L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele

I sometimes say: the US has the most innovative chefs but not necessarily the best tomatoes*. Italy has the best tomatoes. So, an Italian pizzeria on top of their game is tough to beat.

“Michael’s Ancient Pizzeria” is a legendary Italian restaurant. The Neapolitan original was founded in 1870, slightly before Italy became a unified country (with the capture of Rome) and decades before the first American pizzerias. I tried Michele’s outpost in New York last year and gave it a 9.0/10 – a very strong rating (I’m no pushover). In Italy itself, the pizza is even better. Indeed, I would say this is clearly an elite pizza.

Michele serves 16” Neapolitan pizzas, larger than you usually see for US Neapolitan style. They use very fine-grain flour and as a result the very thin crust was quite soft with a puffy cornicione (outer rim crust). The outside of the crust had a moderate amount of char – or I might say a thoughtful amount of char. This gave it a light smokiness, without any hint of bitterness or burnt flavor – just depth and complexity.

We opted for the traditional Margherita (as opposed to the “Double Margherita” we tried at our NYC visit). The middle of the pie was a bit soggy from the sauce and mozzarella – which is typical in this style. As a result, you tend to fold forward the slices …which you cut on your own with a knife btw (presumably they pass the savings on to you). The sophisticatedly simple regular Margherita pie was the right call as it gave the virtuosic crust and vibrant sauce room to shine. Overall, an outstanding pie.

We also had to try the “fried pizza” appetizer. Lighter than you might expect, I would call it a highly elevated version of something you might see on the Jersey Boardwalk (or perhaps a church festival favorite put through a Michelin filter?) – quite delicious.

If you find yourself in Florence, avoid the perfectly adequate tourist slices. Find your way to @pizzeriadamichelefirenze .

*Although this is changing, with plenty pushing for higher standards!