Bruno Pizza

It’s open for BRUNCH!!! UHUUUUU.
Although the menu isn’t as diverse as it is at dinner, it doesn’t disappoint. The chicken is juicy and tender and the meatballs taste delicious.

Great pizza, great wine, great service, unique but comfortable atmosphere, love the brick fire oven.

Possibly the most horrible dining experience ever. Small cramped space, tables too close together, hard uncomfortable seats made from plywood… kitchen staff not wearing any gloves and touching all the food! Dirty rags tucked into their aprons.
Then as we are almost finished, the girl at the table next two who, who was on her second bottle of wine, gets sick all over the table and the floor, she throws up TWICE!, fair enough, people get sick, not the nicest thing to see or smell as your eating your dinner… granted they probably shouldn’t have give her so much wine! But at this stage our experience could still be saved… then the head server/​manager sees it… but does nothing only talk to the other staff about it, server walks by… doesn’t do anything… bartender/manager…also walks by… still does nothing… no one attempted to clean up the sick on the table ½ foot from my food, it’s all over the floor and the seat also… eventually I asked the server if they were goin to clean it up because the smell of it was turning my stomach, she pretends she never seen it, although she walked right by it and looked at it. Then the head server/​manager or whatever he was, wearing his baseball caps comes over and let’s us know he comp’d our food and we just have to pay for the drinks… but still nobody cleans up the sick… we paid our check, as we’re leaving a cook from the kitchen, wearing no gloves (again) comes to clean it up… and guess where he’ll be going after that… back to cook someone’s food and touch it… with no gloves… I love this area of town, I usually go to the brazen… why did I not just go there tonight… my stomach is still turning almost 2 hours later…
The managers/​owners need to sort their stuff out.
Needless to say we won’t be going back or recommending it to anyone

Not bad at all. Interesting and different. The pizza is pretty thin. My gf and I shared the Nduja which had pork and potatoes. I thought it was good and different. we also shared the squid ink pasta and that was great as well.

When I walked in, it was not what I expected. I hadn’t looked at pictures of the place before, but I didn’t think it would be super bright. Super bright. Also, the seating is all on one side of the restaurant against the wall since the space is narrow. So it was extremely causal in the sense that it might not want to come here on your first date with someone. It was also packed and really loud.
Having said that, the staff was really nice. They were welcoming and as attentive as possible without being overbearing. There is also a «no tip policy», which is self explanatory. I thought this was interesting but has no bearing on my rating or opinion.
I sat down with a friend and we shared a plain pizza and the scallops. The pizza… I don’t know why so many people love this pizza, but it was nothing special at all. It definitely wasn’t bad, but not 4 or 5 star worthy. The scallops were good, probably better than the pizza. But this is a pizza place, not somewhere to come for seafood.
So… I am sad to say, although it’s not bad, I wouldn’t recommend it because there are so many amazing pizza places in New York. I wish I had taken pictures, but I was starving, and completely forgot.

Ate here last night with 2 friends. We split 2 pizzas and a pasta. I wood say the pizza was good, not amazing or something I would necessarily come back for. We also for the pappardelle pasta which they really liked. It was a little too citrusy for my taste.
The service was good though. It’s a no tip place so things are a little pricier.

Came here on good Friday for lunch and it was fantastic
The in house milled flour makes for a delicious «whole wheat» type pizza dough, which in turn made great pies.
I like the minimalist décor.

Awesome experience, amazing food
Do not let the less than stellar reviews deter you away from this place !!!
I know ratings aren’t the best for Bruno which is why I was shocked when my chef friend recommended we go here. And wow was I happy I went with his recommendation!
Our waiter explained that the service had affected the Unilocal reviews. They’ve turned over a new staff since then. Our waiter, Zac, was friendly, attentive, and recommended great wine.
THE FOOD. SO GOOD
Appetizer:
Squid: holy cow, I would come back just for this salad. Highly recommend it
Citrus Salad: also so delicious! A lot more layers of flavors than you’d expect from a simple citrus salad
Pizza:
Ham: Favorite out of the two. This one is lighter but so flavorful
Nduja: Heavier with lots of meat
Both made from in house made dough/​gain
Dessert:
We got both gelatos because we couldn’t resist and they were the perfect ending to the meal. The gelatos were paired with delicious dehydrated fruit and some crunchy stuff that I could eat over and over again.
Basically, I’ve been raving about this place to all my friends and cannot wait to go back. This restaurant also has a no tip policy where the tip/​wage is incorporated into the price. Overall FANTASTIC experience

Y’know on Rotten Tomatoes when an amazing movie has a 99% critic rating and a 50% audience rating: this is the restaurant equivalent of that because, seriously, this was one of the best meals I’ve had in NYC and yet it is rocking a 3 ½ right now.
I remember seeing Bruno on multiple ‘Best Opening of 2015′ lists and, while I came here with pretty high expectations, I was still blown away.
The squid starter was inventive and delicious, with an amazing black garlic purée and charred green onion. The Marghertia pizza was also superb, chewy and soft and bright with this surprising punch of lovage. While this pizza is not like most standard high-​end pizza, it is its own beautiful, hipsterish thing.
And, finally, the dessert here is sick. We had the carrot cake with carrot sorbert, white chocolate, and walnuts and it was superb.
The place was slim and super bright, like you are in a cube full of LES scenesters in the middle of outer space. The service was solid, the pizza was unique af. All in all, a pretty amazing spot. Strongly recommend.

