Rubirosa Ristorante

As the son of the owner of iconic Staten Island shop, Joe & Pat's, Aj Pappalardo has created a legend in its own right with Rubirosa. The Pappalardo family recipe is served as a pie aptly named Classic, though many guests return time and time again for the restaurant’s gussied up pizzas, adorned with mini meatballs and roasted garlic—or the beloved Tie-Dye pie with vodka, tomato, and pesto sauces swirled with gooey globs of mozzarella.

Aj Pappalardo’s Rubirosa Ristorante is known for giant pies dressed up with vodka sauce or in a tie-dye style with a hypnotizing swirl of pesto. But even one of the city’s most well-loved pizza shops offers mozzarella sticks to kick things off. The restaurant’s version remains true to the classic, with golden fried sticks served with a marinara sauce that you know is on point.