never think it would be a GM gold metal flour. I guess it comes down to the oven and quick cook.
@@pizzareviewsonthegoA bunch of the old school spots use a bread flour at around 12% protein or specifically use Full Strength (12.6%), which was invented in the early 1920s and they continues with it: Sally's, John's, Modern and Pepe's there's a pic of Frank Pepe's next to a heap of full of bags of Full Strength. The highest gluten flour wasn't invented yet.
Two key facts, via Scott Wiener's "Demystifying Pizza Ingredients" presentation, I recently learned:
1) In 1965 "mozzerella" in the US got a legal definition. Before that pizzerias were using a wide variety of both fresh, semi-fresh, and aged mozzarella (like Scamorza or Scamorza-like), as the industrialization of cheese spread starting in the 40s.
2) After 1965, most pizza makers converted to the new legally defined "mozzerella" that used to just be called "pizza cheese" more specifically designed for pizza and other applications. Same for provolone and other cheeses.
If I could link stuff, I'd send you the link of the pictures outside of John's that shows the ingredient shipment they got outside of the shop.
People forget how old that Polly-O is the New York area and how dominant it was for a while. I notice retail Polly-O is wetter than most other brands, which some home pizzamakers tend to dislike. But, yeah, I think once you bake that in such a dry coal oven, it turns out fine on a pie. I've seen videos on how John's tops the pie with cheese and it doesn't look so wet by then, but Polly-O food service whole milk *is* different from retail.
By the way, Grande became popular to use specifically in slice joints as years went on, partly because of the mob. There was a deal made between Al Capone and mob boss, Joe Banano that eventually helped lead to it's dominance being sold via big NY area distributor, Roma Foods.
Rumor is, John's "No Slices" moniker exists because they were one of the holdouts against Grande and that was codeword for they followed the mob's rules. There's a New Yorker article (and others) and a video about this.
Nice Napolitano PIZZA and a great score from a professional PIZZA expert, for sure.....
Thanks Norman, I was quite happy with this review. Not really a Napoletana style, but more of a traditional NY coal fired pizza which was indeed fashioned in the spirit of Neopolitans. John Sasso the original owner was an immigrant from Naples.
A legendary classic. The way they apply the sliced cheese (iirc) and sauce works best for me at home too. That's quite a bit of basil -- cerainly didn't skimp, lol.
Uncooked or simmered sauce?
Good question, possible that it's simmered. I love the cheese on this pizza.
Looks soooo good
new yorker for over 40 years. john's is defacto standard coal fire pizza, simple, thin, fresh tomato flavor and good cheese. must try if visiting nyc, go to the original downtown bleecker location, not midtown.
Think you could do a review of lazzara’s??
Oh man, I went during the pandemic and they were closing early. I need to get there, thanks for the reminder.
Please go again 2023 Finally
Pretty damn expensive for a simple pie! Gotta pay that Greenwich village rent somehow, I suppose.
$26 With the basil
@@pizzareviewsonthego yea, seems on track. Joe’s is 23 bucks. I grew up in the Pelham pkwy section of the Bx. As a kid I could get a huge, greasy gavonne slice for 2 dollars with a peach Snapple on eastchester rd. Those days are gone :’(
What a pizza.My God.Never seen nothing similar.
Great score, that pizza wouldn't make it home if I picked it up
I had Joe’s right afterward, two slices and then when I went home I had five more slices of the Bleecker pie
Also by the time I finish the review and all that talking the pizza cools down and I want it piping hot so I go home, I reheat it and dress it up with the chili flakes
Do you know if your pizza was cooked in an oven on the right side of restaurant or left? I've heard right side has the better ovens ... more seasoned ... by people much more knowledgeable than me. And I've been there at least 20 times.
Right side, the footage of the oven was taken last year and I asked the guy if it was the original he said yes.
Just walked out of John's... After we accidentally ate at Bleecker Street Pizza adjacent to it 😂
Both very different. Neither are a religious experience.
Awesome review nonetheless. Keep it up!
Never eat pizza if you're not hungry! lol. Yes, definitely different...thanks for the compliment.
