L&B Spumoni Gardens

Some old school sauce-on-top Sicilian pizza enjoyed first in Gravesend, Brooklyn and then reheated in Cincinnati, USA. If you’re one of those people who believes everything you read in the news, you may note some of the reports of mafia-adjacent violence related to Spumoni Gardens over the last decade. Let’s just say you probably shouldn’t steal their gravy recipe (or anybody’s for that matter). That said, @lbspumonigardens is a legendary “old school” place, which commonly listed among the best in the city. Their famous Sicilian style pizza comes with the traditional sauce on top and a healthy level of cheese under. Spumoni’s baking style produces a nebulous cheese/crust borderland where you’re not quite sure if it’s gooey cheese or cheesy soft crust - sometimes I don’t like that, but I actually thought it tasted good in this case. Below that borderland, the crust is seemingly denser with small bubbles, yet not actually heavy - more like a flavorful bread with some nice fried color on the bottom. Also, there is a heavy helping of Romano, including some baked into the crust, which leads to a great flavor. Overall, Spumoni falls short of being one of the best but is still quite good.