Sorbillo is one of the newest Neapolitan pizzerias in NYC having opened in November 2017 by Gino and Toto Sorbillo. Their father, the 19th of 21 children, comes from a family of pizzaioli (pizza chefs). Literally, a family of pizzaioli. Every single one of the 21 children is a pizzaiolo. In 1935, their grandfather opened up the original Sorbillo in Naples, and to this day, the restaurant remains highly regarded and critically praised.
As a huge follower and fan of Neapolitan pizza, I was, of course, familiar with the Sorbillo in Naples and had long anticipated its opening in NYC. The week it opened, we swooped right in. To cut straight to the chase, it was just good at best, and not a notch more. Though I have not eaten at the Sorbillo in Naples, I am going to assume that one is superior. I think one of the biggest offenders in the NYC location is that the quality of ingredients has gone down. Of course this is an assumption given that I cannot compare the two. But having tried Sorbillo’s in NYC, I cannot imagine that the acclaimed Naples version is not a step above.
The service is good with the servers being accommodating, attentive, and pleasant. It’s larger than most Neapolitan pizzerias with at least 25 tables, a large bar, and a pretty spacious layout. They take reservations, but chances are if you walk in, you’ll still be accommodated in a timely manner.
Given that they are truly Neapolitan, they of course offer the two classic Neapolitan pizzas: the Marinara and the Margherita. And, of course, they are made correctly. As expected, the Marinara comes with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh garlic, oregano, and EVOO (Terre Francescane). The Margherita comes with San Marzano tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, and the same EVOO. They also offer a Margherita con Bufalo (served with buffalo mozzarella instead) as well.
The pizzas were well-crafted, in that they held the proper shape and form. The super thin dough was outlined by a thick and pillowy exterior crust. The toppings were well proportioned. But the taste needed improvement. As I mentioned, it was good, but not great. The San Marzano tomatoes were not properly reduced, making for a very acidic tomato sauce. The fresh mozzarella was not the best quality and did not melt into the pizza the way it should have, resulting in a lack of flavor unification and a rubbery texture. And when the tomato sauce and the cheese, the two main ingredients on the pizza, need improvement, it can only be so good.
Now the only benefit of the doubt I can give them is that we went very shortly after they opened and perhaps they’ve since made some adjustments that have corrected for these flaws. But that being said, if your product is Neapolitan pizza, and you come from a family of expert pizzaioli who run Sorbillo in Naples, you really should have perfected your product by opening day.
I might consider going back at some point in the future, just to give it one more try, but otherwise, I don’t think it lived up to its reputation. I wouldn’t actively recommend it as a Neapolitan pizzeria to try because I’ve had much better. But then again, I’ve also had much worse.
