Di Fara’s Pizza isn’t some trendy brunch spot in a hip NYC neighborhood. It’s not a passing fad. It is the real deal.
By Eric Isaac
Pizza is one of the most popular food items in the culinary world and extremely 
hard to nail with its varied taste preferences, depending on who you ask: deep dish, pan pizza, Sicilian, thin crust, thick crust, cracker-thin crust, cheese in the crust (thanks Papa Johns), mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, fontina, fromage blanc, spicy sauce (thanks 2 Boots), sweet sauce, white sauce. For good measure, the best way to test a pizza maker’s ability is to order a regular plain pie – crust, tomato-based sauce, cheese and see what it does for you. If it knocks your socks off, then you know there is some serious skill involved. I admire anyone who can make a killer cheese pie. The toppings are just embellishments that add a wide variety of taste and textures. I like a nice salty anchovy pie or the quintessential “Meat Lover’s” (thanks Pizza Hut).
Midwood, where you will find Di Fara’s Pizza, isn’t exactly, “On The Grid”. Perhaps slightly more on the grid then L & B Spumoni Gardens but considerably less on the grid than Motorino. But as the proverbial wise old man would say “the best things in life, you have to work for” (or something like that) – which in this sense means you’ll have to take the D train to Avenue J and its right there when you come above ground – no biggie. 
This isn’t some factory where pies are constantly going in and coming out. Dom takes his time – patting the dough, stretching the dough, saucing, shredding the mozzarella, spreading it around, topping with parmesan, putting it in the oven. He could probably do it faster, he says, but that just wouldn’t be right. There is no rush for him. His customers, the ones in the know at least, they don’t mind. A customer, a local from the neighborhood, laughs, “It’s like he’s Michelangelo the way he makes each pie”. This is what I respect, more than anything. This isn’t a place you come to order a pizza and sit down. This is a place to watch a man and his craft in action. Even if the pizza were to suck, watching the process would be interesting enough.
This isn’t some trendy brunch spot in your favorite nyc neighborhood. It’s not a passing fad (he’s been making pizzas for over 50 years). This is the real deal and I don’t care what you say – if you haven’t had Di Fara’s pizza, you still haven’t had the best pizza.
Difara’s Pizza
1424 Avenue J
Brooklyn NY 11230
718-258-1367
Read more about Di Fara’s Pizza on Snap Food
Good article, but you need to improve your grammar. Two examples, you confuse “then” with “than” and the word is “perfection” not “imperfection”. As a professional writer you should be more careful. Good article otherwise.
Hey Steve,
You are absolutely right on the “then/than” thing. It happened once. As for “imperfection”? That is not a mistake. But thanks for noticing!
I think imperfection fits because all the pizzas he makes are different sizes and are not perfectly round. They’re perfectly imperfect.
I agree with you about the pies. However, it’s the Q-Train, not the D-Train, that lets you off a block from Dom’s. I’ve been going there for 10 years so I’m pretty sure of it.
Of course, I wouldn’t mind it if more people got lost, thus shortening the line for the rest of us!
You are absolutely right! I stand corrected – I drive out there. Have never taken the train. Will fix it in the text above.
Quote:”a local from the neighborhood, laughs, “It’s like he’s Michelangelo the way he makes each pie” ”
I think Dom makes every pie as if he were making it for the Pope. And I mean an ITALIAN Pope.
This is the BEST pizza in the WORLD. I hope he is making pies for the good people, when we get to Heaven. But I want him creating pies for us here for a long, long time.
God Bless you Dominic DiMarco.
Take the Q train there. The D will only get you to the pizza at L & B Spumoni Gardens. Not nearly as good as DiFara’s.
thanks!
This is by all means the best pizza I have ever had! I grew up in NYC and I have had no better. Not in New York, not in the US, and not even in Italy. There are some close competitors like Lucali, Grimaldi’s, Patsy’s, Totonno’s and Spumoni Gardens. They are good, but different than Dom’s masterpiece.
I now live on the West Coast, but the last time I was home I brought back 3 of Dom’s pies back on dry-ice. It reheated okay… but not great.
A few interesting things:
– The DeMarco’s open a place called MD Kitchen right around the corner from DiFara. It serves other dishes like pastas and sandwiches.
– There is a location called Tagliare (by Dom’s son) in Laguardia Airport in Queens.
– There is another location in Las Vegas called Dom DeMarco’s Pizzeria & Bar.
I haven’t tried any of the above, and can’t comment on them. But it’s worth looking into if you can’t make it to Midwood.