Exploring NYC Through Food: A Carroll Gardens Pizza Crawl

Carroll Gardens is a charming neighborhood in Brooklyn that’s home to stunning brownstones, beautiful gardens, and dozens of quaint shops and eateries. It’s very walkable and family-friendly, making it the perfect place to spend an afternoon exploring.

The area was originally settled by Irish immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s, but they were displaced at the turn of the century by a wave of Italian immigrants, mostly from Naples and Sicily. They built churches, established all types of shops, and opened plenty of restaurants to bring a taste of Italy to Brooklyn. By 1980, the neighborhood was 50% Italian.

Word got out that Carroll Gardens was a pretty darn great place to live, and the story of gentrification played out. Rich city folk came down, prices went up, and immigrants got pushed out. Today, 20% of the population of Carroll Gardens is still Italian, and it’s home to some of the best Italian restaurants in the city. $35 pasta isn’t in The Frugal Foodies budget, so I opted to explore the neighborhood through a more cost efficient food item: pizza!

Let’s dive into a Carroll Gardens pizza crawl!

Stop 1: F & F Pizzeria

F&F Pizzeria was founded in 2019 by Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli with a little help from Chris Bianco, the first pizza maker to win a James Beard Award, and Chad Robertson, the head bread maker at Tartine. They called in the best of the best, and their investment paid off. This pizza is no joke.

The dough is high hydration, naturally leavened with a sourdough starter, and given extended fermentation time resulting in a delightfully flavorful crust that perfectly balances “crunch” and “chew.” The toppings are equally as good. They use top quality ingredients including DiNapoli tomatoes, olive oil, and sea salt to elevate each bite.

We tried a hot sausage and sage as well as the pepperoni Sicilian. Both knocked my socks off. The combination of fresh sage and slightly spicy sausage was a match made in heaven. And the seemingly simple roni cup Sicilian was taken up a notch by the high-quality olive oil and sea salt. Perfect crust. Amazing flavors. F&F Pizzeria is now a new favorite of mine!

Stop 2: Baby Luc’s

When it comes to Carroll Gardens pizza institutions, Lucali is the Big Cheese. This Neapolitan spot is on nearly every “best pizza in NYC” list, but snagging a pie is no easy task. They don’t do advanced reservations, meaning that unless you’re Taylor Swift, you need to line up early to get on a list in hopes of landing a coveted table. If that idea sounds as horrible to you as it does to me, you can head to the sister shop, Baby Luc’s, instead. Mark Iacono, the founder of Lucali, opened this slice shop in 2021. They sell slices and sandwiches alongside cocktails, wine, and beer.

We opted for a soppresata square topped with pickled jalapeño and hot honey. The crust had a nice crunch and the balance of flavors in the toppings was exceptional. The sauce was bright and zingy, there were just enough jalapeños to add a kick without blowing out your palate, and who doesn’t love a drizzle of hot honey? I thought the flavors and quality were stellar, but the value was unfortunately sub par. This tiny slice was a whopping $6.50.

Stop 3: Alvo Pizza

To round out our Carroll Gardens pizza crawl we headed to Alvo Pizza. (Which is actually in Cobble Hill… a fact people on social media have happily pointed out.) Alvo Pizza is the brain child of Rosario Viggiano, who has been working in the pizza scene since 2015. He had the dream of opening up his version of a perfect pizza shop, and he finally did just that in 2025. We pulled up and decided on a vodka slice and buffalo chicken slice with a side of hot honey.

The crust was thin and crunchy, and I’m never mad about a sprinkling of sesame seeds. I enjoyed the subtle vodka sauce, and it was fun to try the buffalo chicken, a flavor I don’t usually order. However, both slices were a little to heavy on the cheese for my taste and preferences. Cheese, sauce, and bread is always good and I’d happily eat a slice of Alvo Pizza if offered to me. However, I can’t say it was too memorable and I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it again.