Lombardi's Pizza

The story

The Pizza Hall of Fame calls Lombardi's the first pizzeria in America, though later research suggests other pizzerias predate it by more than a decade. The founding story itself grew murky in 2019, when records revealed that Gennaro Lombardi first arrived in America in November 1904, at seventeen, classified as a laborer — casting doubt on the legend that he'd been selling tomato pies to factory workers since 1897. What's certain: a business license was granted in 1905, Enrico Caruso ate here, and the corner of Spring and Mott still draws crowds chasing something that may be more myth than origin.