I am a simple woman. When it comes to pizza joints, I only order two types of pizza and they are what I judge the restaurants on: the Margherita and the White. This place cannot do either. First of all, when I think Margherita, I think a thin, crispy crust with a sea of red sauce and dollops of fresh white mozzarella with basil sprinkled throughout. Be light with the ingredients, people. Unfortunately, what I received was the opposite: a soggy crust heavily covered in mozzarella with random dollops of red sauce (what???). A few basil leaves gathered towards the middle. The sauce is decent and the pizza tasted fine...if it wasn't a Margherita. It's as if a white pizza ditched his best friend, Ricotta and decided to be hang out with the popular kid, Tomato. Speaking of white pizza, why would you put soggy spinach and not offer an option without any? The white pizza here was bland and honestly the worst I have had so far. That said, I am still on the search for a good Margherita/White pie in this area. Been very disappointed so far. How y'all screw up the two simplest pies? For shame Flushing and Bayside. 2 stars for the Not-Margherita; -1 for the White. Never again. (On second thought, adding a star to bring it up to 2-stars because delivery took less than an hour and pizza came piping hot.) read more

Matese Pizzeria - Margherita - Pizza Near Me - Flushing, New York

See all

I've been enjoying Matese since I was a teenager- what seems like a very long time ago. Kids would wait for the bus right in front and grab a slice, play street fighter (the arcade version has been taken out a long time ago...there's an extra fridge for drinks there now...) and just hang out. The sicilian slice is pretty amazing- but it's not as good as I remember. There have been updates since I was there last too. Everything seems cleaner. Which is nice. Though I miss the old school formica booths. read more

My wife and I used to love their spinach alfredo pizza, but i will never go to their restaurant again. My wife called in a pick up order for half Hawaiian (my personal favorite) and half spinach alfredo (our favorite) with a 2 liter coke, but when we brought it home and opened the box, it was half spinach alfredo and half regular (cheese). I called them to see if i took someone else's pie, although it was more likely that they took my order wrong. Sadly, their response was that i did not say Hawaiian at all; that that's why it was half regular and half spinach alfredo; and that that's why i paid what i paid ($25). I said i ordered X, they said i ordered Y--it may seem like a "he said she said," but i know what i said, and i don't know what they heard. I really loved this place, but i don't want to do business with people who handle this the way they did. I hate the saying 'customer is always right' because that is a ridiculous notion. But what they did is equivalent of 'order-taker is always right,' which is ridiculous just the same. I would do business with people who would handle it as follows: "maybe i heard it wrong, i will make it extra delicious the next time. I'm sorry about the mix up" (or a simple apology, or some form of acknowledgement) They were just blaming me for the pizza i didn't order, as they were so sure of themselves that when something is 50/50 or questionable, it is my fault rather than theirs. And i just ate the last pizza i will ever order from them. It wasn't good. Btw, the phone conversation ended when the owner said "please call us at this other line" and my patience with them ran out, as they've made their position clear and i've made mine clear. With such deadlock, there is nothing to be gained for either side, and i thought "this is how a business loses a customer" as the call ended. read more

I went there after having purchased a Groupon. The Groupon was for $35 for 2 appetizers, 4 entrees and 4 soft drinks. We ordered the food to go since I wasn't sure if it was a sit down restaurant. The person on the phone was friendly and I had no trouble placing my order. When we got there to pick up our order, we saw that we made the right choice by ordering takeout as there are only a few tables. Our order was ready when we got there and the owner made a point of shaking our hands and welcoming us after we said it was our first time there. There was no problem using the Groupon as we've encountered at other places. The food was good for the deal. Remember, this is a neighborhood pizzeria, not a 5 star Italian restaurant. We had the mozzarella sticks and baked clams as appetizers which were ok. My husband had the pasta pescatore which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was well seasoned with lots of seafood. I had the pasta with broccoli rabe, garlic and oil. The pasta was al dente but it could have used some more garlic and oil. It was a little bland for my taste but I was able to doctor it up with a little salt, pepper and grated cheese at home. My daughter had the chicken cutlet and broccoli rabe which were good. The only real complaint was the penne a la vodka that my son ordered. It was very very dry and bland. Almost inedible. Still I don't regret ordering from them and, if they were closer to where I live, would order again with or without a Groupon. read more

