Roberta's Bushwick is the Pizza Place Every Other Pizza Place Wishes It Was.

From the outside, Roberta's appears completely unassuming, maybe a little divey- amongst the industrial Bushwick backdrop, full of graffiti mural covered walls and storage facilities. It's the pulsating music and bright lights protruding from the red, sticker-covered entrance that draws your attention. Then you step inside the twinkly lit hall lined with benches and kitsch artwork. That's assuming you stepped through that door and didn't enter through the palm tree filled oasis of a back patio and outdoor courtyard. Roberta's showcases it's uniqueness well and proves to be the personification of all that Bushwick represents.

Roberta's gets a lot of hype on the New York scene for it's pizza and for once, I actually agree. It has what John's of Bleecker is lacking, pizza with personality, with flavor. It's the assortment of toppings, flavors and the sides of ranch for me.

Thin crust pizza tends to be forgettable, but I find myself craving something about Roberta's on any given Wednesday. I'm not sure if it's the well seasoned crust, the wood-fire oven provides it with such a bold array of flavors, or maybe it's the distinct taste of the duck prosciutto that sticks with you. For a medley of reasons, Roberta's is really good thin crust pizza. That's not a sentence I stand behind too often. They also have delicious ranch, which only amplifies the simple yet effective creations of Roberta's pizza.

The Bee Sting tends to be the crowd pleaser but I even enjoy the Famous Original with some speck. It's definitely pricey, around ~$20 for four slices but it's so atmospheric, any time spent at Roberta's is time well spent. Tons of beer too and they offer cocktails and wine. Nothing like red wine with some Roberta's pizza.

It's a huge crowd pleaser for a group though I usually combine Roberta's with a nice trip to Syndicated, just across the street. It's a little movie theater, tv show screening venue consistently throwing fun events. All in all, I'd hop on the L for this place any day of the week for some meticulously crafted pizza and vibes.