It’s the rare person these days that will want to boast about being “Jersey Shore,” but this ever-so-slightly thicker and sweeter version of New York pizza has won fans in and out of the neighborhood (Crestview, not Jersey Shore). The flavorful crust is pocked with blistery black beauty marks, and the quality toppings are simple and classic. You’ll see no silly Thai chicken pizzas here, just fennelly sausage, fresh-tasting crushed tomato, and gobs and gobs of gooey cheese. Although these more recently added pizzas—also available by the slice—steal the show, the long list of hot and cold sandwiches is equally tempting. Cold cuts (mostly Boar’s Head) are terrific and thinly sliced, piled high with judicious condiments that usually include Little Deli’s own caper-tart olive tapenade—it’s not unlike that of NOLA’s famous muffuletta purveyor, Central Grocery.

The vegetarian sandwich is perhaps the best in town, a mouthful of avocado, well-cooked eggplant, cheese, and that tapenade—but the artichoke hearts are what boost it out of this world. They’re marinated in-house, thus avoiding the dreaded tinny straight-outta-the-jar flavor. It’s fun to eat inside, with the great jukebox and accumulation of several decades’ worth the snarky decorations, but outside is our favorite place to sit…and, apparently, the favorite of high schoolers, families with kids, and everyone in between.