Ordered in a meatball pizza and it arrived within 25 minutes which was ahead of the 45 minutes quoted (so kudos for the fast delivery) Pizza was good... Not omg fantastic nyc pizza. Just needs a little more umpf Also when i took the first slice out all the cheese and meatballs fell off as one piece read more

This is a pizzeria to pick up from - do not order delivery. As the other reviews state the delivery is hit or miss and can be frustrating. As for dining in...it's not really a restaurant as it is a pizzeria with some chairs and tables - adequate to eat in but definitely not a date night kind of place. The sitting area is more functional than anything else. Matese has a large menu which generally leads me to believe that they don't do anything that well, but the food here is not bad and pretty consistent. I've had slices, pies and various pasta dishes - all not too bad. I haven't had any issues with their service. I call in the order, they tell me how long it'll take...I show up, pay and leave. When I'm visiting a friend in the area and want some pizza I usually call this place up. read more

I had to come back and update my old review. Matese is under new management and I decided to give them a try again. I'm glad I did. The service is good and the food has been consistently good. This is once again my go-to for pizza. read more

Don't order online if you expect the food to be delivered. This has happened to us more than once with this place, but we gave them another chance... Will not make that mistake again. There are so many better pizza places with better food as well in the neighborhood anyway. Go most anywhere else nearby and you'll do better. All they have is their 'special' combinations, and without that gimmick, this place wouldn't last based solely on the cuisine. read more

Ooh man ooh man oh man!!! This pizzeria makes the BEST sicilians ever!!! They're big, thick, and oh so delicious!!! I could eat at least 3 slices (if I'm super hungry lol) their garlic knots are good too as their mozzarella sticks... but if you're craving for a sicilian slice, come to Matese!!! read more

Don't bother ordering from this place. We ordered one pizza, garlic knots and a beef patty at about 6:45. Delivery window was about an HR. No problem. We wait. Food doesn't show up. We call about 8:30. Man who answered the phone was extremely rude and lectured us about how they had too many deliveries and our food was "out for delivery" and we needed to be patient bc our house is 3 miles away. At 9:30, still no food and now no response from the restaurant. Never got a call, never got our food. read more

Tried this place with a groupon. The service was good, but it was really loud inside, dozens of teenagers from the high school across the street ordering and eating pizza. Its pretty much a pizzeria, not so much a dine in restaurant, but the waiter told me their food is a neighborhood favorite. I had the calamari, not so good kind of over done and rubbery. The chicken alfredo, also not very good, too buttery. And also the mixed seafood pasta dish in spicy marinara, all I tasted was the spice, the seafood was over cooked and they use imitation crab as lobster, not for me. My daughter said she would give them 1 star, but because the guy serving us was really nice I added another. read more

Like garlic? Come eat at Matese! Honestly, it's good for what it is: a pizzeria-cum-local-Italian-family-joint. So, a star for that and the decent prices. We like their pasta with meatballs -- only two, but they are huge and yummy. But for the rest? Two stars only. We often order pick-up, but almost every time, the food is never ready when it's supposed to be and my husband ends up waiting there forever even though the order was placed ages ago. Two orders ago, they forgot the garlic knots. Last night, they forgot the salad (but somehow managed to remember the dressing). The owner happened to be there and was extremely apologetic, but it's been one too many times of poor service. We live so close and like the food that we may order from Matese again, but it will be awhile since you can only be a glutton for suffering so many times before cutting the cord. read more

