At Peppe’s, New Hope for Park Slope Pizza

Park Slope pizza lovers, though disappointed again and again, never give up hope. Their latest source of cheesy bliss is Peppe’s, which opened a couple of months ago in a tiny storefront on Fourth Avenue. The owners are charming Neapolitans devoted to their craft; “they’re doing it properly and you can taste the love,” writes bklyn_j, who describes an uncommonly toothsome crust and high-quality ingredients in such offerings as the Peppe (prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, Parmesan).

Another early favorite is the square grandma slice: a crisp, slightly charred crust topped with a standout sauce that’s garlicky, smooth, and made with San Marzano tomatoes. “The taste lingers on the tongue for nearly a minute after each bite,” sighs famdoc, who compares this pizza to the beloved tomato pies of Trenton, New Jersey. A stuffed slice with chicken parmigiana is divine, says offtheeatenpath: chicken, mushrooms, tomato sauce, cheese, and nice hunks of garlic, enclosed in a first-rate crust sprinkled with Parmesan and herbs.

Overall, Peppe’s is shaping up as easily one of the best pizzerias in Park Slope (which isn’t saying much, most locals agree) and also worth a visit from elsewhere in town. Pulpio ranks it ahead of Anthony’s, a few blocks away, and just slightly behind hound-endorsed Lucali’s in Carroll Gardens. famdoc goes even further. “I’m going to step out on a limb here,” he ventures, predicting that Peppe’s will in time be “one of the city’s most beloved pizza shops.”

Sawing away at famdoc’s limb, Peter Cuce dismisses the newcomer as nothing special—at least its plain slice, which he describes as a decent crust topped by nearly tasteless sauce and gluey, characterless cheese. “The best I can say about it is that it’s inoffensive.”

Peppe’s Pizza & Panini [Park Slope]
597 Fourth Avenue (at 17th Street), Brooklyn
718-788-7333

Board Link: Pepe’s P & P (Park Slope’s Best Pizza…Shhhh…)