Pizza Gruppo

I live nearby and am amazed by the high quality of Gruppo Pizza... I order take away all the time and turned into a quality pizza fascist because of it... now most pizza tastes like just fast food. Restaurant is a bit tight/narrow and cannot accommodate groups well, but the pizza IS to die for. (Cannot comment on the meat pizzas, as I am a vegetarian).

This is the sister pizzeria of Posto where I tried to get delivery from but they refused because I lived below 14th street. Which is a joke because i live same ave and on 13th. Anyway I gave Gruppo 2 chances and both times it was not good. Meatball topping consisted of 3 halves of mini meatballs. Gruppo's other toppings were non existent as well. The whole allure of sister pizzeria Posto was the fresh ingredients in their pizza. Cheese and sauce were ok but used sparingly. I've never written a review before but was so disapointed in Gruppo after a few great experiences at Posto on 18th street I had to give fare warning. Oh ya, delivery took over an hour to boot.

I live a few blocks away from Gruppo and either stop by or order from them about once a week. Their toppings are a little pricey (probably because many are imported and the US dollar is becoming worthless), but their pizzas are more or less consistently good. Delivery times are typically about 25 minutes although once it took them an hour. Inside the restaurant, aside from being a little cramped, everything is just about what you'd expect from a classic pizza parlor (flat soda included) except the pizzas are a step above.

I have been dining in and ordering out from here for 4 1/2 years and am always happy with the pies. The staff is friendly and attentive. Sure, on a few occasions the crust has been undercooked or overcooked, but the cheese and toppings are always fresh and the sauce is one of the best around. A large pie easily accomodates two people and for the quality of the food it's definitely a fair price. I also recommend their garlic bread and house salad, which has an amazing Italian dressing.

Placed an order at 8:30 on a Thursday, was told it would be a half hour. Waited until 9:30 to call again, was told it was the next order out. Waited until 10 to call again, this time to cancel the order. The nice man says "Okay." Hmm. Did the order go out? "Well, if the guy comes, tell him you canceled the order." Er, yeah. So, I shouldn't say it's all zeros, since I didn't try the pizza, but I guess that's exactly the point. Maybe it's better to eat in. Not that I'll ever know.

I used to order from their other location - Posto's on 2nd avenue, then moved to the east village and was excited that I wouldn't have to give up such amazing pizza! But after ordering from Gruppo's about 4 - 5 times now, I realized that the pizza at this location is really more hit or miss. It's never really "bad" - but sometimes it's just not as good as it can be. The crust is sometimes not as light and crisp, and they toppings aren't evenly distributed, but on a good they, they are great!

Great food, service is alright, but the con is the price. Just ordered 2 small pizzas, 1 salad and a root beer and it came to $33.67.