Pala

It was okay, but not great. It’s very accommodating to those who can’t eat gluten tho because they offer gluten-​free options!
Looking at the menu, I was having a hard time trying to figure out which pizza to get because none of them sounded THAT appealing to me. I ended up having to look on Unilocal to look at customer’s photos and it led me to either the Porri e Salsiccia or the Bufala Cruda Prosciutto. I ended up getting the Porri e Salsiccia which consists of pork sausage, leeks, mozzarella cheese, sundried tomatoes, pink peppercorns, hot pepper. It was okay. There wasn’t much sausage on it, I thought there would be more pieces. It might have been the pink peppercorns, but it had a very peculiar taste that I didn’t enjoy. Maybe the bufala cruda prosciutto would have been a better choice. My boyfriend ordered spaghetti and meatballs because he was craving pasta. It was a pretty small serving and it was just eh. The pasta was a little too al dente, I understand that italians love al dente but this was almost hard. I’m used to spaghetti being smooth and saucy but this spaghetti was very paste-​y. My boyfriend also said it was too salty and the meatballs were meh. We ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer and that was the best part of our meal.
Our food came out pretty quickly though, which was a plus. We went on a friday night and it wasn’t loud or packed, which is always nice since a lot of restaurants are super packed and so loud you have to scream to talk to each other during the weekends. Overall, it was alright but I won’t be coming back again.

All I need to say is YUM. The place is great and caters for normal/​vegan/​gluten free people alike. They have a great selection for everyone and the service was fantastic. The prices aren’t cheap but the quality of the meal definitely makes up for it. The restaurant has a great layout and is very inviting. Would recommend!!!

Great date night spot. They have a whole vegan friendly menu. Loved it. I had a salad and beer. They had a great selection for everyone. I would love to go back.

First of all let me say that Pala was not our first choice. My boyfriend and I ended up there after I had to leave another LES restaurant practically in tears because they had just run out of GF pasta and there was nothing on the menu I could eat.
The waiter was super accommodating. We told him it was our first time there and he explained everything on the menu after asking if we had any food allergies. We got the arancini, chili brussels sprouts and the spinach pizza. For dessert we got the mint chocolate cake. My boyfriend is not gluten free but enjoyed everything we got. Everything we got was delicious and we will definitely return to Pala.

An amazing place– if you’re gluten free.
The environment was wonderful. Very cool location in LES. We were seated at a great table that was indoor/​outdoor, which was nice since it was about 65degrees out. The server was nice and really pumped up the vegan/​vegitarian/​GF options. They also have a great cocktail list. I ordered the Dolce Vita, which was on the sweeter side but delicious. We also ordered the risotto balls, which were good.
For my entrée, I chose the Zucca pizza, which has pancetta and butternut squash. I have had a Zucca pizza before, and it was amazing. Here, it was OK. The pizza itself was very bready and thick. They coated it with deli sliced cheese, which I don’t mind. However, the outline if the cheese slices were still very visible, and the cheese was only halfway melted in the oven. On top of that, the pizza was only semi-​warm if not a little cold when it arrived. All these things combined– I only ate one small piece of a large pizza.
Overall, I would come back to this restaurant for the ambiance and the drinks.

I went on a date here, and had an amazing time. When my meat eating date decided they’d rather eat my pizza than theirs, I knew I had fallen in love… with the restaurant. I had the vegan Funghi E Salsiccia, which I couldn’t stop eating.
We also split the Quinoa starter dish, and I nearly licked the bowl. And I wasn’t even hungry.
I’ll be back Pala! Save me a seat. :)

The pleasant ambiance of the restaurant does not do much to help the average taste of a pizza and pasta that are smaller than normal dinner plates yet, more expensive.
To be honest, I would open up Pala if i was a business owner. The ingredients are at very low cost, there really is only 3 main things on the menu (variations of salad, pasta, and pizza) and you are riding the gluten-​free health wave. (mini sidenote– if you do not have celiac desease or a wheat allergy, then you can have gluten…)
The pizza was just that… Pizza. I did not have an epiphany when I took my first bite, or was I taken back to my childhood as an poor kid trying to scrape change together to buy a slice from the corner pizzeria. This place was just a good pizza. And i would say $ 20+ for something like that seems rather excessive.
This was a nice place to lounge and wait for our food (which took upward of 25 min). It has a great location and the seating along the street is outstanding on a borderline summer/​autumn night.
What could change the rating up? An upgrade in the ratings could occur if Pala were to increase the size of its product, or increase the amount of carne it produces while maintained its current costs.
What could change the rating down? Pala could be dowgraded due to a deterioration of its physical appearance, or a decreased emphasis on service (which is currently average).

