A Slice Of Brooklyn

One of Jay Z and Beyonce's favourite modern pizza hangouts, New York institution Roberta's arrives at Marina Bay Sands Singapore

- Jonathan Ho

FAMED FOR ITS wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas characterized by thin crust base and puffy, chewy cornicione (the edge of the pizza), Roberta's was launched in 2007 in the edgy neighbourhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn. One could be forgiven for confusing a New York-style pizza and Neapolitan pizza from a distance. Both are round and rely on the same core ingredients, but in reality they are as far apart as New York and Naples. Roberta's “pie” (to use New Yorker parlance) is Naple's inspired rather than actual Neapolitan.

The first difference is swapping out the traditional pliable Neapolitan base for a sturdy, chewy crust that makes it easier for diners to hold a slice in their hands. In Italy, pizzas were served as single-serving dishes intended to be eaten with a fork and knife. When pizza became popular with New Yorkers, the city's working class didn't always have the time to sit leisurely for an entire pie. Hence, Roberta's adopted this American tradition for its pizzas instead.

Arguably the originator of the Brooklyn hipster restaurant culture, Roberta's and its famous pizzas put Bushwick on the culinary destination map. Roberta's offers 10 pizzas in an inventive menu that spans classics like Margherita with mozzarella and basil on a tomato base, and signatures that have become synonymous with Roberta's.

Roberta's Signature Pizzas