Will it be "third time's a charm" here in Clinton Hill? For most of the past decade, this tiny Brooklyn slice joint on Waverly Avenue was home to the utilitarian, mostly unloved Mario's Pizza. The crew from nearby Aita, a popular rustic Italian restaurant, took over in 2017, serving both Calabrese-style and classic NYC round pies, but a terrible fire all but destroyed the place two years later (thankfully, no one was hurt).
Then, last summer, team Aita decided to try again, this time with Roman-ish square slices and pies, and the shop was reborn as Impasto Pizza al Taglio. After a slow start filled with familiar Covid-era compromises—truncated hours, abbreviated menu—today Impasto is really hitting its stride and seems poised to become one of the city's great neighborhood slice shops.
The pizza at Impasto is excellent, with an airy, delightfully chewy crust that you might associate with the high-hydration pies of Rome or, here in NYC, at places like PQR or the late Mani In Pasta. But as co-owner Luca Pelliccioni explained to me, it's not strictly Roman-style because of the sheer weight of toppings he piles on. They're totally delicious, however, and given the steady stream of happy customers popping inside or, more often, ordering from the sidewalk window last weekend, the locals have definitely taken notice.
I loved the baseline Margherita, loaded with gooey mozzarella and a tomato sauce that nailed that proper sweet-acid balance. Add a mess of meat on top, in the form of slightly spicy, wonderfully greasy Pepperoni cups, and you've got a top-tier contender for best slice of this sort in town. More good meat and cheese can be found on the Bada Bing, a luxurious slice with mountains of porky capicola, artichoke hearts, and big blobs of creamy, fast-melting burrata.
The Roman classic Patate e Rosmarino slice was beautifully done, the potatoes cut super thin and charred to crisp, the rosemary sprigs sprinkled with a heavy hand, and lots of flaky sea salt adding even more life to the party. But my favorite slice of the afternoon feast was probably the Salsiccia e Funghi, a rich, earthy concoction of sausage crumbles, fat chunks of mushroom, and baked-on cheese.
Slices I didn't have room to eat but will definitely try next time: Radicchio e Taleggio, Burrata and Peppers, and whatever the Double Crunch (basically a pizza-dough sandwich) special is that day. For something sweet, Impasto also sells Aita's Tiramisu. Various soft drinks round out the offerings.
Impasto is located at 373 Waverly Avenue, just north of Green Avenue, and is currently open on Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., and on Monday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (718-789-1520; impastonyc.com)
