Roots of Pizza

The variations in the human food palate is remarkable. I perused the 241 reviews on John's Pizzeria at the Yelp.com website which ranged from 1 to 5 stars. You will find every permutation of good, mediocre and bad for both service and food. If you don't agree with any given reviews, you could dismiss them as being written by people who have limited experience with pizza or have not tasted better. However, a closer examination of the reviewers will reveal many long time NYC pizza aficionados who actually have sampled the wares from iconic places like DiFara's, Lombardi's, Grimaldi's, Totonno's or Nunzio.
One problem with a place like John's that makes such a large volume of pizza and serves so many people, is that it is possible to have genuinely different experiences either with the food or service. Combine an off night for both with high expectations and the range of reviews become more understandable.
John's Pizzeria, at 278 Bleecker Street in the West Village, was started in 1929 by John Sasso. Current proprietor Bob Vittoria, is a relative of the original owner. John's is one of the few pizzerias in New York City to use a coal-fired brick oven, introduced to the city by Gennaro Lombardi. Anthracite coal is still shoveled daily from the basement to pizzeria's oven. A coal oven can reach temperatures in excess of 800 degrees F. John's is a thin, crispy crust. According to an article in The Villager:

Vittoria attributes the restaurant’s steadfast popularity to the special brick oven that reaches over 800 degrees and crisps the homemade crust to perfection, and the fresh, high-quality meats, produce and cheese. He buys his meat from down the street at Faicco’s Pork Store, open since 1927 at 260 Bleecker St.

You will never get a consensus on a place like this - pizza is one of the most contentious food subjects in New York City. Like sushi, every one seems to have a favorite or know the best place. The styles and ingredients vary substantially - very cheesy, thinner or thicker crusts, crispy or chewy, oily or dry, ovens used, classic red sauce, white sauce, and non-traditional styles with toppings like pesto.
I had not been to John's in many many years. My recollection was that I had found it overrated and somewhat disappointing. Since that time, I have primarily frequented places that serve gourmet or non-traditional styles like that of Two Boots or Ray's on Prince Street. On my recent visit to John's, however, I found the classic red sauce a refreshing change. Like going back to the roots of pizza ...

Note: John's virtually always has huge lines, although they do more fairly quickly. They do not serve slices (only whole pies) and do not take credit cards.

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