Numero 28 pizza opened in Forest Hills in February and I only finally had it this past Friday, March 16th. While they may be new to Forest Hills, the owners aren’t new at the pizza game at all. The restaurant also has several locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Austin, TX and Miami Beach.
In addition, Numero 28 says the recipe for their Neapolitan pizza has been passed down through 5 generations.
I arrived at the restaurant with my mother, an Italian woman whose brother once owned a pizzeria and who had of course grown up eating pizza long before she moved to the states in 1964.
We started off with the insalata pere rucola e gorgonzola which if you don’t read Italian, was a salad with pears, arugula, gorgonzola, and walnuts. I anticipated this because I thought the mixed sweet, creamy, nutty, and peppery flavors would all pair well together.
I really hate being wrong and boy was I wrong. The gorgonzola was too tangy for the salad which ganged up with the unripe pears to create an overall sour taste. The walnuts tried to make peace in the salad but the arugula and oily dressing just wouldn’t give it up.
Luckily I knew that I’ve never really had a Neapolitan pizza disappoint me before. With that blessing, we proceeded to order the San Daniele pizza and Rustica pizzas.
The San Daniele came with arugula and prosciutto atop stracciatella di bufala and mozzarella cheese with a classic tomato sauce.
The crust was the right kind of chewy without all of those dusty crumbs that leave your hands feeling like that of a gymnast.
The key to preventing a soggy crust was to put the cheese before the sauce. An admirable touch considering Nick’s Pizza is a long time favorite, a direct competitor and they have that problem.
Admittedly, the prosciutto was a bit dry and tasted and looked exactly like Citterio’s Prosciutto di San Daniele.
My mother’s pizza was topped simply with long slices of green peppers and diced
sausage as opposed to a sausage crumble. I think I preferred her dish over mine because it satisfied that pizza craving without the added frills.
The staff was attentive and we weren’t left waiting for our food for too long considering it was full when we arrived and the pizza is made to order.
The dessert options were a little heavy with most of the items containing Nutella even without it in the name. I was not able to finish my chocolate cake but my mother did eat all of her cheesecake which was surprisingly not baked.
A three-course meal for two with alcohol will run you under $100 which is pretty impressive.
In terms of ambiance, Numero 28 manages to bring upscale pizza to Forest Hills while still fitting into the neighborhood.
Would I return? Definitely, and maybe next time I’ll try one of their pasta dishes or other protein centered entrees…but who am I kidding, I’ll probably stick to pizza.