Updating an old review that I will leave below but want to change rating from a 1 to a solid 3. This place is now under new ownership and they having righted the ship. Quality of food wayyyyyyyyy better then past owners and I would now recommend. The Chicken Parm slice is now delicious and he Spinich Alfredo slice is great. Very happy about them now! At times decent but on average it's not that good. I've eaten here plenty of time because I work in the area so in a way forced to if having a busy day because the immediate area lacks other places to eat. I used to really like the Spinach Alfredo slice but now it's tasteless and drowned with a flavorless sauce making it hard to eat and not worth the trouble. The chicken cutlet slice is horrible just from glancing at it. Gaudy strips of unevenly cut chicken make it a joke and the chicken isn't tenderized so you are getting fatty pieces on a slice of Pizza. It's disgusting. Last but not least the service is really bad, 1st off you can't get 2 seconds to look at what you want they say 3 times and stare at you "what can I get for you?" "What can I get for you?" How bout a second to look which slice is the least gross looking today. Now the main day guy or part owner I believe his name is Alex. He is on average a nice man but he allows High School kids to run crazy inside the place and actually eggs them on not realizing this is annoying to other customers. I've seen fights arguments and just yelling. He does nothing but ask them if they have a basketball game this weekend. 1 time 3 kids just say at my table and I had to kick them out because the guy has no control of his business. Maybe he should take more time worrying about the correct temperature on a slice of Pizza, flavor of sauces and actually cutting up the toppings so they are edible and a little less time trying to be friends with HS kids who don't even buy anything. Avoid this place if you can. It also has flies and is very unsanitary. HAS A B RATING. Could clean the place, oh that's right how would he have a chance to talk to the HS kids. read more

Matese is our go to pizza place. We have only tried the plain cheese pizza and beef patty but is always very good. Workers are very friendly. read more

Came here w/ a groupon bow deal and was pleasantly surprised! The place is small but clean and the staff is very courteous and welcoming! The pizza looked and smelled delicious but it wasnt included in the deal... So instead we ordered Starter: Calamari Fritta (it was enough for @ least 1-2 more ppl, came w/ a marinara sauce for dipping which they add a little crushed red pepper for kick, yum! My only complaint is that the batter could have used just a tad more salt) Entree: I had the Shrimp Fra Diavolo one word, delicious! Huge shrimp good portion and yummy spicy sauce... Came w/ clams in the shell which I wasnt expecting or cared for cause Im not a fan of clams My bf had the Chicken Parm, which could have easily fed one more person... The sauce was yummy and the cheese was nice and melty. - 1 star cause its a small place w/ slow service but i took home a few menus cause i will definitely be returning :) read more

See all

Three stars primarily for the food. I deducted one star for the service (actually lack ot it) and one star for ambiance. First time we were there was around a year ago. Got a groupon deal $17 for one appetizer, 2 main dishes and two drinks. Had no idea what the place looked like and was pretty surprised we were walking into a one room pizzeria (was sure there would be restaurant seating in the back). NOPE!!!! Dinner is with the slice eaters, pizza ovens and soda fridges. Service was slow, one guy who has multiple duties there, but since we were three they allowed us to ordered the family style chicken francese which was enough for the three of us and included salad. The chicken was delicious, we all licked our plates and vowed to go back again. So whenever a groupon came up I bought multiples. Next time they wouldnt let us order family special, which was fine and my husband and I had shrimp fra diavolo and it was delish. Then the next few times the portions started getting smaller. The menu says 8 clams in the baked clams app, we only go 6-7. The shrimp entrees had 7 shrimp in the dish, reduced to 5 plus the pasta was not a separate plate but incorporated with the protein. They clearly make smaller portions for GROUPONS. The last time I went there was strange, I had to write my own order out and give it to the chef since the usual waiter was on special duty. The chef was very nice and as usual it took 40 minutes to get the appetizer. This time he gave me more shrimp and allowed me to have sauteed spinach instead of pasta. It was a great meal. I guess I will keep on looking for the groupons (which everyone who was eating in had) because the food outweighs all the negatives. read more

The good: The salads The bad: The service The inconsistency The hour and a half delivery wait The inability to ever deliver a correct order The VERY bad: Putting sugar in my diabetic friends iced coffee when she specifically specified no sugar Would absolutely not recommend read more

Matese Pizzeria - Does the build of the wrap look right to anyone? - Pizza Near Me - Flushing, New York

Funny I'm a very loyal customer here for years...today I thought id order and support during city shut down as well.. I ordered food through the app... My wife called after an hour to check status and they said it was busy ,so no problem there we understood ..I called back 1hr 40min after the order and they said they were backed up and that they were preparing order...I still said no problem bc I always order from here and gentleman's usually nice.. my wife called back again after 3hrs passed and asked and they couldn't figure out which my order was, and even joked and mocked my wife bc she wasn't sure what name on the order was and only gave our address...gonna give a star bc food is usually good..but they lost a good customer tonight... read more

