Hoping for a New York State of Mind at Al's

Al's New York Cafe

1673 Irvine Avenue Suite B

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

In the 11 years of writing this blog, I've come to realize that people have very strong opinions about their pizza preferences. Nothing gets their blood pressure up more than arguing for their favorite pizza place, type of pizza, or even what should go, and not go on a pizza, (yes, I'm a believer that pineapple does not belong on a pizza, but to each his or her own). 

I get tips and suggestions about pizza all the time from my small group of readers. I can only imagine the volume of comments, emails, and social media inquiries that Brad Johnson, OC Register restaurant critic gets when he posts about pizza places like he did almost a year ago when his top 20 list of pizza places came out. When that list premiered I jotted down the ones that I had not been to yet. That left me with 5 left to try, and I recently decided to scratch one off of my list, so I headed to Al's New York Cafe for a takeout lunch. 

Al's has been around since 1995. They possess a very respectable 4-star rating with close to 600 reviews on Yelp. They are located near the corner of Irvine and 17th Street in Costa Mesa, right behind one of my favorite spots, La Cave. This is definitely a hidden joint, as it's not easily seen from the street, but if you spy the much more visible 7-Eleven, it's right next to it. 

I wanted to avoid the lunch rush, so I strategically called about ten minutes after they opened. I was quoted a pickup time of 30 minutes, which was perfect because since we live in South OC, it was going to take me just that long to get to Costa Mesa. From what I could tell during my brief time there, Al's is really more of a takeout spot, especially these days with the pandemic going on. My order was all ready when it was promised and I was off very quickly back home to have a rare weekday lunch date with Katie, who was working from home on this particular Thursday. Let's see if this is indeed one of the top 20 pizzas in OC. 

This bright and beautiful Greek Salad ($7.75) was part of what Katie hoped would get her through her workday from home. This good-sized salad came with plenty of red onion, cubed cucumbers, lots of olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes, and feta cheese all on a bed of mixed greens. Katie did not use the provided vinaigrette that came with this, instead opting for the Bob's blue cheese dressing we had in our fridge. She really enjoyed the salad and it kept her going through her long afternoon of conference calls.   

Now for what brought me here, the pizza. When I was perusing the menu, this NYC Special ($15.50) really caught my attention. This thin-crust pizza came with pepperoni, sausage, onion, garlic, and double cheese. Quite possibly the perfect combination of toppings for my tastes. The thin crust was a bit too moist in the center like it could have been left in the oven a few minutes more. I did like that their was not a lot of crust left at the end of each slice, as they really spread the sauce and toppings around really well. Speaking of the toppings, they really carried this pizza. The sausage was a standout, but this combo of toppings will be my "go-to" for any upcoming pizzas I have in the future. 

I've been on the prowl for a really good Meatball Sandwich ($10.25) lately. This one from Al's was fine, just not the great one that I was looking for. The insides were good, with the meatballs being tender and flavorful, with an abundance of mozzarella cheese in there. What held this sandwich back was the bread to fillings ratio, as there was too much bread here and it was also a bit burnt as you can see from the pictures above. They also needed a bit more sauce to balance things out. Not awful, but not nearly as good as my gold standard of all OC meatball sandwiches, the one from Cortina's in Anaheim. 

Proving that you can not live on just salad alone, no matter how much you enjoyed it, Katie also got this Side of Italian Sausage ($5.75) to round out her meal. The sausage hit the spot for her, but next time she'd get this with some cheese or something else to jazz it up a bit. 

Even though there were some minor issues with the food from Al's, I can see why they were named one of the top 20 pizza places in OC. The pizza I had here really was delicious, and I'd definitely get it again. I'm also intrigued by their lasagna, which is only available on Wednesdays and Fridays, and I'd try their meatball sandwich again for sure. I'm glad I was able to knock this place off of my list, and I look forward to where you and my other three readers would suggest I try going to next. 

Out of five subway rides, (because in New York Coty the price of a slice of pizza rises every time the subway fares increase, at least for the last 50 years), five being best to zero being worst, Al's New York Cafe gets a solid 3 subway rides. 

For more information about Al's New York Cafe, head to their website here: https://www.alsnewyorkcafe.com/