The Pranzo Pizza Truck Attempts to Replace Jiannetto’s as Best Grandma Slice

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the new Pranzo Pizza Truck that recently popped up on 55th & Park is a really complementary outfit.  My guess is the Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck doesn’t see it that way.  It’s one thing to build your own truck and serve pizza out of it.  It’s another thing to copy another truck’s entire concept, down to the design of the menu.

On the other hand, you have to admit- it’s pretty ballsy to start a pizza truck 4 blocks away from New York City’s most famous pizza truck.  It must be good, right?  Not entirely trusting their own “Best Grandma Pie” proclamation painted on the front and back of the truck, I decided to try it for myself.  As skeptical as I was, you know I can’t resist food out of a truck!

The pizza pie porn, and +/- after the jump…

The one difference between the two trucks, and the major thing working in the Pranzo truck’s favor is that they have regular circular cheese pizza.  Other than that, it’s pretty much the same menu.  They also have a special topping pie available each day.  The day I was there it was vegetable pizza.  I figured it only fair to judge the place based on their standard pies, and ordered the lunch special.  $5 gets you two plain slices and a soda, and they allow you  get one slice of grandma and one slice of regular cheese pizza if you want.

 

Both slices had a very crispy crust, which I am not a huge fan of.  This might have been a one time thing, but my hunch is this is the way they like it.  The sauce was tasty, but it didn’t carry the grandma slice the way Jiannetto’s sauce carries their version.  I love cheese, and if you are not going to put a thick layer of cheese on top of your pizza, you better be sure your sauce is out of this world.  For cheese lovers, who want to eat pizza out of truck, Pranzo is a windfall- because they do offer regular cheese pizza- and $5 for two slices and a soda is a pretty good deal in Midtown.  For my money, I prefer the 99 cent pizza (but not everyone works near Grand Central).

All in all, I’m not exactly sure why these guys set up so close to Jiannetto’s.  I don’t think they are going to pull too much business away from those guys, and would have done much better if they could have found a space somewhere on the West side of Midtown- which doesn’t have pizza out of truck as of yet (Jiannetto’s tried for a few days, but then gave up after being kicked out of their spot on 48th btw. 6+7th).

If you work right next door to this truck and don’t want to walk more than a block for lunch, you love crunchy crust pizza, of you want a slice of regular cheese pizza out of truck- Pranzo is your only option.  For everybody else, I’d recommend sticking to Jiannetto’s or your local pizza pie option. 

THE +

  • How can more pizza out of a truck be a bad thing?  (I love food in trucks!)
  • They offer regular cheese slices
  • $5 for two slices and a soda, is a pretty good deal for Midtown
  • If you like really thin crunchy crust, this is your place!

 THE –

  • They are four blocks away from Jiannetto’s, and their Grandma’s slice is not as good (unless you prefer a really crunchy crust)
  • Their sauce is not as good as Jiannetto’s
  • If you don’t like really crunchy crust, you won’t like this place.

Pranzo Pizza Truck, 55th St. & Park Ave., 347-368-7042

15 Comments

  • I actually do work right next door to this truck, don’t want to walk more than a block for lunch (which is why I go to Dishes 4 days a week), love crunchy crust pizza and happy to eat a slice of regular cheese pizza out of truck. So, Zach, for me Pranzo is my only option.

    I really like both the regular and Grandmas. I also had a good EP roll, but would have liked it to have a bit more sauce.

  • I wish I could eat pizza more often… thank goodness I’m right near Adrienne’s, best pizza in the city! YES I SAID IT. Anyway, yum :)

  • Zach I have to say i’ve been reading midtown L. for a while now and you turned me on to jianetto’s which i have been eating for a while now, but pranzo makes a great slice.
    I happen to like thin crust and pranzo makes it good,I have also had their chick parm roll very very good and last wk.
    they had sausage and pepper rolls as a special also very very
    good.I have been eating from the pranzo truck for about 2 wks. now and I can tell you this if your a rice ball guy go back and try pranzo’s it’s delicious it’s creamy cheesy meat and peas in the middle it’s probably one of the best rice balls in the city in my opinion. They don’t serve it with garlic knots like jianetto’s but they don’t have to it’s bigger and much better,and besides jianetto’s knots are alway’s stale anyway.Pranzo does serve the garlic knots with their pasta specials and they are crisp and fresh and hot.But their lunch special is a great deal for mid town 2 slices and a soda for 5.00 a few times they also did a slice a roll and a soda for 7 or 7.50 I don’t recall but that’s a great lunch deal to…Pranzo keep up the good work.

  • As a Tourist pizza hut is the best.:P

  • is rob a shill for Pranzo?

  • Stan- I am 99.9% percent sure that he is.

  • I’m quite happy to see some competition for Jiannetto’s . Yes their sauce is the better of the two outfits, though not by a great margin. Jianetto’s has become home of the incredibly shrinking slice. At this point I anticipate slivers on my next visit. And the callous if not donwright rude monkeys working the Jianetto’s truck have alienated enough people as it is.

  • How does one serve Pizza Callously?

  • I work two blocks south from the Pranza Pizza truck. I was turned on to it by a woman in my office. We are both Italian and we always talk about food. When she told me pizza on a truck, I was very skeptical, but I tried it and was surprised to say the least. I consider myself a pizza connoisseur and I will say I have only eaten the grandma pizza and it was tremendous and very authentic. I was shocked and I asked him, how did you make this pie on that truck? He said come look and invited me to take a peek in the truck. Its a kitchen on wheels, full pizza oven, sink with faucet, which is supplied by a this big water tank, steam table and soda refrig. He seemed very proud of the design of the truck as he explained it to me in detail, and I was really impressed. He has other food but I am a pizza guy and thats all I go there for, so I can’t comment on his other food. Although his regular pizza looks good, I am a first generation American of Italian descent and the Grandma is what I am more used to. Its a treat for me, hopefully they settle in that spot. Thanks Pranza.

  • me thinks that Chris B and Rob are the same Pranza man. Besides the far too wordy obvious shilling, one other telling sign — look at the comment times — 9:07 pm and 8:56 pm — not exactly the time of day most of us read and comment on this site.

  • I went back today,I like the pizza got 1 and 1,and I splurged
    and got the the vodka roll pretty good.
    Stan agreed I had the ep roll def. needs more sauce.

  • Stan I think your right, I actually built the truck. Pranzo is not the best, trust me. Jiannetto’s would be even better if they were still with Daddy Doug’s pizza. I have the original sauce, so take a ferry ride sometime and see me on SI one block from the ferry.

  • can someone send me the link for buying a pizza truck plz

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