L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
L&B Spumoni Gardens is an institution in Brooklyn. It all started in 1938 when Ludovico Barbati, who immigrated from Torella dei Lombardi, Italy, began selling from a horse-wagon throughout Gravesend and Bensonhurst, Italian ices and spumoni, a 3-layer ice cream typically composed of pistachio, cherry, and chocolate or vanilla that are mixed with candied fruits and nuts. The first brick and mortar that became L&B Spumoni Gardens opened in 1939, but it is only in 2024 that the Dumbo outpost opened, in front of Juliana’s and the original Grimaldi’s restaurant.
We went on a Friday I was off, and the reservation we made was not necessary as we were the only one there. Strange considering that we passed in front of their competition that were quite busy. We started off by ordering drinks: a Shirley temple ($3) that was too sweet for Jodi and a root beer ($3) for me, my go to soda when I have pizza.
Root beer at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
Shirley Temple at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
We were quite excited to see that we could either order a pie or by the slice, the later giving us an opportunity to try several kinds of pizza. So, we went for their “world famous L&B sicilian” ($4.50), the vodka version ($5.50), the grandma slice ($5.50) and a white slice ($5.50). My favorite was the grandma slice: it was crunchy with a bright tomato sauce that covered enough mozzarella cheese so you do not think that they forgot it. Their Sicilian was good, but I thought that it was too garlicky, as was the white pie. I enjoyed them, but my mouth was coated with garlic at the end of the meal. However, I would not recommend the vodka one: I was really looking forward to it as I love Vodka sauce, but thought that the slice was doughy and lacking flavor. With it, we also got arancini with parmesan cheese ($17) that are the kind of appetizer a cheese over should order: creamy, cheesey, slightly crunchy on the outside. Quite decadent.
Arancini with parmesan at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
Slices at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
Sicilian at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
Vodka at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
Grandma at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
White slice at L&B Spumoni Gardens in Dumbo, Brooklyn
Overall, it was just ok and I admit that I was a bit disappointed by L&B Spumoni Gardens: I was expecting a fantastic pizza and I only loved the grandma slice that was delicious and would probably be the slice I would order or recommend for a pizza crawl.
Enjoy (I still did)!
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L&B Spumoni Gardens - 46 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