Went here for lunch — was specifically looking for a gluten-​friendly place in the Lower East Side. The restaurant is nice and open — great for taking in the sights of passers-​by. I split the gluten-​free Bufala Cruda Prosciutto (Buffalo Mozzarella, cherry tomato sauce, prosciutto and fresh basil) with a friend. It satisfied every craving I had for pizza at that moment!
Prices are a little expensive but hey, that’s why there’s $$ instead of $. My only suggestion for this restaurant is to PLEASE invest in some steak knives for the gluten free pizza! It’s so cripsy that it’s difficult to cut. I felt like I was sawing at my pizza for forever. A better knife would make the eating experience much more enjoyable! :)

I was a loyal customer of this place for years but after their recent reopening the place has gone downhill.
We sat down only to find out they were out half of the meat ingredients for the pizzas, mostly the sausages. While our waiter tried to reason with the cook, for some weird and unexplained reason he refused to make any pizza as he was sort one ingredient — we were fine to have a different one added but he refused.
Pity it was once a nice place to dine. They lost a loyal customer. I am sure I will not be the last one.

I arrived on a Saturday night with a group of 7 and the staff was very accommodating. My group went to the bar and grabbed cocktails while we waited. There was only one bartender (poor guy) which seemed odd to me for a Saturday night and he seemed pretty slammed, but he made me a stiff drink with a smile so I can’t complain.
I ordered the Tagliatelle pasta with mushrooms and it was heavenly. My friends ordered pizzas, also all bomb. But overall, the food I felt was good, but nothing to necessarily write home about, especially with Little Italy being so close, and the prices were a tad expensive.
All in all, good but not great. I wouldn’t necessarily seek this place out again but I wouldn’t NOT go either.

We ordered in for the group at work since we were in an all day meeting. This place is a really good option if you have a group with dietary restrictions. I tried the regular inferno pizza, which was really good. It was perfectly sized for 1 person. It’s not really spicy if you’re worried about that. Make sure when you order you specify everything e.g. gluten-​free vs. regular or else they’ll get your order wrong.
P. S. Be aware that if you do order in they may not provide any napkins or utensils like what happen to us

Still a big fan of this place! Haven’t been in years, and am very glad to see that the heart of the business is still in tact and strong. Even better, more personable service than I remember. All the charm and dietary awesomeness abound.
Majorly expanded vegan side of the menu. And some new options on the carnivore/​dairy-​vore side (my goodness was the Agnello Pizza DIVINE! We seriously contemplated ordering a second pie :-).
The calamari is some of the best around (batter of fava bean flour, garbanzo bean flour, cornmeal, and a whole bunch of other health conscious stuff… not a bit of grease… tremendously flavorful… with handmade basil and olive oil sauce).
Nice additions/​changes to the specialty cocktail list, and the bartender makes one strong Long Island.
So why one less star?
While I TRULY appreciate the need for changes in menu/​food execution to fit the changing needs of the neighborhood/​modern dietary needs, I do miss some of the old things:
— You used to be able to order the arancini in both regular and gluten-​free. And they were pretty massive, and matched the price. Now, they only make gluten free, and you get two tini ones… when they reached the table… I just stared at them in wonderment, instead of diving in.
— I used to order their gluten-​free crust because it tasted better than the regular. While the regular crust has grown by leaps and bounds, the gluten-​free isn’t that hot anymore.
— Prices have gone up (as they will), and portion sizing has gone down (the pies used to be overly ample. They are now personal size. A healthy balance would be appreciated, as an hour after our meal, I still grabbed a slice around the corner, as I never really filled up at Pala).
I will still come back, when in the area, and in need of a place which will be kind to the sensitive digestion systems of my cherished lovies. I still recommend giving them a try, and enjoying the lovely experience they offer. But, in an area with so many cheap eats options, if we’re popping $ 185 (including 20% tip) for six drinks, two small pies, and two small apps, I want to leave full… or I better be going for a fine dining experience.

