Feature Photo: Dario’s Pizza by Brian Kachejian 2025

When one posts videos of pizza reviews on social media apps, the person who posts, such as myself, is always going to read comments from others suggesting their favorite pizzerias that I should try. One of the most popular pizzerias that people always suggest to me is Dario’s in West Hempstead, New York. It was reviewed on Barstool Sports and received a great review. Since then, people have flocked to this small pizzeria located on Nassau Boulevard in Nassau County, New York. I was actually unaware that it had been reviewed on Barstool Pizza and didn’t take a look at that review, as I’m not really that big a fan of a guy who doesn’t come from New York but claims to know pizza really well. However, you have to give him credit; he has built an enormous business and is one of the biggest names in the industry. Nonetheless, after being born in Manhattan, growing up in the Bronx, and living in New York for 60-plus years, there’s one thing I know, and that’s pizza. Additionally, I enjoy doing these reviews. I love pizza, I love going to places, meeting people, and especially when it’s a location that has been suggested to me multiple times.

I live in Suffolk County, so Dario’s is not really close by. Anyone who lives on Long Island understands that during the week, from Monday through Friday, it can take forever to get anywhere on Long Island because the traffic here is simply brutal. So, I waited until an early Saturday afternoon to take the trip when traffic is a little lighter. Still, it took me almost an hour to get there. Was it worth the trip? Yes, absolutely; however, it wasn’t a home run like I was hoping it would be.

The pizza business has undergone significant changes in the past couple of years, largely due to the impact of social media. I genuinely believe that pizzerias have now been forced to come up with specialty slices, new styles of pizzas, and anything extraordinary that will stand out and be talked about across the internet. For myself, I am only interested in really one thing, and that is how good is their regular slice of pizza. I don’t mind checking out the specialties, and I always try to include buying at least one specialty slice on my visit, but the goal is to compare regular slices and see how these pizzerias stack up against each other. It’s not really a competition, and I don’t like to rate pizzerias; I just want to enjoy a good slice, and if I can tell my friends or at least suggest to my friends and maybe some other people who are reading the articles what other places to check out, then that’s great. Is Dario’s a pizzeria worth checking out? Absolutely, but it’s not for the regular slice, at least not the type that I was given.

Dario’s regular slice is a very thin piece of pizza. Now I don’t mind a thin slice. I understand what they’re going for; there’s an art to this. I was really looking forward to tasting this pizza. And I’m sorry to say that I was very disappointed in the regular slice. It wasn’t just that it was thin, but that there wasn’t much of a taste to it. To be fair, I think the issue was that I was given a reheated slice from a pie that was possibly made the day before. I cannot be certain about that, so I just want to make a point to say that I’m only considering this as a possibility. However, I have eaten pizza my entire life, and I know what a day-old reheated slice tastes like.

Some people might say, well then, your review doesn’t count because you didn’t really eat a fresh slice. To that I say, well, that’s the slice I was served when I walked in to buy a slice of pizza, and I’m going to review what I was served. I think that’s pretty fair. I understand cost, I understand keeping costs down, I understand not wanting to waste food, but I also understand that I work very hard for my money, and if I’m going to spend money on a slice of pizza, then I want it to be good, and if it’s not, I’m going to tell you it wasn’t good. Does that regular slice taste fantastic when it comes right out of the oven and it’s nice and fresh? Well, I wouldn’t know because that’s not what I was served. What I was served was pretty bad.

However, it wasn’t all a waste of time. Their specialty slice that I also purchased was sensational. It was a Roman style slice with burrata on top. Roman style pizza seems to be becoming popular now on Long Island, especially with the publicity that Taglio’s received from being rated so high in an Italian magazine. Roman style is pretty much a Sicilian slice but a little thinner than Sicilian and a little thicker than grandma. On their Roman style pizza, I was able to taste their sauce and it was heavenly, it was really good. This was the sauce I wish I was able to taste on the regular slice. The burrata cheese was also incredibly fresh tasting. Although by the time I walked to my car, which was only about two minutes away, it had pretty much melted onto the entire slice and made things a little messy, it still tasted fantastic. It was in that sauce that I was able to recognize why so many people have raved about this place.

Outside of the pizza, which of course is always the main attraction to any pizzeria, Dario’s serves an almost wonderful assortment of donuts. These aren’t just regular donuts, these are cream-filled, high-end donuts that are simply to die for. They’re sort of like a very sugary zeppole filled with extraordinary cream. I had one that was filled with vanilla and Nutella cream, and for that donut alone I would make another trip.

I can see why Dario’s is so raved about. This is a pizzeria filled with talent. With so many people raving about this place, there’s something special going on here. Yeah, they need to be careful about serving pizza that doesn’t live up to their standards, which is what they did to me with their regular slice.

You can also watch my review below in the video. What’s your favorite pizzeria let me know in the comments, and if I’ve never been there I will make it a point to get there.