Merilu Pizza Al Metro

This is one of those pizza places that falls between being a dollar-​slice spot and a sit-​down-​with some-​wine joints. Not fancy, but not quite hole in the wall either.
Several options of thin slice rectangle pizzas (sold as two squares together). Settled on a Margherita ($ 4ish) and a Hawaiian ($ 5). Crispy crusts and fresh-​tasting cheese and mozzarella. Like the pineapple/​ham combo on the Hawaiian, though was hoping for heartier ingredients to get me full.
I like the concept here: thin fresh square slices to combat the thick oily slices you normally get at competitors. Personally, wasn’t really full after the meal, so figure this is more of a quick snack type of pizza.

I am going to make this as simple as possible for why you should not order delivery from Merilu Pizza Al metro. Dining in might be a different story, but alas I can only report on my own adverse experience. Plus I’d just like to mention I take no pleasure in this, but Pizza must be respected. You cannot disrespect pizza or you will incur the wrath of the pizza masses to rise up and strike you down, which will commence now.
1) Price: Listed online as the pizza is clearly priced at $ 22. Exibit A: (
), not bad you might say, reasonable for some dough with cheese on top. Well I hope you like surprises at your door, because, Surprise! Delivery guy wants $ 38. Now I know this is NYC and after living here for a few months, I’ve come to terms with the unavoidable culture of business here. One in which the status quo is to treat your customers like a cheap saloon girl after one too many moonshines, but somethings I just cannot swallow. So I say, «hmm $ 38, that’s not $ 22 to this fine gentleman», he immediately rebuttals with a response that clearly has been honed over a long illustrious career of having to be the face of this business’ shady pricing tactics, «oh that’s because you ordered the large, here I will call them to tell you». So ready to answer my question, now that’s how you disarm an angry mindless customer. I actually feel bad for this delivery guy, I’m pretty much certain if I had to do his job I’d develop a tick in both eyes.
2) Time: So I waited 2 hours for a pizza delivered 5 blocks away. I could’ve literally crawled in a prone position, arrived at the physical shop, eaten, and crawled back to my apartment faster than this. No this is not hyperbole, the distance is that bloody close. Okay, okay, calm down, one has to be fair and balanced right? So they did tell me it would take an hour for the pizza, which I agreed to. After all good things come to those that wait, eh, well that’s what my Mormon ex always told me, Still though, that’s too long to wait and I was on the verge of a full blown first world rage bonanza.
3) Taste: I could’ve found it in my pizza neglected heart to forgive these previous transgressions against my now belligerent warmongering stomach, if only the taste were on point. Aaaaaaannnnnnnddddd… its gone, its flavorless, COLD, pizza for me, a first world disaster as its very best. Nope, no absolution for you Merilu. This really deserves a subsection so here: Also for reference I ordered the Robbie D Pizza.
a. Crust: Dry, flavorless and harder than back of my abusive nanny’s hand on the sabbath. Imagine eating a burnt, stale baguette that has become so hard that it would require alligator-​like jaw strength to adequately chew for the normal initial human digestive process.
b. Sauce: I saw something red that looked like it might be sauce, but I never tasted it. There was barely any sauce on this actual pizza. At about my third bite, I could actually hear my Italian grandmother from Napoli calling me a pansy for not sending this pizza back and using it as a projectile to inform the owner of my dissatisfaction.
c. Cheese: It’s really hard to mess up cheese, unless you’re a vegan that is. Merilu, your cheese tasted like string cheese my nephew could’ve melted and lobbed onto any plane shaped object. So congrats you’re on par with a 4 year old in the cheese department.
d. Meats: Pepperoni: Forgettable, Sausage: Disgusting, just gross. Really, I would rather watch a documentary on how sausage is made and look at pictures of turtle penises than eat any more of that greasy brown oval shaped abomination you mislabeled as sausage.
And there you are dem internets, a simple and totally subjective review of my experience with Merliu al Metro. I hope you elect to choose another pizza shop that finds it distasteful to pull fast ones on customers at their apartment doors and also don’t suffer from Ageusia.

Their pizza is amazing! This is probably the BEST pizza on the west side. The staff is so friendly as well which makes it even more enjoyable unlike other pizzerias on the west side. Not to bad with pricing either. If you’re ever on the west side, grab pizza from here because you will not regret it.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ pizza
¹⁰⁄₁₀ customer service

Great pizza, but also great customer service. I may have had a little late night mishap in front of the store (i.e., vomit), and they were SO nice about it… So sorry for the mess. You guys are the best.

I honestly came here with a friend who was a picky eater and needed a byob place. And surprise their pizza was really, really good. I will be coming back here.

I have to say they give really quality pizza here. It’s done differently than most pizza places; it’s Roman style so the prices and sizes are a bit skewed. That being said, the quality of ingredients and time and effort taken when cooking it are very high. It’s not very spacious and can get kind of hit in there so the only downside to this place is you probably won’t be ale to eat there. But food over atmosphere in my opinion.

Yummy pizza, not your typical new york slice. The garlic bread with mozzarella is really the star of the show!

