Downtown Lunch: You Can Always Count on Jiannetto's Pizza Truck

Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.) You can never count on new carts, so when Daniel’s original destination went missing, he fell back on an old Midtown (and Downtown) Lunch standby.

I went down to check out the new pizza truck (supposedly parked on Pine near Broadway) but I’m starting to believe it’s a fantasy, because for the second week in a row there was no pizza truck to be found. I called John John’s actual location in Staten Island and they said they were having some issues with the truck so they haven’t really been there this week, but might be there Friday (meaning today). Good luck with that.

pizza 2s

I wanted pizza and I wanted a grandma slice NOW so I had to go check out the old standby Jiannetto’s (on Front and Wall.) Their Midtown trucks are already well known, and I figured it would be a good way to get my fix. Also I thought it would be fun if I turned the tables on my favorite stalker Yvo, who had recently checked out the same pizza.

pizza cart 1s

I’ve never had pizza from a truck before, but in a way it made me think of The Jerk where Steve Martin was eating pizza out of a cup. So for some reason in my mind I was hoping the pizza was going to come in a cup. It didn’t. (Yeah, I’m an idiot.)

PIZZA CART 7s

The slices are a bit small for $2.75 each so you really need two (at least), which is what I got and was pretty stuffed after finishing both. The crust, as has been reported, was great and I do like that sweet sauce found on the grandma slice. When I first moved to NYC, and tried my first grandma slice, I actually asked the pizza guy if it was his grandmother’s recipe. With a serious face he told me, “Yes it is”, and of course I believed him. (Yeah, I’m gullible.)

I rate this slice as a solid slice which satiated my pizza cravings for the day, but I’m still jonesing to try the John John place to compare. Maybe today will be our lucky day…

Jiannettos, Corner of Front and Wall Street, 917-753-0819

The Midtown location is on 47th btw. Mad+Park (on Vanderbilt)

Post and photos by Daniel Krieger

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8 Comments

  • Anyone know if the cart Ravioli Fair is still down around there? It was an italian cart that served hot and cold food, but I haven’t been there since the late 90s…

  • That looks bloody awful.

    Looks like its got eczema.

  • Has anyone tried or heard of Eileen’s Cheesecake over by Lafayette and spring? I hear it’s the best.

  • The “new pizza truck” is usually parked in front of Whitehall P.O. (between Stone and Bridge Sts.) on Mondays. Had the $5 special the other day (2 slices plus soda/water) – one thin and one thick slice. Nothing to write home about. The sauce is much too sweet. And Jianetto’s is no better.

  • @Lou, eileen’s is my favorite cheesecake in the city! its light and creamy and i’ve often gotten it as birthday cakes for friends. i suggest plain or strawberry if you get the individual servings

  • Agree with Rudy 100%

  • First of all, I have eczema and I resent that. I do NOT look like that!
    Secondly, the pizza tastes fine!
    Third, you call those small slices? I’m no small person but I thought my slice was quite large…
    And last but not least, I have some lunch leads for Daniel :) but are you the daring kind? Muhahaha…

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    you LIKE their pizza???

    i tried it last summer along with one of their meatball heroes.

    the pizza was like a shingle with some canned tomato sauce splashed on it and some parmesan cheese sprinkled over it. there is NO mozzerella at all.

    wassup wit dat???

    the ‘hero’ wasn’t much better. meatballs rolled up in a piece of pizza dough… a cup of that same sauce ON THE SIDE… for dipping i suppose.

    i won’t be back.

    btw… eileen’s cheesecake IS fabulous.

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