My wife and I recently discovered what could possibly be the best Neapolitan style pizza in Buffalo. In the past, we have found that it’s hard to come by a slice like the ones that we are accustomed to getting at our favorite go-tos in Little Italy and in Downtown NYC. Thankfully, a new restaurant in Downtown Buffalo has left us pretty much satisfied with their offerings – so much so that we can now sit back and relax, knowing that we can grab a pizza whenever the fancy strikes.

The restaurant in question is Hearth + Press, recently opened by Peter and Jonathan Eid (see here). Our first real venture to H+P to try a feast of two pizzas resulted in the ordering of a traditional telltale margarita and a highly recommended meatball. After watching the pies being placed in the stoked oven for approximately 90 seconds, we were handed over a couple of creations that looked to be perfectly cooked – charred underneath with just the right ratio of ingredients on top. What appeared to be cooked to perfection turned out to be the answer to our craving for Neapolitan style pizza done right in Buffalo.

To start, the dough was super fresh, extremely light, and served as a perfect base for the bright San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, which comprising the first pizza sampled – the margarita. It was finished with fragrant basil, and a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil – the pizza was a refreshing departure from other local pizza offerings. Our next pizza was just as delicious. The meatball pie came loaded with tender and juicy pork meatball pieces, the contributing flavor being a fantastic complement to the fontina cheese and sensational sauce.

To my surprise, I finished off the meatball pizza in minutes. I had heard great things about this pie, all of which rang true. H+P owners told me that Artie Kwitchoff (co-owner of Town Ballroom) had stopped in every day but two (since opening) to eat this particular pizza. I was so happy to follow in Artie’s footsteps, and will gladly do so again and again. My wife was perfectly happy with her decision to go with the margarita. She feels that the telltale sign of a good pizzeria is their ability to pull this one off correctly. If the margarita can pass the muster, then chances are that everything else is also good to go.

Though we didn’t try the salads or sandwiches during our visit, we did hear that the flatbreads are sensational. H+P has a great vibe, a liquor license, plenty of seating, awesome views onto Main Street, and from what we can tell so far, really good food… an assemblage of criteria that we typically look for from a premier Buffalo restaurant.

For those of you who have been looking for a different type of pizza that is not easy to come across in Buffalo, H+P is a restaurant that you will want to try. If not for the pizzas, for the myriad offerings that they serve up throughout the course of the day.

Hearth + Press | 665 Main Street | Buffalo, NY 14203 | (716) 885-4400 | Facebook