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View Full Version : Review: Bensonhurst Pizza Co



vw_rabbit2.5
02-09-2015, 12:11 PM
I went to Bensonhurst Pizza this weekend for my birthday.

I went with a group of 8, so we were able to try out the different kinds of pizzas.

NY Style, we ordered the Bensonhurst Classic ($28 for a 18"). This my favorite of the evening. The pizza is huge at 18". Slices were cut nice and big like an authentic NY pizza. The crust was nice and thin, with a little chew. It was a little too crisp for my liking, as you cannot fold the pizza in half without it snapping, but very good otherwise. The pizza we chose had pepperoni, mozzarella, sausage, and some ricotta cheese, which added a nice touch. They also sprinkle on some oregano which gave it a nice flavor as well.

We also ordered the Old Chicago 13" pizza ($32). This pizza was HEAVY! It comes in a 3-in deep pan, bu the actual pizza was about 1.5 to 3-in thick. I've never had authentic Chicago deep dish pizza, so I can't comment on the authenticity, but this pizza was pretty good. This pizza is a bit different than the usual pizza, with the cheese on the bottom, toppings in the middle and sauce on top. The crust wasn't as light as I thought it would be. It actually tasted like Crazy Bread. All in all, a decent pizza, but a bit too heavy for my liking, so I likely would not order again, unless sharing in a big group.

We also ordered 2 Forno pizzas (~$20 for a 12"), which is more like a Neapolitan/Californian style pizza. With so many Neapolitan style pizzerias in Calgary, I would rank Bensonhurst after Una and Without Papers, but better than Cibo and Double Zero. The dough was thin, but not crispy. It was more chewy than WOP and Una. I'd probably skip these the next time I dine here.

They also have some Brooklyn hot sandwiches, pastas, appetizers, which we didn't try. The caprese salad was excellent though. Very refreshing, and the portion size was big enough to share between 4 people.

The ambiance of the restaurant was okay. The decor and look of the restaurant reminds me of New York, but the music and TV going on in the background made it seem more like a pub/sports bar rather than a restaurant. Not a huge deal though, as the food was pretty good in my opinion. The service was pretty good. The owner stopped by at the end because we were celebrating a birthday, and he made sure that we enjoyed our experience. We had a birthday cake and they were very accommodating as well. I didn't mind the mandatory 18% tip, and the waitress was nice enough to split the bill into 4 couples.

The drinks menu was pretty decent. They have quite a few beers on tap from Village Brewery, Fat tire, Peroni, among others. I tried the Village Brunette, which was a German Style Dunkel beer. It was excellent. There was also a special on Saturday nights, Schooners for $10 (equivalent of 2 pints) served in a fishbowl.

In conclusion, unless you are in a big group, I'd stick to the NY style pizzas. They also have some Brooklyn hot sandwiches, which we didn't try. The caprese salad was excellent though. As for pricing, it was actually pretty decent. We dined in a group of 4 couples, and the bill came to less than $50 per couple, including food, drinks, tax and tip (mandatory 18% tip for groups of 8 or more). I'd say that's fairly decent for a night out in Calgary.

Overall rating: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Pricing: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 8/10

Of course, a few photos (didn't take any pics of the forno)
http://i.imgur.com/wrLfjys.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cuaMi67.jpg

flipstah
02-09-2015, 12:18 PM
How's the pizza there vs. say Cibo which is within the vicinity? I haven't heard much about this place although I do pass by it whenever I'm out and about. Always wondered.

Now you got me curious.

UNA is my #1 so I'd like to know how this would compare (if you've been). :)

vw_rabbit2.5
02-09-2015, 12:25 PM
Since Bensonhurst has 3 types of pizza (NY style, Chicago style, and Forno aka Neapolitan/cali style), it's only fair to compare the Forno pizzas to Una.

I haven't been to Una yet, but based on the comments from those in my group, we rated Bensonhurst in the middle for Neapolitan style pizzas.

Una, WOP, Posto, Bensonhurst, Double Zero, Cibo, Famoso, in order from best to worst.

But like I said, I would recommend Bensonhurst for NY style pizza, and if you're into Chicago Deep dish, then I'd recommend it too as there isn't anywhere that comes close to authentic Chicago deep dish (aka stuffed) pizza.



Originally posted by flipstah
How's the pizza there vs. say Cibo which is within the vicinity? I haven't heard much about this place although I do pass by it whenever I'm out and about. Always wondered.

Now you got me curious.

UNA is my #1 so I'd like to know how this would compare (if you've been). :)

flipstah
02-09-2015, 12:43 PM
Originally posted by vw_rabbit2.5
Since Bensonhurst has 3 types of pizza (NY style, Chicago style, and Forno aka Neapolitan/cali style), it's only fair to compare the Forno pizzas to Una.

I haven't been to Una yet, but based on the comments from those in my group, we rated Bensonhurst in the middle for Neapolitan style pizzas.

Una, WOP, Posto, Bensonhurst, Double Zero, Cibo, Famoso, in order from best to worst.

But like I said, I would recommend Bensonhurst for NY style pizza, and if you're into Chicago Deep dish, then I'd recommend it too as there isn't anywhere that comes close to authentic Chicago deep dish (aka stuffed) pizza.




I agree with your arrangement minus Posto because I've never been. I'll definitely have to report back now.

:thumbsup:

austic
02-09-2015, 01:41 PM
I wasn't overly impressed with the Chicago pizza from there. Granted no place in Calgary really does it so its a decent attempt but when you compare it with the real thing its just no where near close.

When you compare it to a Chicago deep dish I found the toppings were no where near high enough when compared to the crust height.

Our table had a new York style which was pretty good and we didn't try the Italian style.

True deep dish should look more like this.

http://www.seriouseats.com/images/2014/05/20140525-294370-best-deep-dish-pizza-edwardos-2.jpg

hurrdurr
02-09-2015, 01:49 PM
I thought the Bensonhurst Chicago deep dish pizza was awful.

Having been to Chicago 3 times there is no comparison between an Authentic Chicago Pie and Bensonhurst's poor toppings and flat crust.

Would not return

FixedGear
02-09-2015, 02:50 PM
^i was going to say that I could tell from the photo alone that it wasn't real deep dish! but I didn't wan to get all negative in the guy's review thread haha

FixedGear
02-09-2015, 02:52 PM
I also suspect based on the photos they are using the same dough for all their pizzas, which is another bad sign since deep dish, NYC, and Neapolitan doughs all have completely different ingredients.

riander5
02-09-2015, 03:24 PM
When I had their small Chicago it was awesome and super thick. When I ordered the large size one it was not nearly as thick. Either way my fav pizza place downtown, followed by Cibo / Posto... Una tried to hard to do lame trendy flavours... give me a wicked pepperoni any day!