I’ve lived in the East Village for five years, and part of what’s kept me here is the fact that I can find any kind of food I want, any night of the week. Still one of snacking’s fundamentals eludes me–I cannot find a decent slice of pizza in my neighborhood. I’m not talking about whole pies, although lately my hood’s been dealt a sad blow in that regard. Rumored by some to be the best pizzeria in the city, Una Pizza Napoletana has just closed its doors, its owner fled to California, its harmoniously-layered pies and dreamlike, airy-crisp dough but a memory.

Still, no matter how good it was, I never felt quite right about plunking down 30 bucks to dine on the finest pizza money can buy. I like straight-up slice joints, cheap pizza with tasty sauce and soulful crust that’s been charred in an old oven. The East Village could use its own Di Fara‘s or Joe‘s; instead we have a bunch of Ray’s knockoffs and Artchoke Basille, (however I feel now, I loved their gluttonous, cardboard-crusted slices once upon a time, in my folly-drenched youth).

So when Veloce Pizzeria opened a few weeks ago it seemed poised to fill a niche. An upscale pizza and wine bar from Porchetta chef Sara Jenkins, Veloce specializes in pan pizza–square pies with crust that’s thinner and lighter than Sicilian style pizza, yet thicker and somewhat greasier than Neapolitan style. The space feels warm, walled with backlit wine bottles and a long bar that I could see myself cozying up to with a cold pint of Radeberger.

Ambience can only take you so far, though. The proof of good pizza is in the crust. The first margherita pizza ($15) I ordered was about 30% burned, but even that had more character than the second pie, which was thin and soggily overwhelmed by its toppings. A slice ($3) I ordered on a subsequent trip was notable for its oversalted sauce, while the crust was a mix of crispy and mushy. Mind you, on all these occasions I ate every bite, not only because I was hungry: this is better-than-Ray’s pizza, they sell by the slice (though sometimes there’s a bit of a wait), and the pan-pizza style is a nice change of pace. But it’s bewildering that Frank Bruni ranked this pizzeria #2 in front of Una Pizza Napoletana (although he might be right about the other menu items–the potato fritters appetizer was a dud).

Veloce is worth a shot if you’re hanging around late and want to grab a slice at the bar. If a whole pizza is what you’re looking for, Three of Cups on First Ave and 5th street has consistently-good cracker-thin crust and reasonable prices.

Veloce Pizzeria
103 First Avenue between 6th and 7th St.
open noon-2am every day