Absolutely awesome customer service from the minute she picked up the phone!
Frustrated from trying to order delivery online… i called in. Order was easy to make, so many good choices, diff for this CA girl… But they were very helpful and patient.
We ordered pepperoni pizza and The Fresca– like a margerhita but with added tomatoes and basil drizzled with olive oil and sea salt. Small pizzas the size of larges. Garden salad, sodas,
Garlic bread and its just me n my daughter for her Sweet 16 at midnight in NYC!
She even added in a Spumoni Bomba for the birthday girl! With a sweet bday wish wrapped on the bag!
Everything arrived in less time than she said. Delivery guy very cool.
Pizzas were a little well done, but very tasty. Garlic bread lil burnt too but EXCELLENT flavor
Salad is giant!
The Fresca– lite and fresh!
We will have pizza for days, enough to bring home.

I love Merilu’s! This was my go-​to pizza place until I moved out of the neighborhood. I have tried most of their slices and all are good. The margarita stands out for me though. I actually prefer Merilu’s to Grimaldi’s (am I allowed to say that?! …when on a pizza binge I ate both the same day and Merilu’s came out on top).

Fresh mozzarella, not greasy, perfect crust! Awesome specialty pizzas. Totally worth it!

Wow that’s all I have to say. At first you walk into this joint it looks like a hole in the wall, but damn what a great slice. I easily give this place five stars. The sauce is a dream. I love the shape of the pizza, very thin crust it’s like eating delicious air. I highly highly reccomend the spicy salami slice, if you like spicy. It’s the right amount of spicy but where it doesn’t completely overpower the pizza itself. Well done!

The pizza was an amazing treat. The 30 inch pizza was huge for two people. The crust was good and the toppings were fresh. We are coming from DC, Omaha and Denver and have truly enjoyed our first NY pizza. We had it delivered to the hotel and it was piping hot. The gluten free pizza was delicious. Way to go!

Best pizza we’ve had in midtown Manhattan so far. Good cheese to crust ratio and yummy sauce. Foldable and delicious.

Best Margherita pizza in the city but crust-​to-​cheese ratio is too large for my liking. It’s thin and crispy. Their New York Style Pizza is average — I’d order their non-​circular pizza over this. A bit expensive by the slice but still worth it at times (I used to live around the block and this was my go-​to pizza place for a time). The restaurant also had options for gluten-​free patrons with its Cauliflower Crust pizza.

2.5 stars. Ordered the Margherita pizza — homemade fresh mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, hand grated parmesan. Had it delivered and I took almost an hour and a half to arrive. The pizza was barely average, but you could tell the ingredients were fresh. The dough had no flavor and was overcooked.

Pizza is great. Had delivery only. Add breaded chicken, you won’t be disappointed!
Chicken roll is warm, crisp and full of taste. Love it!
Eggplant Parm Roll is just fab!

UPDATE: I just returned to Merilu for my favorite pizza in the city and was luck enough to chat with the boss. We had a great conversation, dudes a real charismatic guy! He ended up giving me two slices and two drinks ON THE HOUSE needless to say, Merilu is still my favorite pizza in NYC and I will definitely be back!
Original message:
WOW! This may be the best pizza I’ve had in NYC! Merilu is charming, they play great music and the vibe is so friendly. The pizza is rustic and totally passes the crispy bottom test! They also sell these thin slices of their famous pies for $ 1 so you don’t have to chose one!

Best pizza in Hell’s Kitchen!
The Margarita and Prima Vera are the best. Homemade mozzarella and thin, crunchy crust. Yum.

If you’re craving some classic New York-​style pizza, Merilu is a great place to go.
The crust is thin and satisfyingly crisp with contrasting creamy, slightly oily cheese. Mmmm.
We ordered a slice of the Tim’s pizza — no sauce with ricotta and mozzarella cheese — and another slice with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and mushrooms (unsure of the name). Both were very good but we preferred and highly recommend the Tim’s pizza.
The lady behind the counter was very pleasant and even cut each of the slices in half for us with a smile on her face, without a fuss.
We can’t wait to come back and try the margherita, pizza di Merilu (gorgonzola cheese, pears, walnuts & truffle oil) and the prosciutto di parma!

While passing by this spot, I suddenly was craving pizza. Low and behold, this place was conveniently on my Unilocal bookmark. Unfortunately I did not actually go to this establishment, but instead, I ended up being lazy and ordered through Seamless.
I decided to order their large pizza which is a whopping 30″. It comes in a long, rectangular shape, with slices that are cut small enough to navigate through with one hand. Each time that I’ve ordered a pie here, I’ve always opted for the Hawaiian (my absolute favorite). Within 45 minutes of ordering, low and behold my pizza has arrived.
Price-​wise, Merilu Pizza Al Metro is not cheap. For a whole pie, expect to pay roughly $ 35 after tax and tip. Even so, the pizza here is amazing. Starting from the crust, it is incredibly thin, with a nice crunch from the oven. It is not overly tangy, and has just the right amount of cheese to sauce ratio. If I didn’t think about the fact that I just spent close to $ 40 on a pizza, then Merilu is a solid contender for one of the best spots in Hell’s Kitchen. Although it is a tad pricey, you do get a gigantic pizza that can feed a party of 4 – 5.