Palà. Restaurant se trouvant non loin du célèbre quartier de «Little Italy». Vous retrouverez ici les spécialités Italienne pour les amateurs de Pizza, pâtes, antipasti…
Situé en bord de route dans un garage où il faut bien ouvrir l’œil pour savoir que vous êtes arrivé.(le nom Palà est inscrit sur le store ban et non sur la façade.)
Mais revenons à cette expérience. Tout d’abord restaurant découvert car proposition de plats sans gluten. (Demande à faire lors du passage de la commande). Plusieurs choix possibles sur la carte. Au vu des fourneaux places derrières les tables, une chose est sûre c’est que les plats sont préparés à la demande. Ici pas de surgelés (en tout cas pour les pizzas). Choix qui s’est donc porté sur une pizza «Inferno». Un régal. Ici, ce n’est pas la même forme de pizza faite en France. A NY, elles sont plus petites mais tellement bonnes. Un goût vraiment semblable à celles que vous pouvez manger à Rome. La pâte est épaisse et excellente, la garniture très convenable.
Pour ce qui est du prix, comptez en moyenne entre 15 et 22 $ (sans les taxes). En plus des plats qui sont bons, c’est un personnel sympa et accueillant qui saura vous servir.

First, I love that they clearly indicate the pizzas they have that are vegan or gluten-​free or BOTH. And there are a good number of pizzas that are both. The vegan ones use Daiya vegan cheese which melts great and works so well on pizzas. And the gluten-​free crust is actually such a good crust that my non-​gluten-​free friends said they wouldn’t have known it was a gluten-​free crust if I didn’t tell them. It’s a thin crust that is crisp on the outside and just a bit fluffy on the inside.
The pizzas are great for sharing. They’re pretty big and too much for one person to eat (unless you’re REALLY hungry maybe). I’ve never been able to finish one and had to take half home.
There are also plenty of regular gluten-​filled and meat-​containing pizzas that my friends said were very good, so Pala is great for just about everyone. They also have lots of delicious-​sounding antipasti and salads and pastas, too.

I found Pala because I wanted to accommodate my friend who had recently became a vegan. She had asked for dinner suggestions for after Escape the Room, and this seemed like a good spot. We were able to make reservations for a group of 11, and were seated immediately when we arrived.
The restaurant was much smaller than I had imagined. It has a rustic, sort of industrial décor, with lots of wood and metal accents. One wall is a giant set of windows so there’s plenty of natural light in the restaurant. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, the service was excellent.
The pizzas on Unilocal looked amazing. I ordered the Agnello pizza, which had lamb sausage, pesto sauce, and mozzarella. It was very heavy, but delicious. The entire pizza tasted like lamb, even if the particular bite did not have lamb on it. And there’s no tomato sauce, just the rich pesto sauce. I enjoyed it very much, but I did trade with a few friends. I got to try the Inferno and Ubriaca pizzas too. The soppressata on the inferno could’ve been sliced smaller, but it was good. The drunken cheese on the Ubriaca was amazing and I’m probably gonna get it next time I go, since I’m definitely going to go back.

Great pizzeria near one of my favorite spots: Cheese Grill.
I loved the layout of the restaurant with the bar being beside the pizza maker and the windows are garage doors for summer nights. The pastas were amazing but lacked portion size. Maybe I’m just saying that because I wanted more and more. And we ordered more and more. I don’t recall the names since we ordered all of them.
The pizza is a bit doughy and lacked ingredients, but were tasty. I wasn’t a fan of the mushroom one and the butternut squash wasn’t great. Prices are competitive with most gourmet pizza shops but still reasonable. $ 17 – 23 per pie. And pastas were similar in price.
I highly recommend ordering the Lamb Chop appetizer for the potion size and flavor. ($ 10) can’t go wrong for two lollipop lamb chops. I’m not sure how it fit the menu, but I’m not complaining.
Go with a group and you won’t leave unhappy. I may be back with a date real soon.

