The East Village got another first-rate pizza option last week with the opening of a big new Lions and Tigers and Squares, the Detroit-style pie joint from Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, who also own the Artichoke mini-empire. You’ll find seating for about 50, a quasi-bar area, new menu items, and there are plans for sidewalk seating in the spring.
Cutesy name aside, Lions and Tigers and Squares is serious about its pizza. Each four-slice Detroit-style pie, which you can order as a half (mix and match!) or a whole, is prepared in a rectangular pan, so every piece is a corner piece. It’s not as thick as Sicilian, and it’s more crisp than bready, with a semi-charred, cheesy crust. LTS generally builds their pies in “upside-down” fashion, with sauce on top of cheese, and there’s a considerable amount of (delicious) grease involved in many of the varieties.
And there are a lot of varieties! Garcia and Basille, cousins who were born and raised on Staten Island, like to experiment with pizza. For example, they’re offering a Chopped Cheese pie at this location, which consists of ground beef and melted American cheese on a thick blanket of ketchup. Honestly, the ketchup brings more of cheeseburger vibe to the beast, and if you aren’t expecting it, it’s a bit of shock, but it’s also kind of a must-try for pizza completists. Get a half pie to start, maybe, and another option to balance it out—the Pepperoni, the Sausage and Onion, the Mushroom, and the Vodka are all great.
The East Village Lions and Tigers and Squares is located at 160 Second Avenue, at the corner of 10th Street, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.
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