In the Dyker Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, Crispy Pizza has been turning out Italian-American comfort food since 1969. Each morning begins the same way, with fresh ingredients and what the family calls loving hands, as they put together a feast of pizzas, sauces and specials. The original location is still the heart of the operation, a place that has fed the neighborhood for the better part of six decades.
The story behind the pizzeria is a family one. Freddy Palazzolo's parents migrated to Brooklyn from Sicily, specifically from Palermo, and built the business from humble beginnings. Three generations have since stuck to the same traditions, keeping the kitchen running on recipes and habits passed down from the very start.
At the center of it all is the dough. The shop uses a special dough recipe that, by Palazzolo's account, has not changed since his father first started the business. That consistency is something the family treats as essential, a foundation they are unwilling to tinker with even as tastes and trends shift around them.
The menu has grown to include crowd favorites that keep customers coming back. Among the specials are the pizzeria's famous buffalo chicken pinwheels, while the Palermo pie nods directly to the family's roots. The flavors, the family says, draw customers from near and far, well beyond their corner of Brooklyn.
For all its history, the pizzeria has also found a new audience online, drawing a massive following on social media. That mix of old-school tradition and modern reach has helped a nearly 60-year-old business stay relevant. Almost 60 years, Palazzolo noted, and by his measure, it is clearly still working.
Making the perfect slice, he says, comes down to technique and care. The trick is to bring the sauce and toppings all the way up to the crust, add a little fresh oregano and just enough cheese for good coverage. Two handfuls, he advises, is enough to do the job right.
In the end, Palazzolo keeps his philosophy simple, and that simplicity may be the secret ingredient. You just have to put your heart in it, be consistent and love what you do, because that matters a lot, he said. And as any true New Yorker knows, there is only one proper way to eat the result, folded in half.