| Thin crust pizzas baked in a brick oven |
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 11/9/2004
Rating: 8.5
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Amicis East Coast Pizzeria serves thin crust pizza cooked out of brick ovens. Julie and I were fortunate to sit in front of the ovens and watch our pizzas cook right before our eyes. The guy placed it next to the fire for about 2-3 minutes and the crust started to bubble a tiny bit. He then proceeded to move it on the opposite side of the oven rotating it every couple of minutes. After all that work, he delivered our perfectly cooked pizza. It was amazing.
We decided to get half the side Amicis Combo (pepperoni, meatball, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and black olives) and the other being Margherita (Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil). As an added bonus, we got the exra garlic. The toppings were very fresh and crust was even better. Im not a big fan of mushrooms but I like their sauteed mushrooms. The crust didnt leave an oil spill, it was firm enough to fold, and extremeley thin. The sauce was non-existent on the Amicis combo. I dont even remember seeing or tasting any? The Margherita didnt come with sauce but there were enough tomatoes on the pizza to make it moist.
Amicis East Coast Pizzeria is an upper scale pizza place catering to gourmet pizza lovers. They offer quite a number of pizza styles not offered at your normal pizza chain, Greek Isle, Asante, etc. Prices are slightly higher than other places but I believe you are paying for quality ingrediants. There pizza is superb and would have no hesitations making a return visit.
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Reviewer: Julie
Total Reviews: 46
Reviewed: 11/10/2004
Rating: 8.5
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Amici's is one of my staple restaurants. I eat here at least once or twice a month, which for me is a lot. Their wide variety of food, excellent pizza, and friendly service make it a great choice for any meal.
Tonight, Jason and I had a half and half pizza, split between Margharita (with no sauce!) and Amici's Combo. I have to comment on how good a job they do of actually having a split pizza. Don't worry about stray toppings from the side you don't want wandering over onto your half - there is a perfect separation. As an added bonus, you can ask for fresh garlic to be combined with any topping selection.
It was my first try of the Margharita pizza and it was delicious. There were just the right amount of toppings to offer a full flavor, but not overwhelm. The Amici's combo, on the other hand, is the pizza I always order. The mushrooms, bacon and pepperoni are all pretty standard, but their sausage is a flat patty and is my favorite part of the pizza - something I have never seen repeated at another pizzaria.
Several pasta and salad items can also be found on the menu, for those wanting a broader selection of Italian entrees. But honestly, the pizza here is so good, I can never convince myself to order anything else.
There are a few things you can count on in any Amici's experience. Crusts will be thin and crispy - prefectly cooked, pizzas won't be overly greasy, and the service will be excellent. In short, you won't be dissapointed with a visit to Amici's and will most likely find yourself a repeat customer. |
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Reviewer: DoctorJZ
Total Reviews: 32
Reviewed: 7/8/2005
Rating: 8
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I had heard alot of radio ads claiming that Amicis was the best pie and most authentic east coast pizza. While the mini manhattan red clam pizza i ordered was quite good, this was not really authentic east coast pizza to me. While i was living back east briefly, i don't think i came across any wood-fired pizzas. Also, this is a restaraunt not really what i'd expect from a pizzaria as far as atmosphere. At lunch, the waitstaff was in longsleeve white shirts and ties.
this place was expensive. my mini pizza, which was extremely small, not much bigger than a slice at a lot of places, was delicious. their menu described and boasted of their crust and i must say i couldn't fault them for that because it tasted excellent, and was really crisp.
I also could appreciate the effort it took; i watched the guy jockey the oven, constantly rotating pizzas and shifting them closer or further from the heat. much more artistic than throwing it in a conventional oven and waiting 15-20 minutes.
I do take umbrage that they have two sizes of draft beer, calling one 'large'. i ordered a large beer to go with my pizza, and it was a pint. to me, that is regular, certainly not large.
this place was pricey, too. the miniature thin crust pizza(approx 6 inches)and 'large' beer came out to about 15 dollars.
i would never come here again alone for lunch. the staff was professional and friendly, but a little less casual than i would want at a pizza joint.
I'd say it would be best to split larger pizzas instead of getting minis. this place costs too much for me for lunch. I feel like i paid about twice what my meal was worth. The pizza is delicious, but this place just doesn't have the total package for me. I wouldn't knock their pizza in any way though, this stuff is good. And unlike the beer, the size description on the menu is accurate for pizza.
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Reviewer: Vikram
Total Reviews: 19
Reviewed: 7/14/2005
Rating: 9.5
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I went to Amici's a couple years ago with some family. I loved it so much I keep going back. This pizza is as good as Cicero's which in the best thin crust pizza I have ever had.
I have tried several of their pizzas on different occasions.
The Spicy Pepper Chicken is really tasty. I like to make it spicier with the red pepper flakes and it is perfect. I also loved the Pollo. I love the combination of spinach and chicken. Another of my favorite at Amici's is the Boston Eggplant pizza. I am not a vegetarian but this is one pizza I always eat when I go there. It helps that eggplant is one of my favorites. The pizzas are all thin crust so you get to taste the toppings without the interference of the bread. I prefer thin crust to the thick ones.
The beers are Amici's are also good. Some of them are local California brews on tap. I think one of them is the Santa Barbara. It goes well with a spicy pizza.
I like the ambience of the restaurant. There is outdoor dining, which is great in summer. This one beats Cicero's in the ambience department and so this is a 9.5, just a notch above Cicero's.
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Reviewer: wchane
Total Reviews: 148
Reviewed: 8/14/2007
Rating: 8
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Went with their spaghetti with meat sauce plus meatballs last night because most of the party ordered pasta. The spaghetti was cooked correctly then I believe finished in the meat sauce like correct pasta should be. There was nothing wrong with it or funny tasting at all, in fact it was pretty good. Just not $10.95 (small), + $3.95 (for 3 shooter sized marble meatballs) good. It was certainly not good enough to justify the near $20 per person we paid.
So why the 8? It's pretty darn good, I can't argue with that. However as far as bang for the buck, you're getting money stolen from you here.
Their pizzas - Good, just expensive. I'm not sure how this chain is so successful.
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Reviewer: Lainie
Total Reviews: 41
Reviewed: 12/29/2006
Rating: 8
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It's so sad that this is as close as we're gonna get to a true NY pie here in this part of the Bay Area, but it's not bad. I am a lover of this crust pizzas and it's one of the best in town. The crust is nicely, slightly charred and thin and the toppings are fresh. I think the wood-burning ovens really make a difference.
But I guess there might be some truth to those who say a NY pizza is a NY pizza because of the NY water, because I have yet to try one that's anything close to a nice slice you'd get in the Big Apple. But aside from that, Amici's is still a nice alternative for us Bay Area brats. |
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