Omg! But all I can say is Horrible experience. I order fried calamari which were wet and soggy. My entrees were chicken with tomato and artichokes it was so bland, no flavor, dry , pasta was over cooked. Also order chicken with eggplant but the main ingredient was missing from my dish the eggplant! Very annoyed , couldn't even enjoy my meal. Threw it all out and ate the bread with usually comes with butter, in this cases it didn't. salad which had so much red onion in it, that ruined the whole salad. Overall will NEVER buy any more food from Here bc I just wasted so much money on food that wasn't able to eat and enjoy! read more

The BEST! If in Queens check it out! Pizza is amazing. Fried calamari is better than most. And garlic knots. .. mmmmmmm You can't go wrong. read more

I am a huge pizza fanatic and absolutely love trying out every pizza place I can. And when we find great places, we patronize then. When we first ordered from Matese, the pizza was excellent - and great price. $18 got you large pie, garlic knots and 2 liter soda. The second time the pizza was just okay. So tonight our order was a meatball calzone, large pie, 1/2 sausage and peppers. The large pie special came with wings, garlic knots and soda. I have to say that tonight's pizza was the worst ever. It was very obviously a pie they had made at some point earlier in time and just threw some sausages and peppers on top then just warmed it up in the oven. It was absolutely horrible. My husband called to complain and was told "that's how we do it here" which is an utter lie. The calzone - the cheese was hard by the time it got here. The calzone was no where near hot. The measly, tiny chicken wings were over cooked. Not for nothing but tonight's order was almost $40 and it was one of the worst meals ever. The pictures just prove my point. Needless to say, they lost our business. read more

See all

I just waited over 50 mins for 1 regular slice - was told a few minutes for a fresh pie to come out. After a half hour, I left to finish my laundry across the street, then went back to try to pick up a slice. I know it's Mother's Day (which seems an unusual "holiday" to be overwhelmed), but with at least 10 people working, should've been able to accommodate me - for 1 slice. So I walked out; they got me $2.75 this time, or whatever it was, but never again. This is NYC - me and everyone else I know can find another pizza place around here; actually they're a dime a dozen. Thanks guys... good job. read more

I understand the times we live in are crazy. I understand it's compounded by Good Friday but for a pizza, calzone, garlic knots and calamari to take over 3 hours to arrive. Is disgusting. In addition to that the food came well over an hour after they told me I was the next delivery going out so the calamari was like rubber, the cheese started to congeale and the other food was barely warm. The delivery was going 8 blocks and most recent time I called the restaurant it had already left and the delivery person was on his way and then 28 minutes later my food arrived. I reviewed this place a few year back and wasn't thrilled by the food. People said give it another try and I'd never go anywhere else. I say go anywhere else. read more

I always respect family owned business, these are places that makes America strong. However Matese should not be in business, I do not waste food but this place embarrassed me in front of my co-workers. No one finished their share, it goes to the trash. Owner need to love the food, please get cook that love making food, not trash, it's a waste of ingredients. read more

I don't like to write bad reviews but been and Executive Chef for many years and I can't let this one go nothing that I ordered for my self was salvageable Its hard to expect consistency from cooks that work there because they have to.. The only good thing that I can say is the pasta was blanched properly. The flavor is none existant, l ordered garlic and oil. Guys if you don't know to extract the flavor of garlic you must start with a cold pan and cold oil That way the garlic as it cooks releases the flavor without burning.. the acompanied vegetables was reheated in the boiling water where the pasta was reheated also instead of the vegetables having been sautèd. Adding to the so call garlic and oil washing away any traits of flavor.. The dish a flavorless pasta with mushy vegetables ,, the garlic knots were old or they don't know how to reheat them.. They open the aluminum and exposing the garlic knots to such a hight heat frying them in garlic butter ,,to reheat garlic knots you have add garlic butter close the aluminum foil pouch and steam them so you have soft garlic flavor knots. Either you guys don't know how to cook or you don't care to cook, but something is apparent here.. If that would have happened in my restaurant I will have fired even my mother if she was the cook.. Until you find the love for food and you know that the customer is the most important person in your life.. you guys don't deserve to be open.. DOVRESTI VERGOGNARTI read more

