Midtown Lunch

I’ll admit I was pretty excited when I heard that Harry’s Pizza was coming to Rockefeller Center. The Rock Center concourse hasn’t had a dedicated pizza spot since Two Boots Pizza left, so the lazier part of my nature was looking forward to getting pizza for lunch without leaving the building.

Let’s start with the slices. If you like Sicilian style (thick square slices) then you probably will enjoy the slices at Harry’s. Over the course of several visits, I tried the cheese ($2.75), the sausage ($3.25) and the white slices ($3).

They all had plenty of cheese and the sausage good, if standard, Italian sausage. My issue was the price. Unless you have a really light appetite you’re going to need more than one slice for sure, so you’re talking at least $5.50 for lunch. If you get into the specialty toppings it’s going to run you closer to $7 or $8. You’ll also noticed in the photo above that it’s really luck of the draw in terms of slice size.

Early adopter comments have generally been positive. Lunch’er Milkman seemed to sum the general vibe up by saying: “Tastiness confirmed… however, let’s not get overhyped. It was solid, but not spectacular. A welcome addition to the hood no doubt, but there’s no doubt that you need 3 slices for a filling lunch (unless you weigh 100 pounds). And that’s going to push the $10 limit (one pepperoni was $3.54 including tax). It’s very similar to Naples 45, although I’d still give the edge to Naples…and when you factor in the $1.75 cost past 2pm, it’s no contest. But again, it’s a welcome addition…”

Oddly what left the worst impression was spotting Marino’s Italian Ice on the menu for $2… each. I have fond memories of Marino’s Italian Ice from childhood (they are the yellow and green packaged Italian ice cups found on ice cream trucks and in your grocery aisle) and I know you’ve got to make it rain to pay Rock Center rent, but you can get a six pack of those at the grocery store for $2.99. I’m willing to pay a premium for quality and for convenience, but I’ll leave the $2 Marino Ices to the tourists. Andrea’s review of Harry’s Pizza on the Downtown site seems to tout their sandwiches which I haven’t had a chance to try yet. If you’ve tried them let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Harry’s Pizza, 30 Rockefeller Center Concourse, 212-218-1450