As the Jewish holiday Passover was winding down, we had that craving of a slice of deliciousness coated in cheese. Hence, one of our friends, Leo, suggested we venture here and reward our taste buds. A little back story, Passover is a famed Jewish holiday where we abstain from eating any sort of leavened (bread) items and eat things «Kosher for Passover». So yea, you can see from the pictures posted that we were a bunch of hungry new yorkers ready for some pizza, pasta and cheeeeese.
Pala Pizza is a quaint, dining establishment clearly specializing in pizza. They have options such as gluten free crust for the pizza and even a vegan side of the menu for those who fancy that. It was a 8 of us and we were seated in the back area b/​c that’s the only place we could all fit. On to the food.
The appetizers:
Patatinas: potato chips w/​truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. Interesting tasting, would recommend if you are with a big group. The smell of truffle oil and cheese will have you craving more.
Insalate with goat cheese ball, raisins and spinach was very tasty and healthy choice.
Pastas: cannot remember all the names but we ordered all the pastas, except the one with meat mixed in it. So we had a total of 5 pasta dishes. The portions were not really big and quickly disappeared b/​c we were all sharing but everyone had a chance to try all the pastas. Each dish had its own zesty taste and no dish was similar to the other.
Pizza, Pizza: Also 5 choices, the prominent ones in my opinion, were the «Uvetta» and «Spinach» pies. The uvetta had butternut squash, red onions, bell peppers and a host of other things. The spinach pie was also mouth watering .if you get any two pies, i recommend making a pizza sandwich. It tastes way better that way. Good service was present throughout the whole night.
I dub thee… A good date night spot in LES.

Came here a couple of weekends ago with 2 of my friends for lunch in celebration of the Ides of March. Yes, what better way to celebrate the murder of Julius Caesar than to partake in Italian food? We can be a strange bunch.
Anyhow, when we came into the restaurant, it was pretty empty, except for a large birthday party for some children in the back. After we got seated, though, the lunchtime crowd started filtering in. To start, my friends and I shared their carciofi al parmigiano salad, which was okay.
On this most auspicious of days, I happened to be in the mood for some pasta, even though this place seems to be renowned for their pizzas. I opted for their mariteti baresi dish, which had both orecchiette and trofle pasta in it and was pretty tasty. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the tomato pesto was just right. One of my friends got one of their pizzas and I did get to try one of her crusts (what, you don’t eat your friends’ pizza crusts?), which was pretty good.
Would love to come back here one day to try their pizzas.

When pizza costs more than a dollar I’m wary,
But Pala’s is so worth the price that it’s scary.
Of options they have a solid selection.
And the crust itself is baked to perfection.
Service was brusque, but that’s secondary,
The pizza was unique and delicious – very.
(And though this wasn’t relevant to me,
You can order your pizza gluten-​free!)

This place is awesome! Excellent food, great service, and wonderful ambiance all around. Only reason why it’s not a ⁵⁄₅ is because Pala still sticks to standard (albeit quality and nicely done) Italian fare at the of the day – it just happens to be gluten free. With that said, I do have to note that this place scores top marks in the gluten free category.
Food: huge selection of apps, pastas, and pizzas, with unique topping combinations for the pizzas. I only tried the kale salad (very fresh and zesty, $ 8 for a standard portion), mushroom/​sausage pizza ($ 19), and Kahlua crème brûlée dessert ($ 8) and thought they were all excellent. The chef does a great job concealing any flavor downside to the pizza being gluten free — besides the crunchier crust, everything else tasted marvelous. Can’t speak to the pasta though.
Ambiance: chic/​intimate/​dimly lit venue with bright hanging lights at the bar. There’s ample space between tables, which is a notable point of differentiation vs. other restaurants in the LES area. 100% suitable date spot
Service: just fine on this front. Staff are polite, friendly, and demonstrate proficient understanding of the menu

Ambiance: cutesy industrial with the brick, wooden furniture and open front airy layout.
Gluten free mushroom pizza: too much bread, not enough toppings to even it out. The crust’s texture however, was comparable to a regular dough. Portion was huge, but again the flavor wasn’t there. I thought the mushroom would add a nice earthy flavor, but I didn’t really detect any flavors. Bland.
My friend ordered a gluten free pasta dish with spaghetti in solidarity with my diet allergy, but I felt so bad because the portion was tiny. The pasta sauce started to curdle and dry out. Left much to be desired.
Maybe they were off the evening I went?
Wouldn’t return for this overpriced restaurant.

Très bon restaurant italien, avec un bon rapport qualité /​prix et un bon service. Les pizzas sont excellentes. Il y a le choix entre une carte traditionnel et une carte végétalienne le tout sans gluten. La carte des vins est sympathique et de bonne qualité. Le cadre est accueillant. Je né peux que recommander le «Pala»