Denino's Pizzeria & Tavern
Alexis Priester grew up on Staten Island and puts it plainly:
When Staten Islanders are asked about their favorite pizza, Denino's is more often than not the first place that comes up.It is a tavern on Port Richmond Avenue, and the clam pie is where to start.
Why go
The crust is thin and the pies are cut small on purpose. Bryan Kim puts it as the ideal size where you know you wouldn't feel well if you ate a whole one.
Priester's test is the margherita, and her line on the marinara is that it is neither too sweet or savory, too thin or too thick - it is the Goldilocks of marinara.
2 Ralph's sells Italian ice across the street, and she finishes the trip there.2 Staten Islanders keep their own shortlist, and this same review page points at two more of it: The Infatuation rates Joe & Pat's 8.6 and Lee's Tavern 8.2.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the clam pie. Kim calls it
the perfect beginners version for anyone who is skeptical of clam pies.
1 - Order: the M.O.R., a house special of meatball, onion and ricotta. Priester:
an aptly named house special that had me hooked after the first slice.
2 - Order: fried calamari alongside, which is what Priester eats with the pies.2
- Avoid: a pie each. Order fewer pies than people and get another if you are still hungry.
What locals & experts say
- Bryan Kim, in The Infatuation:
Denino's isn't fancy. It's just a big, plain sit-down pizza spot on Staten Island, and when you stop by, there will probably be a bunch of kids in soccer uniforms shouting about things like video games or cartoons or whatever it is kids shout about nowadays. But the pizza is still exceptional.
1 - The same review, on how the night ends:
You will leave having consumed several pitchers of domestic beer, and wishing Denino's were closer to your house.
1
Good to know
- The door: this page is 524 Port Richmond Avenue. Denino's also trades in Aberdeen and Brick in New Jersey, in Manhattan and in California, and it franchises the name.3
- Booking: walk in. It is a tavern with tables, and it takes big groups.
Verdict
should-visit — Staten Island has eight pizzerias Alexis Priester will vouch for, and Denino's is the tavern among them. That settles how you use it: a table, an evening, pitchers of beer with the pizza. Go with people.