Manhattan Pizza

From the food to the New York-like ambiance, Manhattan Pizza is a great start to the typical, yet unique, Italian food restaurant situated in the heart of the Big Apple. Except the fact that it is located in Aldie, Virginia.

Although you’re greeted with an unlit sign that says “Manhattan Pizza” in big, block-like letters, which is somewhat generic, it gets better from there. Walking in, there is a sudden shift in the environment, as if you’ve just walked out of the pitch-black movie theatre directly into blinding sunlight; the wall is comprised of urban-like, rustic white brick that contributes greatly to the overall feel of the restaurant. To the right is numerous black and white paintings of the usual breath-taking view of Manhattan, famous musicians such as Frank Sinatra, and of course, a patriotic painting of Lady Liberty, which surprisingly appeals to many customers.

Behind the counter is at least 100 empty pizza boxes up on a shelf that seem as if they haven’t been used for years, and in two corners of the restaurant are 20-inch televisions that nobody in the history of the restaurant has ever paid attention to.

However, from my experience, the typical pizza restaurant in New York was never perfect; so does Manhattan Pizza really make you feel as if you are literally in Manhattan? As a matter of fact, yes. For the most part.

This restaurant encompasses all aspects of a great New York-style restaurant at a great bargain, too. Just under $15, you can feed your family of four or five, while keeping them satisfied as well. But that’s not the best part. Let’s say you’re a family of one. In that case, ordering online would be the best option, seeing as all you have to do is walk into the store and walk back out in less than two minutes. But here’s the bargain: two slices and a drink will cost you just $6 in between 11am and 3pm!

If you decide to dine in, the employees seem particularly nice, and you might even end up having a nice conversation with the front desk waiter, who not only cares about the quality of the food, but also cares about the quality of the whole ‘restaurant experience.’ You might even overhear the occasional overly-loud conversations that occur in the back kitchen, in which two or three cooks yell at each other in Italian.

In my opinion, the most important dish to judge when dining at an Italian restaurant is the infamous margherita pizza. At first glance, there is the fresh, dark-red tomato sauce evenly spread to all sides, several large circles of melty mozzarella cheese fairly distributed throughout so that no one can complain about getting less cheese than his brother, several tomatoes packed with fresh juices glistening on them, and some garnishing to freshen up the entire pizza.

To be honest, it seemed promising, and it definitely delivered. Once I first bit into a slice, the first thing that hit me was the tanginess and creaminess of the tomato sauce that didn’t make the crust too soft and soggy. Then was the mozzarella that was perfectly melted to complement the tomato sauce. Then was the crunchiness of the crust that proved that the pizza was cooked in an authentic pizza oven. It hit all of the factors that make a margherita pizza amazing.

Then there’s the classic steak and cheese sub with provolone cheese, caramelized onions, and red and green peppers. The provolone cheese, although it lacked that ‘melt’ factor in the sense that it should elegantly come apart with many strings of cheese still attached, was fairly mild and evenly distributed. The peppers added flavor and excitement in my mouth, and the carmelized onions introduced a new texture in my mouth that was packed with juices of flavor as well. The bread was toasted with a nice crustiness on the outside and a nice softness on the inside like a warm chocolate chip cookie with a harmonious hard-soft contrast.

On the other end of the Italian restaurant menu scale were the salads, which were, summed up in one word, interesting. Manhattan Pizza sells a whopping 15 salads, from a gyro salad to a shish taouk salad (don’t ask me what that is because I have no idea).

Another interesting to point out is the size of these salads, which could easily feed 3 people, which is nice seeing as most of them are under $10. Although they have an abnormal amount of salad options, I applaud them for the variety and creativity in their options.

For instance, the gyro salad fully incorporates all aspects of a gyro wrap into a bowl. There is the soft pieces of gyro meat that sort of come apart softly and gives you the sense as if you are in the middle of the Mediterannean Sea. There is the feta cheese sprinkled on top that is tangy and overly salty as soon as it hits your mouth. Then there are the strips of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers that all contribute equally to the amount of flavor and variety in the salad.

Although Manhattan Pizza, from its food to its overall environment, fully incorporates all aspects of a classic New York pizzeria, it may, at times, lack a certain standard of New York food that hundreds of people would take the time and effort to eat. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the restaurant strives for ‘meets standard’ rather than ‘exceeds standard.’ Perhaps this may be because of the extremely large menu that attempts to grasp every kind of Italian food rather than staying more simple. Or perhaps this is because of the restaurant striving too much to bring the city of Manhattan to another place. Because we all know that feeling we get when we are in Manhattan.

So the next time you want a taste of New York, just remember you could save yourself the hassle of driving down to the Big Apple and instead head to the neighborhood-friendly Manhattan Pizza.

Manhattan Pizza

25042 Riding Plaza #100,

South Riding, VA 20152