Bruno (
) is a visual and gastronomic feast. Sure, it’s not your classic «New York style» pizza that people seem to crave and that you can find on every street in Manhattan. Rather, it’s so much more than that – Bruno’s chefs are doing things that have never been done before.
The crust can be savored and one can appreciate the complex and rich flavor of the single origin 00 whole wheat flour (milled just feet below in the restaurant’s belly). On the menu you can stick to classics or try some exotic fresh herbs, leaves, flowers, fruit, fungi, cheese, sauces and meats. It is a foodie’s paradise.
I came away with a rich experience: a full belly, knowledge of new tastes of greens I had never tried, and an appreciation for 00 freshly milled flour.
I will be visiting Bruno again as soon as I can to try more of their menu.

I“m pretty surprised that this isn’t a solid 4 star business — I had a great experience when I dined in and have also had takeout.
I decided to come here last Saturday on the absolute coldest day of the year. I had been at #brians apartment and decided that venturing home to the west side was not in the cards for me. Truthfully, I had come rigth from the gym and was in some «loungy» clothes and sneakers that I could not wear to a restaurant. Instead of going home to get an outfit, I went and bought an entire new one.
Given that context, #brian and I decided that we were not going to venture far whatsoever. He just so happens to live 3 doors down from Bruno, and we had been wanting to go together for quite some time, so this was the perfect situation.
It generally looks fairly crowded, but we did not have an issue walking in on a Saturday night at 8:30 and were seated right away.
We had devoured a cheese plate right before going (mmmmm cheese) and were not particularly hungry and were not planning on eating a ton (or so we thought…). The food looked so delicious that we opted to go pretty all out.
To start with, we got the buffalo ham pizza — that is definitely not the right name but it was some spicy ham pizza. It was extremely good — a unique combination of flavors on top of the most amazing pizza dough. Next, we got one of the market specials — the winter citrus salad. I really enjoyed this. It was a great assortment of flavors and textures, and it was clear that the chef put a lot of thought into each of the components. We ended with a seafood tortellini which was quite enjoyable as well. I particularly enjoyed the green sauce. We also split a bottle of wine which was reasonable as well.
All in all, this was a great dining experience. It was very reasonable for the quality of dishes. I have recommended this to a number of friends.
I am definitely a little confused about the «20% management fee» at the end. I like how the new momofuku restaurant incorporates tipping into the prices of the dishes instead — that just seems to make a bit more sense.

Overall amazing experience. The momofuku of pizza… a better Marta… Roberta’s of Manhattan.
I didn’t think I was going to like the super bright lighting at first but it ended up actually being really nice and refreshing. I wasn’t having to use a candle or my phone to see anything
The wine and beer list is to DIE for. There were a lot of things I had never seen before and I loved the descriptions they included which were super on point. Everything I tired by the glass was delicious.
For food I tried two different pizzas, an app, and dessert. The pizzas were smaller to average size but felt very hearty. Every item we had was delicious and you could see everyone in the kitchen taking their time to make sure it was perfect. Pepperoni pizza is highly recommended.
I love that they are on board with including tip but I’d rather have it reflected in the prices and not added to the bill at the end.

Would give this place 4 stars because I liked the food, but I found the lighting so off-​putting that I have to knock it down a star. Why does it have to be soo bright?!
In general my friends found the pizza to be delicious, and I agree that it is very good, but a step below other spots in the area, especially Motorino. That said, the bucatini pasta and the ravioli were both 5 star dishes.
The service was nice and friendly, and the beer selection is good. I am surprised that they don’t sell a single wine by the bottle for less than 60 dollars. A bit outrageous.
In sum, it is a 4-​star restaurant that loses 1 star for ambiance. I’ll likely be back.

Here’s the thing, the pasta here (we ordered he bucatini) was delicious, the starters even better. However the actual pizza was just alright. We ordered The Nduja Pizza and it honestly lacked flavor. Especially compared to our other flavor packed dishes. Hence the three stars, if you can’t rock the pizza it’s a slight issue.
That said the service here was great I just wished the pizza had been better. Pizza should be served hot with cheese melting and explosions of flavor from the spicy pork which wasn’t even spicy. Not the case here, which was genuinely surprising considering everyone had hyped it up to much. It’s also expensive, and there is an automatic 20% charged to your bill, regardless of what you think of the service.
Good meal but probably won’t return.