The old owner is incredibly pleasant, and his "supreme" pizza (dubbed the "Matese Special") is amazing. It's got general heaps of all fresh toppings on handmade crust, including eggplant, sausage, meatball, pepperoni, peppers, etc. I'd love for the edge of the crust to be less burnt, but the rest of the crust was soft and foldable. Some more sauce and cheese would be terrific, too, just to tell the rest of the topping, "Hey, we're here, too!" Definitely enjoyed the Matese Special pie ($22) - it's pricey compared to other supreme pies, but it's certainly a tasty meal. read more

Came here with three friends for dinner after a brief search online to satisfy our desire for pasta dish. Starting from the complementary garlic knots to the tantalizing appetizers to the scrumptious entrees, every dish brought up was one delightful surprise after another. All of us agreed that the garlic knots were hands down the best that we've ever had. All the food was nicely prepared and well seasoned. People work here are friendly and welcoming, and the service was thorough. The discount that we obtained online just pushed the whole deal to the edge. It's noteworthy that the restaurant accepted our coupon presented on my phone with no hesitation or any restrictions, which was appreciated since we had annoying experience before with other places that refuse to honor or only accept online coupons under certain conditions. read more

Matese Pizzeria - Scrumptious and satisfying dinner. Best garlic knots in town. Every dish is well seasoned and freshly prepared. - Pizza Near Me - Flushing, New York

Authentic Italian rice balls and potato croquettes. Really good. It was delivered hot and on time. Will be ordering from them again.

Used to eat from here often. Decided to order food for myself and daughter today. Two upside down Sicilians. A bbq chicken slice. Cheese calzone and beef patty with cheese. It was ordered on slice at 4:30. It got to me at 5:10. I opened the box and first thing I notice is the crust to one Sicilian is burnt. And the beef patty is burnt. Both Sicilians are cold. I cut my calzone and it's cold. Cheese doesn't even melt out of it like it should if it was fresh and hot. I call Matese and he argues that the beef patty and calzone were made to order. So it's impossible that it's cold. And the slices were all warmed up. But than why is my food cold? He tells me I can box it up and he can send me new food and pick this up. Ummm right my 8 year old is hungry and already eating. But that's not the point. Point is, it a customer calls and tell you there's an issue, telling them they are wrong.....not a way to keep business. read more

I walked in to order pizza during the spike of Covid- keep in mind every worker at every business legally has to wear masks. Not a single worker, including the people making the food, were not wearing masks or gloves. Not a single mask in sight. Walked out immediately. Should be reported read more

It's been hour and half.... called and said 'it's on its way'... please, enough with your BS. I'll leave additional comment for food, but it's already enough... since I only ordered becuz it's two blocks away. You are the worst Italian pizza takeout ever around bayside. Period. Good buy. Just got delivered in 2 hours... spaghetti is all overcooked and pizza is dried as hell . One word. Do not order from this garbage makers. Waste of money and time. What a loses in Italian dishes. Just eat when you do some laundry next block. .00000000001/10 read more

These guys was open during COVID-19...So i was a new customer, no other pizza places open but them and now Matese has a regular customer. Pizza was on the money , garlic knots pretty damn good, with a 2 liter soda about $20 bucks....nice young man brought it out curbside got it home and i was in pizza heavin...nice job fellas read more

Great place with honest and good people. Every time I crave a good pizza, I call Matese. I usually get the pizza special, which includes a pie, few pieces of garlic knots and 2 liters soda and the price comes out to a little over $20. Their pizza is always hot, fresh and chewy, delivery never takes longer than 35 minutes, and never gives me an attitude through the phone nor rush me as other usual pizza places do. I don't know how they hire people but no matter who picks up the phone my order ends with full satisfaction. read more

these low reviews are WAY off. i've been ordering here since the beginning of 2020 and have been satisfied with fresh hot food every time. the veggie pie is fantastic with a melody of fresh veggies, plus the chicken roll is the best i've ever had, easily 5 stars!!!! read more

do not order from here!!! charges $3 delivery fee plus $25 minimum ...paid over $30 for a smoothie and a salad and they called me an hour after expected delivery to cancel my order. horrible service, do not order from here! (1 star only because it was required to leave a review) ORDER WAS CANCELED 10 MINUTES AFTER EXPECTED DELIVERY VIA SEAMLESS... read more

