Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria

Whether we remain the ash or become the Phoenix is up to each of us. After two years of dormancy, this Newport pizzeria has chosen the route of the Greek Phoenix, gloriously emerging from the ashes of Monmouth Street to serve thoughtfully constructed pies from an Italianate brownstone. Originally opened in 2012, Strong’s pizza pedigree goes back to Staton Island. Yet, the “Old World Italian Pie” they serve has more in common with the old school New York-Neapolitan pizzerias (@julianaspizza @johnsofbleeckerstreet @lombardis_pizza_nyc @totonnospizza) than crisp super-thin Staton Island style (@rubirosa_nyc @deninos_nyc @joeandpats). With rather doughy crust, I might call it a Midwestern take on New York-Neapolitan, and it stands out as unique in our ‘Naples of the Midwest’. Strong’s uses an imported Italian stone oven that is gas powered rather than wood-fired. The pizza is cooked for a longer period at a lower temperature, creating a doughy and highly foldable crust - although still featuring a bit of char. It is a rather tomato-forward pizza, with a generous helping of thick flavorful sauce (sometimes sauce is used as a topping here, which I rather enjoy). This trip, we ordered a double pepperoni with fresh mozzarella (sometimes called the “Joey Pepperoni”). As you’d expect, it was incredibly flavorful. In simple summary… it’s just good to have @strongspizzeria back.