Bruno is all the rage. They hype machine in overdrive from every food blog site so of course I had to go try it for myself and the whole no tipping the new chic. Many deeming them making perfect margherita pizza. Hmmm… the skeptic light bulb instant turned on.
The restaurant itself is bright and open. Rows of banquette seating along the wall and long bar seating. The night we went was lucky to have 2 open seats without the wait. We sat at the bar which I usually like anyway. The menu is simple. Pizzas, pastas and desserts. We opted for a much raved about Magherita pizza and Bucotini pasta dish and two drinks.
That said. The pizza was very good for a personal size. The bread was slightly chewy, slightly charred. Everything was well balanced in flavors. While not really big enough to share unless you aren’t that hungry or order another dish with it. The Bucotini was also a very good dish. Earthy, the slight crispiness of the bacon, the sauce went well with the pasta. What was missing was any bread that might be used to mop up the sauce.
That said the price for the meal for a pizza and pasta with two drinks with no dessert was for me a bit on the high side. The whole no tip thing I’m really ambivalent about. In the end the prices are 25% higher plus an ‘administrative fee’ on top of the bill to pay the wages or whatever that might be and I’m not even sure how much they actually pay the staff kind of nulls everything in my book.
Yeah, it was really good pizza. Yeah, it was really good pasta. Yeah, it was too pricey for a small pizza and small pasta and Small dessert (from what I saw from the guy next to me) except for the bill.

Deducting a star. I’ve been here twice since my initial raving review and both dinners were definitely less awesome than the first. I think the attention they’ve been getting is great (nothing wrong with a little good PR) but I’m afraid consistency is not their strong suit, perhaps by design as they test new ideas. Tonight they were serving pies on a doughy whole wheat crust with nice moisture and chew but the cheese, sauce and toppings were lackluster.
I could barely taste the cauliflower and pork in the nduja which was served lukewarm with unpleasant funkiness from the sorrel. Margherita and mushroom were both tasty though not exceptional for the price and toppings were a bit sparse. All pies were generously adorned by a dedicated tweezer-​wielding toppings dude on my first visit, but it seems that step is rushed now that the crush of success has the kitchen racing to keep up.
The food was 3 stars but I just can’t bring myself to rate anyone milling their own flour less than 4. Bruno, please slow it down if you must, the hype machine has a short attention span (looking at you, grubstreet) and your neighbors are only in the early, fickle days of falling for you.

Pizza is good. Everyone likes pizza! It’s hard to get pizza wrong so rarely do a visit a pizza spot and come away with complaints.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve been BLOWN AWAY by pizza. Bruno’s concoctions are odd: on paper you wonder how the ingredients could work (cauliflower? peaches??!). It all comes together when you take a bite. «I never thought peaches could work on pizza!» my friend exclaimed. Neither could I. Hell, I don’t even like peaches. I liked this pizza though. I will be returning.

Been hearing a lot of buzz about this place so decided to check it out on a Friday night. Got there around 9p and there was no wait and got seated right by the chef station.
Appetizer: eggplant. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered eggplant as an app but after seeing a few get prepared I had to try. It was great– perfect roast and combination with shishito peppers and a black cashew sauce.
Entrée: Njuda (spicy pork and cauliflower pizza). Really great crust and combination of flavors to it. I think what makes it so good is the sorrel that they top it with.
Overall I would have just given it a 4 but the service was awesome. The chefs kept giving us additional things to try so was able to sample some of the pastas as well as another app. Will definitely be back.

Packed on a Monday at 8PM, Bruno is popular. Slender sliver of a restaurant with stools for the chair facing in. Bruno makes some interesting food, though is a tad arrogant about it.
Ate: Fairytale eggplant with Shisitos & black cashews
Gigli w/​squash blossoms & corn
I elected to skip the pizza in favor of housemade pasta. The eggplant was very good with a nutty ash at the bottom. I asked for a little pizza bread for my eggplant– again a $ 50 meal no bread– no me gusta. The eggplant was a tad deconstructed for my taste. The pasta was delicate and spot on. My server was really nice, and I would try a pizza on a Monday, but wasn’t blown away. The tipping thing was weird too, but whatever.

This is some excellent pizza. Not much to say so far, except that the incredibly chewy dough makes for a really satisfying pie that you will want to eat to the end, including the crust.
I tried the Margherita ($ 12), and it was so good I didn’t mind that there was no meat on it. It’s a smallish pie, with little slices that I was able to eat in maybe 2 – 3 bites, but it really hit the spot.
It’s a nice, bright space, with the open pizza oven located right behind the counter where the bar seating is in the long, narrow space.
They are doing this thing where the tip is included (listed as a 20% «administrative fee» on the bill), so the whole thing with tax and tip for the one pie came to $ 15.68.
I’ll definitely be back soon to try more of the expanding menu.