Please note, NY Fold has now closed. Time Out Food editors, June 2019.
Personal declaration: Bruno DiFabio, whose pizza restaurant NY Fold has recently opened in Soho, grew up in the town adjacent to mine in the suburbs of New York, and now owns a pizzeria in my hometown as well as other suburban locations. I need to say that because most suburban pizza sucks, and I was prejudiced against NY Fold. Would this be the crap I ate in my youth when unexplainable hunger arose after an evening spent in, um, smoke-filled rooms?
Hooray! It was not. NY Fold is a good example of a certain style of NY pizza, and if you like that style, you should go there. The defining feature is the dough, which gets a slow rise and is rolled out thicker than most London pies would prepare you for. Not as a thick as Chicago-type deep-pan pizza, but you still get a hefty mouthful of crust every step you take.
Also very New Yorkish is the approach to toppings. The general philosophy holds that More is Good and Much More is Much Better. In New York and environs, this approach sometimes yields slices that have more calories than the entire contents of Elvis’s final fridge. But more often than not, the high-cal toppings are also low-qual: cheap cheese, industrial sauce and sausages, etc.
Not at NY Fold. Some of their toppings are lavish, but they also taste great: DiFabio understands the need for good ingredients. We liked the Popeye containing spinach, speck, olives and more; and the Fabio, with its spicy salami, olives, cherry tomatoes; and especially the Brooklyn Point, led by chopped clams, pancetta and charred lemon.
But best of all was a simple margherita, just good cheese and good sauce. If a pizzeria doesn’t make a good margherita, it should switch to fried chicken.
The pies are 16 inches and 20 inches, and a 16-inch is plenty for three people. And with prices starting from £20 (or from £3.75 for a slice) you’re not spending a fortune. There are also salads, with a typically sharp American dressing; a handful of starters and desserts; and some special items such as deep-dish pies and calzone. Italy rules the wine list, while the US and UK have joint sovereignty over the beers (draft and bottles); sodas are from a machine, and you get free refills. The tables at the back are the comfortable place to sit. Service is fantastically friendly. You may even see DiFabio presiding over the ovens. If you do, tell him ‘Yo! Bruno!’ from me.