Best pizza and New York style deli

I love a good pizza, and I do not know yet where to go in Louisville. Since I'm originally from New York City, I favor a thin, crispy crust, and I'm a purist, just cheese please. Where is good pizza in Louisville? Also, I need some good deli - with pastrami, corned beef, hopple popple, Nova and a smear, and that cheese cake that sticks to the top of your mouth. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks

On the pizza front, I think you're out of luck. I'm from Forest Hills, and I worked in Manhattan, so I also like the kind of pizza you do. Not only isn't there any really good pizza, most of the stuff called pizza isn't pizza in my definition. Spinelli's has a thin crust, and it may be your best option, but it's really inconsistent. I've also heard good things about Oak Street, but I haven't tried them yet...if they're good, I hope you report back.

I'm not really into delis. Steven and Stevens makes a good sandwich, though.

Oak Street Pizza has been closed for some time now, and it is not going to reopen, by all accounts.

Haven't found a great deli option in town, but in Indianapolis there's Shapiro's, which is pretty great.

[Robin Garr]

Luigi's on Main (next door to Proof) is probably your best shot at a NYC slice shop experience. There's a lot of pizza in Louisville, and much of it is good, but for New Yorkers aching for a taste of home, pickin's are limited. We lived in Queens for a few years in the '90s and I got the crave, but it hasn't been easy to fill here.

Lotsa Pasta is your best choice for Italian deli, but note that it's international, not just Italian. Frascelli's in Crestwood is another deli run by New Yorkers. I wasn't impressed initially but have not been back for a while to give them a second chance.

Added by edit: Oh, NYC Jewish-style deli? Fahgeddit. But Stevens & Stevens (inside Ditto's on Bardstown) is a damn fine Louisville deli, and their pastrami and corned beef MAY diminish the craving.

I love a good pizza, and I do not know yet where to go in Louisville. Since I'm originally from New York City, I favor a thin, crispy crust, and I'm a purist, just cheese please. Where is good pizza in Louisville? Also, I need some good deli - with pastrami, corned beef, hopple popple, Nova and a smear, and that cheese cake that sticks to the top of your mouth. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks

As far as NY Style pizza I keep hearing about Frachelli's in LaGrange but havent tried it myself. Luigi's is good as well if you can get in there when he is open.

You may like the thin crust pie at Impellizerri's. I dont know it's worth trying but you may not like the thickness of the sauce compared to true NY Style. Spinnelli's has 2 dollar slices on Mondays, stop by there them and give them a shot to see if you're into it.

Otherwise the typical pizza in the area is a thicker than NY style crust but not Chicago deep dish thick. It's good and it's still pizza, unless someone throws ranch on it, when it ceases to be pizza at that point.

Lotsa Pasta is great, but yeah, it doesn't really fit the bill as a Jewish deli. It does remind me food-wise of a nicer, upscale version of the Italian delis and butchers in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn (Williamsburg, near the Graham Avenue L stop).

Spinnelli's has 2 dollar slices on Mondays, stop by there them and give them a shot to see if you're into it.

How much is a slice there on other days? Paying more than $2 for a slice seems wrong to me, a slice shouldn't cost more than MTA fare (then again, that's probably going to increase soon, too).

It might be 3 bucks on other days.

Hrm. But if it's "Philadelphia-style" at Spinelli's, does that mean they've got a signed, framed picture of Sean Agnew on the wall there?

[Robin Garr]

Lotsa Pasta is great, but yeah, it doesn't really fit the bill as a Jewish deli. It does remind me food-wise of a nicer, upscale version of the Italian delis and butchers in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn (Williamsburg, near the Graham Avenue L stop).

Absolutely. It is not a Jewish deli in any way, shape or form, and I sought to correct that impression in my post. It does, however, fill the gap for me left by our favorite Italian deli on Grand Avenue near Steinway in Astoria, and adds a bunch of foods from other parts of the world as well.

Hrm. But if it's "Philadelphia-style" at Spinelli's, does that mean they've got a signed, framed picture of Sean Agnew on the wall there?

HAHAHA either that or you can get your own customer FSU beatdown!

With Hero's being gone, Danny Mac's has become my favorite place for pizza. Plus, they have great sandwiches!

Also, I need some good deli - with pastrami, corned beef, hopple popple, Nova and a smear, and that cheese cake that sticks to the top of your mouth. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks

Phil, you might try Another Place Sandwich Shop on S. 7th between Market and Main, across from 21C/Proof. They have really really good sandwiches. Cash only.

I love a good pizza, and I do not know yet where to go in Louisville. Since I'm originally from New York City, I favor a thin, crispy crust, and I'm a purist, just cheese please. Where is good pizza in Louisville? Also, I need some good deli - with pastrami, corned beef, hopple popple, Nova and a smear, and that cheese cake that sticks to the top of your mouth. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks

As far as pizza, everyone posting is probably going to have their preference, so you may be left with just sampling some of the local varieties and see what YOU like....here in Oldham County, "Frascelli's" seems to come very close to what I've heard described as, "NY-style Pizza" -- i.e., large, by-the-slice pizza, with as few or as many toppings as you please....they also have a deli, which is good, but I think there are better deli options in the area -- most notably "Stevens & Stevens", on Bardstown Rd [in back of the same building that houses "Ditto's"], which is arguably the closest to a NY deli that you may find around here -- they're worth a try....a previous poster rated them against "Shapiro's" in Indianapolis, which is almost the gold standard for delis (at least in this part of the country)....the atmosphere in Shapiro's is closer to a traditional deli than Stevens -- and the sandwiches are huge -- but unless you're willing to drive almost two hours each way up to Indy, I think Stevens comes very close....

You know all this talk about finding New York style pizza over the past few years has stirred up my creative juices to try and see if I can come up with something close. I will keep in touch and invite the New York pizza experts over to Boombozz for a focus group to guide me in the right direction.

Talk to you soon,

Tony