Man, if you shipped me a pizza from John's on dry ice I would probably still give it a 9. EVERY review I have seen on RUclips is a 9+ or a A+...Did I hear you say the cheese was NOT mozzarella? Good choice of topping with the basil. I try to order basil on all my pizzas. This has to be one of your highest scores.
Not fresh mozzarella it’s low moisture mozzarella it’s quite different but it’s such a good low moisture cheese that it’s almost as milky as fresh mozzarella. Absolutely my second highest score under DiFara and tied with best pizza.
@@pizzareviewsonthego Ok, I understand now the cheese...the crisp of the crust and the undercarriage looked and sounded absolutely off the chain! 🍕
Never heard of charging for basil.
@@lukehemsworth3686 They do that because they don't put it on their standard pie. If anything you pay less with it off the pie. Most Margheritas at the good spots are like $23
You can order them on goldbelly
It's better than lucali and di fara for sure for me
2/3 for crisp? Damn what earns 3 bolts??
Usually gas or electric oven pizza. Never the brick oven or coal oven stuff…
Is it true that San Marzano tomatoes is rare occurrence on NY pizzas. Because of the specific microclimate, small plots of farmland and strict growing guidelines in the region it’s hard to come by true San Marzano. I hear even if the same class of tomatoes are grown elsewhere it still does not classify as true San Marzano tomatoes.
Politically speaking, no they do not classify as true San Marzano's. The tomatoes grown in Naples are kind of patented. The ones grown elsewhere are of the same stock but grown in completely different soils but not so much climate. California climate is very ideal for growing tomatoes, but the soil is different. Despite the difference, it doesn't necessarily mean it's worse than Naples. Whether you want to call them true San Marzano's or not would depend on the quality and taste.
You don’t see because they are triple the price.
where do you park for this place?
I always find a spot in 10 minutes at least. After 7pm it's free in most areas, some areas it's free all day. For this place I like to park on any of the residential streets along 7th avenue, Jones street, Cornelia, or on 7th ave. Try Leroy street and Beford street. Waverly is always a good street, just a few blocks away.
that is actually whole milk mozzarella my friend.
That is my favorite cheese that they use on this pie. Reminds me of the cheese they use at Patsy's.
Needs more flavor in the sauce. Pizza is good and light. Definitely could eat the whole thing but it's flavorless. Sauce could use some oregano or Italian seasoning.
Many people prefer much more robust sauce perhaps one that is simmered with garlic and herbs and as for me, when I go with that margarita, I always opt for basil I never really go for basil and oregano because when you’re using a very good tomato sauce such as San Marzano here on the Bleecker Street pie you want to taste that quality of the tomato. For some, it could be underwhelming especially if you’re used to NY style pizza. and yeah I meant I myself prefer DiFara’s sauce over this because it is zesty and spiced, however, it’s nice to taste very raw sauce sometimes, especially sauce such as this, marketed as San Marzano‘s.
@@pizzareviewsonthego I tried the "Brooklyn" at Eleventh St pizza in Miami. You will like that. Very nutty and salty. Smell is fantastic.
@@dmncnlou That Eleventh st. pizza looks amazing.
I don’t know man. I don’t believe in the hype that droopy thick crust pizza doesn’t look like it belongs in the 8’s Nevermind 9’s but hey don’t judge a pizza by its looks.
Coal fired pizza is like Neopolitan pizza, they are all floppy. That crust is made with superior low gluten flour. Not belong in the 8's? Bananas.
San Marzano tomato’s and the best cheese you can find and you think the score is too high? On a crust like that?
Definitely a low 9. Most consistent old school place in NY. Patsys and Totonnos usually undercook.
Yeah I’ve had it wasn’t that impressed . Julianas and Grimaldis don’t flop like that.
@@Thecarexchangepodcast Those crusts were chewier than John's I find. I don't care if it flops, as long as its crispy or light and not gummy. I got a crispy first bite, watch on the phone, better audio. Also Grimaldi's is way paler. I knocked it for being chewy just like I knocked Juliana's to be too chewy, should be tender if chewy and not gummy.
Letting a John masterpiece go cold is a no-go.
Too much talking I do...
If u only knew what goes on there
Like what?