Gino & Joe’s Pizzaria, Clay

When you don’t want pizza, you’re constantly driving past pizza joints. When you DO want pizza, you either can’t find anyplace, or the place you’re looking for is closed. Such was our fate when my son and I recently drove in to northern Onondaga County, looking for lunch. The first two choices didn’t work out, and we entered “the first place we see will do” mode. With lunch time fast running out, we pulled in to Gino & Joe’s Pizzaria (yes, that’s how they spell it), at MarketFair North in Clay (across from the Great Northern Mall). There are currently four Gino & Joes locations, in North Syracuse, Cicero, Baldwinsville, and Clay. I can think of several former locations.

Gino & Joe’s clearly identifies that it serves NY style pizza. A number of them were on display when we arrived, but we were very hungry and decided to get the full, fresh pizza experience, ordering a large with pepperoni, sausage and green peppers. Our 16″ large was almost 17″ across (if you ever see someone using a tape measure on their pizza, it is probably me!)

The crust was a pretty good NY style crust – thin, well-risen with good interior structure, moderately crispy, foldable, and nicely browned. Sauce was also above average, with a bright and fresh tomato flavor, light to moderate spice level, and visible spice flakes. The cheese was some of the best I’ve run across in all of my reviews – soft, white (i.e., not orangey) and not oily. Toppings were generally good, but the peppers were not fresh, and carried a heavy vinegar taste. This was the only significant downer with the pizza.  Sausage was sliced into thin “discs” and tasted OK.

Overall, this was a very good NY style pizza. Not “great,” but pretty good. With the exception of the pickled peppers, there was nothing really wrong with it. Still, the overall flavor did not quite rise to the level of the shops I’ve rated 4.5, so the Pizza Geek gives Gino & Joe’s Pizzaria a rating of 4 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: excellent cheese. Cons: pickled, vinegary peppers.

What do YOU think? Have you been to any of the Gino & Joe’s locations? Click the comment link below and let us know.

Crust: ****
Sauce: ****
Cheese: *****
Toppings: ***
Value: ***
Overall:

Gino & Joe’s Pizzaria, 4160 State Route 31, Clay – 652-5596