Lincoln Avenue slices through Pelham’s main drag, Fifth Avenue, like a pizza roller going east to west, creating distinct areas of town within an easy stroll of Metro-North. The good news: Pelham is packed with pizza! The bad news? Choose wisely or you might get burned—burned pizza, that is.
Star ratings are out of five
Pelham Pizza
Pelham Pizza, smack in the middle of everything, is doing a land-office business. Lunch on a weekday means no seats, two-deep at the counter, everyone chowing down on both pizza and pasta, which is available in half orders (can we do this everywhere?). Ditto 45 minutes later, when I was able to snag the last booth. After all that, I sat down to good, but not noteworthy, pizza: the plain slice relatively thin-crusted and joyously oily—the Sicilian a touch soggy but otherwise balanced, with the requisite dense crust.
Plain slice: ★★★
Sicilian slice: ★★★
113 Fifth Ave
Pelham
(914) 738-3554; pelhampizzeria.com
Marcello’s Pizzeria
Marcello’s Pizzeria, down the street from Pelham Pizza, appears to toil in its shadow. Peace was broken mainly by the lurid news on TV. That said, the Sicilian is a degree better here (and at $2.75, you’ll pay 25 cents more for it), cheesier and a bit more evenly cooked. The plain slice ($2.50, the going rate) has a less delicate crust, less sauce, less oil. I couldn’t resist garlic knots loaded up with bits of chopped garlic in their oily tray. A $5.95 lunch special features different pasta each day (add salad for $2).
Plain slice: ★★★
Sicilian slice: ★★★½
33 Fifth Ave
Pelham
(914) 654-8599; marcellospizzeria.net
Benny’s Pizza
On the other side of Fifth Avenue, just north of Lincoln, is Benny’s Pizza, a small establishment with a surprisingly large selection of Italian dishes. Under my scrutiny, the pizza on the counter practically put its hands up and surrendered: first, the brown-topped Sicilian, and then the wizened regular slice. After being heated, the Sicilian’s top layer resembled beef jerky, and the plain sported a sundried look. Both were served without comment.
Plain slice: ★★
Sicilian slice: ★
304 Fifth Ave
Pelham
(914) 633-3332; bennyspizzapelham.com
Related: Pizza Reviews For Mamaroneck Avenue, Central Avenue & Mount Vernon
Villaggio Ristorante & Pizzeria
Don’t let the white-tablecloth ristorante behind door number 1 at Villaggio Ristorante & Pizzeria keep you from entering the pizzeria behind door number 2. The plain and Sicilian slices trump others in the area with softer, better cheese and a nicely crisp crust.
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But go there for the specialty slices, such as the delicious arugula, tomato, and Gorgonzola salad slice with a flatbread-like crust, and the Grandma slice with green and black olives, cherry peppers, and capers. San Pellegrino sodas in blood orange and pomegranate are a nice touch.
Plain slice: ★★★½
Sicilian slice: ★★★½
229 Wolfs Ln
Pelham
(914) 738-4700; villaggiorestaurantpizzeria.com
Four Corners Pizza
Over in Pelham Manor (about 5 minutes from Pelham Village—the two make up the town), Four Corners Pizza is a friendly place with pizza boxed piled up to the sky and New York slices right out of central casting. A fixture for more than 40 years, it has the fiercely loyal fans you might expect—nostalgia making the best sauce, when it comes to pizza.
Plain slice: ★★★
Sicilian slice: ★★★
902 Pelhamdale Ave
Pelham
(914) 738-0905; facebook.com/pages/Four-Corners-Pizza/113330875367085
