Keste Pizzeria

Ever since Beth and I went on Scott’s Pizza Tour, we’ve been talking about going to Keste to try the “original pizza” with lard, olive oil, and cheese.

We finally went yesterday and I can’t tell you how excited I was. I mean, when a Pizza Enthusiast tells you to go somewhere, YOU GO.

Unfortunately, there was no outdoor seating but we got a seat inside right away. Many of the waiters there were Italian as were the patrons. Always a good sign!

We ordered the Margherita pizza (which Scott says you should order to properly base your opinion on how good a restaurant’s pizza is – since it’s unadorned and basic) and the Mast’nicola, which was the lard pizza.

The Margherita pizza was $12 and the Lard Pizza (Mast’nicola) was only $9! VERY reasonably priced

I also ordered an iced tea which came in this little carafe. So cute!

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
Presenting, the ORIGINAL pizza:

You can see the piece of lard, which just looks like the fatty part of bacon. Sitting on top of the crust was a thin layer of olive oil, pecorino romano, lard pieces, and basil. Truthfully, it was basically just cheese and crust but the crust was AMAZING! It was chewy inside but crispy on the outside.

I will say, though, that it was slightly too salty for my taste and I wish they added the basil AFTER it came out of the oven so that it actually tasted like basil, but it was still delicious!

It took about 10-15 minutes for the pizza to come out so the oven must have been super duper hot!

The Margherita pizza did not disappoint!

You really can’t go wrong with fresh mozzarella. I mean, really.

Would it be weird if I made the above picture my screen saver? Pure heaven! The sauce was really light and not too salty, not too sweet. Again, the crust was DElicious!!! And for it being personal pizzas, it was pretty large!

I think Keste is now my favorite pizza place in New York City, although I’m going to have to go back to John’s Pizza again just to make sure. The decor was really nice, service was excellent and the pizza was top notch! I’m not sure I would get the Mast’nicola again but I’m definitely glad I tried it.

Make sure to check in on Beth’s blog to hear her review of Keste.

Well done, Keste! Well done.

Tags: Beth, keste, lard pizza, margherita, mast'nicola, pizza, Scott's Pizza Tour