Di Fara Pizza
Dom DeMarco opened this Midwood counter in 1965 and made the pies by hand for most of the shop's life. His family works the ovens now, and The Infatuation still scores it 8.7.1
Why go
The pie is built the way DeMarco built it. Several kinds of cheese, good olive oil, and enough fresh basil that The Infatuation says it makes you wonder why every pizza is not covered in it. The guide's line on the crust: It has a crunchy crust that's notably salty, and each slice offers a satisfying crackle as you fold it.
2 The team inspects every pie and will not rush one through, and that is why a weekend afternoon here has cost people two hours.1 The same guide hands its best-slice title to L'Industrie in Williamsburg, which is the shop the current argument is about. Di Fara is what people measure it against.2 Di Fara also runs 1012 Kitchen round the corner on East 15th, and it now sells its pizzas frozen through grocery stores.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the regular pie, and get more than one slice in the same trip. The Infatuation is blunt about it: "Just be sure to order more than one slice, even if you're not that hungry. Because after an hour, you'll absolutely wish you did."1
- Avoid: a weekend afternoon with somewhere to be afterwards. The Q stops a block away, which makes a weekday trip cheap.1
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation, 8.7:
You've come here for pizza from the best, and you're going to get pizza from the best—even if it takes all afternoon.
1 - The Infatuation's pizza guide, after the handover:
Though the lines have died down over the years, one slice here will still make you incredibly happy.
2
Good to know
- Cash and days: cash only, and closed Mondays, as The Infatuation had it in January 2022.1
- Booking: none taken. You queue.
Verdict
should-visit — Dom DeMarco is dead. The question is whether the pizza survived him, and I have not found anybody who has written about the family's pizza since they took the counter. Go on a weekday, order two slices at once so you queue once, and take the Q back.