To Napoli in 90 Seconds | A Visit to Simò Pizza

By enjoying a meal out in New York City, you can essentially travel the world, whatever you crave, you can find it. In a new series, R&I visits restaurants, new and old, that can transport you to wherever you dream to go. It’s a reminder that restaurants are integral to the backbone of New York and beyond.

Pizza and New York are synonymous, so scoping out new places is a favorite pasttime for New Yorkers and visitors alike. Most restaurants have their own interpretation of the ideal pie where options can run the gamut from coal oven to brick oven, thin to chewy crusts to a myriad of toppings. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Simò Pizza’s newest location, just below Union Square in Greenwich Village, which was like taking a quick trip to Naples, Italy for lunch. Started by Simone Falco, a Naples-born chef who was behind the success of Eataly’s Rossopomodoro, Simò brings Italy to New York through authentic ingredients and its mouthwatering menu. Choose from a variety of pizza’s, like the Tre Gusti, which resembles the Italian flag, and is a trio of their best-selling versions including margherita, cacio e pepe (which is a play on the humble pasta dish and is incredible), and pesto e pecorino (which is nut-free). The interiors, designed by Koray Duman of Büro Koray Duman, are also a nod to Naples, namely the Caputo wallpaper that decorates the wall, the shelving is made of volcanic stone and stocked with pantry staples and the sunny exterior is dotted with planters growing everything from eggplant to herbs and peppers. For something sweet, end your meal with the cannoli that’s filled with airy ricotta and dipped in pistachios.

Photography by Alison Engstrom