I rated one star for the food only. The customer service is deplorable. My delivery order of a large pie was 2 hours late and cold. I called to request a replacement and was given nothing but rude excuses and told if I wanted another one, I would wait another 2 hours at least, unless I wanted to come over now and I could have it in half hour. So you did have a large pie?? He then told me to never call him again and hung up on me. Judging from the other reviews, I am not that far off in my account of what happened. Word of mouth is an amazing thing and I will do my best to make sure that no one I know ever eats here again. You should be ashamed! read more

Absolutely horrible and judging from the reviews, many people share that opinion. Seems they have a habit of messing up delivery orders. Ordered from them last night and after an hour they finally arrived. I paid for the order and took the food in only to realize that the chicken roll I paid for wasn't there. A call was placed and the person on the phone wasn't the least bit apologetic and said they'd send it right over. Of course it never showed up. Another call was placed to them in the morning and again the person on the other end of the phone was rude and offered no apology. Just stated that someone can come in to pick up the money or food...I will definitely be staying clear of them in the future. read more

Good business gone bad. We've been customers of Matese for years. Great pizza, great food, great service. Until today. We used a Groupon for our order, and although it said no delivery on the Groupon, I asked if they could deliver anyway. They told me, "No problem!" and that it would be delivered in an hour. 30 minutes later someone called and said, "Your food is ready, and I don't know who told you, but we're not delivering this, so come and get it." Dude, there's you and one other guy behind the counter, but whatever, fine. I just wish they hadn't told me after the food was ready, because when I got there 20 minutes later, the food was ice cold. When I got home and opened the box, there was no bread that should have been included, and the portions were definitely smaller that non-Groupon orders we've placed in the recent past. The baked clam appetizer was short a clam, and the chicken marsala was a piece of chicken the size of a deck of cards, instead of the usual two large pieces of chicken. Sneaky jerks! As if tonight's fiasco wasn't enough, we've had some small problems with them recently that we just blew off, but now we won't be patronizing them any more. If you order from them via the Grub Hub or Seamless apps, the order minimum is just high enough that you can't order just a pizza, but if you call on the phone there's no problem ordering only a pie. I've also been told our orders were late (60+ minutes) because the driver couldn't find the house, or got stuck behind an accident. Umm, sure. Enough is enough, we're done with them. I will also be letting Groupon know the deal about their portions and directing them to the other complaints here on Yelp that say the same thing. read more

Little pizzeria with great food and friendly great staff. We ate there yesterday and enjoyed our dinner very much. We ordered Calamari, salad, Veal Cutlet Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana and several other excellent choices (which I can't spell) The portions were delicious and I took half of mine home and my son gobbled it up today. I will definitely be back. I learned they deliver to my neighborhood and you can be sure I will be ordering in the future. read more

Took over 2 hours to get my food and when it got here the order was completely wrong and the food was cold. I ordered the pizza special that came with a 2 liter and garlic knots, lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs. What I received was a small pizza with mushrooms and sausage, spaghetti no meatballs and calamari. The delivery guy leaves the food at the neighbors instead of my house. My neighbor comes out to see what was left on his porch as I'm walking out of my house wondering where my food is at since the delivery guy called to tell me my food was by the door. I asked my neighbor if he ordered food from Matese which he did not so I went over and picked it up.I immediately noticed there's no soda but okay I have drinks at home not a big deal. I open the boxes and see the order is all wrong. I call Matese and nobody answered. They are closed by now but I was hoping someone would pick up or the delivery guy would notice he mixed up the orders being delivered. That's the only explanation I can think of for getting the wrong order. Finally I get in touch with Matese and explained the situation and they told me there's nothing they can do about it now nor can I receive a refund. Pretty rude and messed up. I'm stuck with the wrong order and it's cold. Waited 2 hours just to get jerked over by my favorite restaurant that I order from Atleast once a week for the past 3 1/2 years. Never again will I ever order from here. Order at your own risk. read more