Thursday, April 22, 2010

DeFazio's Pizzeria

There is something to be said about great pizza. There are thousands of local pizza places in this country. Pizza is a staple in many households on Friday nights. Out of these thousands of pizza places, there is one in the Capital Region that stands out in my mind, and that is DeFazio's in Troy NY.




Review: DeFazio's Pizzeria and DeFazio's Italian Imports
Location: 266 4th St Troy, NY 12180
Business Type: Italian Restaurant and Specialty Shop

Who has the best crust in the Capital Region? DeFazio's. Who has the best pesto pizza in the Capital Region? DeFazio's. Who has the best meats and cheeses as well as specialty Italian products in downtown Troy? DeFazio's. Are you getting the point?

DeFazio's is located in Troy just South of the "Downtown". It is in the heart of Little Italy Troy, which has some of its beginnings in this area, thanks to Rocko DeFazio, owner and operator of this fantastic small business.


Before I talk about my experiences at this local gem, I want to discuss why this business should be a model for any entrepreneur attempting to open a local restaurant. Rocko is the ideal local business owner. He produces a great product, understands his customers, and gives back to the community. One defining characteristic that sets his business apart, is the community activity they are involved in. Rocko is one of the organizers of the Little Italy Farmer's Market, he has also managed to create a business district known as "Little Italy" that encompasses a great deal of Troy. His goal with this was to decrease the amount of crime in this area and help it to thrive by making the area appealing to other business owners. He has succeeded. Since I have lived in Troy, I have seen a decrease in crime on that side of town, and Rocko can be the one to thank.



Enough about that, we are here to review the business after all. Since the restaurant is connected directly to the specialty food store, I will review both, and comment on my experiences here.


The food from the restaurant half of this business is typical Italian food you can find at pretty much any similar restaurant. Pizza, pasta, chicken parm, calzones, salads and bread. The number of seats inside the restaurant is small, about enough room for 15-20 people. You sit right next to the counter where you place your order, and the food comes quickly.

I have had their pizza countless times, and I am partial to a few types. Their pesto pizza is great, and has inspired the style in which I create my own pesto pizza. They mix the cheese and pesto together in a way that makes the pizza have great flavor. Though I will say that I wish there was more pesto and less cheese, but others may disagree. I have also had their "Fra Diavolo Pizza" which has homemade sausage and peppers on top. This pizza I was also happy with, but would only say that the peppers tend to overpower the pizza. Other pizzas I have tried are the Four Cheese, and the regular cheese pizza. Their dough is the best; hands-down out of any dough I have ever had at an Italian restaurant. It is so good in fact, that I have made pizza with their dough several times myself, both wheat and white. It costs a measly 2 dollars for raw dough, which is insignificant when you realize you can feed 4 with it.

As for other types of food, I have enjoyed their calzones, which are literally the size of a large pizza, only folded in half. Try finishing one of those! This is the place I go for pizza, so I cannot comment as much about their other foods, which I'm sure are excellent as well.

My only complaint is the cost of pizza here. Their regular cheese pizza is 12 dollars, which is expensive compared to other pizza places in town. I will say again that the quality matches the price, as they always use fresh ingredients. I am willing to pay for the taste, which is always fantastic.



Right next door is a specialty Italian shop. Here you can get pastas, homemade and canned sauces, homemade pastas, deli meats that are always fresh, cheeses, and of course, homemade sausage. The prices here are good, especially for the location, seeing as the nearest specialty Italian shop is 15 minutes away.




Rocko and his staff are extremely friendly, and always happy to help. Just go in and say hi, and you are sure to get a great story about the family. This restaurant is truly a gem in Little Italy, and well worth the trip. After dinner you can even walk around the corner and enjoy gelato from Gelateria Lisa (review to come).

If you have had an experience at DeFazio's Pizzeria, then please do share, good or bad! We welcome comments and reviews from other locals. Thanks for reading!

Additional Information:
Website: www.defaziospizza.com
AllForLocal Listing: DeFazio's Italian Imports; DeFazio's Pizzeria
Phone: 518-274-8866 ; 518-271-1111

1 comment:

  1. If you really do great service to the community, the community will always give back to you. The good thing with having a good relationship with the community is that, they trust you and they trust your business. That trust makes them patronize your products or service. And this can result into a stable business flow, which may also trigger expansion. =)

    Staci Burruel

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