Artichoke Basille's Pizza & Brewery

Doesn't Recommend

RKWU

Joined 5 years ago

Why all the buzz?. Signature slice was too rich and the crust was more like sour dough bread than pizza. The sicilian slice's crust was burnt and there was so much oil in the making of it that the crust came out fried. I don't understand what all the fuss is about? The only redeeming quality of the pizza was that the sauce was very good, unfortunately all the elements weren't good enough to give it an average rating.

Recommends

epicurian0003

Joined 4 years ago

RICH slice-not for the faint of heart. So I've been hearing so much about this pleace that I endured the line waited for the infamous artichoke slice. First, it should be renamed the spinach slice because there is a paltry portion of artichoke. Also, it is extreamly rich, heavy and creamy...was able to share with a friend. They have a traditional margarita slice that was very good and I preferred over the artichoke slice.

Recommends

DavidKirkpatrick

Joined 5 years ago

There's a reason for the line. Something about the crust, the pungency of the sauce, the generous amount of cheese (three kinds, I think), and the very modest price ($3.50 a slice) for what you get has them lining up here at all hours, literally. Quite frequently at 4am on a weekend there is still a line of 10 people leading out of this tiny space down the block. Perhaps it's a marketing technique to keep the place popular--if so it works. I only go there when for some reason the lines are short. But I never regret it.

Recommends

foxe614

Joined 5 years ago

Absolutely Delicious!!!!!!. Although this pizza may not be the most traditional it tastes better than anything I've had in Manhattan. The Artichoke slice is perfectly made. The crust is thick with a crispy outerlayer and soft inner with creamy goodness all over. The margarita slice is also very good, it tastes like a thin crust pizza but is much thicker. The pizza is huge so you can split it with someone you love. My boyfriend hates artichokes but loves this pizza. The line may be long but it's definitely worth the wait. Bring good friends and time will pass as you await this different yet perfect slice of pizza. P.S. At certain times of the day there is no line (2-3 people), peak seems to be late night when everyone is drunk and hungry.

Recommends

karapaparas

Joined 5 years ago

its good pizza, but some negatives bring it down to average, and not worth the wait. Ive had this pizza several times, and every time with a line of up to maybe 6-7 people. I would not be caught dead waiting in line for over 10 minutes, and thats pushing it.

Have tried the artichoke, the sicilian, and the neapilitan. I have to say that the artichoke, although it doesnt taste like pizza, is quite delicious. The trick is in the dough and in the quality of the cheese. Usual pizza places have an uncooked dough, unless its thin crust.

The neapolitan and sicilian are quite similar in taste. However their slices seem to be very inconsistent in quality. Some times its bathing in sauce which i dont like as all you taste is tomato, other times its dripping oil (olive oil), some times barely any basis, but almost every time the dough was BLACK!!! The first time i got it it was not burnt, and tasted great, which is why i went back.

Another negative is that at the old price of 2.50 and 3.00, you got a good deal. Now its 3.50 and 4, and although filling, is not worth its money. Especially if you have to wait in line for hours like some nutcases do. It is pizza to go!

One tip: For the time you spend waiting in line, you might as well go to PIOLA which is 10 times better, you sit down, enjoy your pizza, and still be done before you even start eating at Arthichoke on the sidewalk.

Only go when line is small, not worth the wait. And only try the arthichoke, or for the other slices make sure there is enough basil, and that it is not black underneeth.

Recommends

anonymousKK

Joined 5 years ago

It burnt so good. I am a lady of leisure this week. I have my first week off in two years thus, I get to eat lunch at places that are wayyy too busy for supper. I avoided the line by going at 2 o clock on Tuesday afternoon. I had a delicious slice of Sicilian with fresh basil and parmesan that was slightly burnt but oh so yummy. I burnt my mouth but it was the kind of burn that felt good and didn't stop me from eating the rest of Lex's.

Doesn't Recommend

allgoodusernamesaretaken

Joined 6 years ago

What's the line for?. I went when there wasn't actually a line (first time ever)... and for $4/slice (that's the new price), it is NOT worth it. The artichoke slice is very rich and the crust is too thick and slightly burnt. What are people waiting in line for?

Recommends

monsieurturtle

Joined 5 years ago

Overrated, but still on my list.. My roommate and I stumbled into Artichoke within the week of its opening. At this time, a Neapolitan pie was offered for $11(!); this was reasonably canceled later as a "grand opening promotion", though there was no hint of this at the time. I like Artichoke, but the quality has dropped somewhat since my first experience there.

The ingredients are still fresh, but I've seen (and tasted) some adjustments to save on food cost. Even given the ingredients involved, the taste is only slightly above average. The crust tends to be burnt more than one would hope, even given the cooking method.

Size and value is where Artichoke seems to excel. Neapolitan slices are only $2.50, and are generally much larger than the slices offered at other pizza places; order a Neapolitan pie and only $15 will net you a pizza so large that it looks like it's about to pop off the sides of the box. The spinach and artichoke slice is also good, though overrated, and in general I don't recommend it. It's $3.00 for a slice, has a poor crust-to-topping ratio, and (if you care) is not recommended if your health is a major concern. They also have a Sicilian slice, but I haven't tried it (honestly because it is the same price as the Neapolitan but seems much, much smaller).

Another thing that has rightfully been pointed out is the issue of the line. It tends to be ridiculous, and unless you're really in some sort of bind, I would recommend detouring to any of the dozen pizza places in the area and getting a slice that may be slightly smaller but will probably have better flavor. Luckily, there are dead-spots in the day, but even at times like these, the genuinely nice staff seems a bit overwhelmed. Occasionally, they'll offer cauliflower fritters (excellent) or fresh bread to those waiting in line. If you're not the patient type, find another place to frequent.

To summarize: Decent pizza in large quantities for cheap- if you don't mind the line. Not worth the hype, but still a good place.

Recommends

mayamayanyc

Joined 6 years ago

Holy overrated Batman!. If you have an hour or two to burn waiting on line for pizza that is only a bit better than average, go right ahead. But at the end of the day, it's pizza. I called ahead thinking it would reduce my wait time, oh how mistaken I was. As we waited, my brother pointed out the embarrassing fact that we were actually waiting on line for pizza. Never again. The ingredients are fresh but they adhere to the Sbarro school of way too much dough. I would go anywhere else in the neighborhood for a slice to avoid the line. My suggestion would be to go to Vinny Vincenz on first ave and pay the extra buck for the fresh mozzarella slice. Oh, and the artichoke slice is just gross: way too rich.

Doesn't Recommend

evanmax

Joined 9 years ago

Lemmings in line. OK. Here's how to make a tasty pizza: Take an entire stick of butter and a half a pound of cheese. Melt it on one slice. Just one. Now dump enough creamy alfredo sauce to give you the right type of heart attack. Don't bother adding sauce to it. Who adds sauce on a NY pizza? Now take two slices of spinach and maybe one or two artichokes....not too many!! Just enough to make the vegetarians think that this artery clogger is "healthy." Serve on chicago style deep dish crust for this NY treat. We'll call it the Artichoke slice. People will line up for this thing.