Cross Bronx Pizzeria looks like it could have existed in a land before time, or at least before the Cross Bronx Expressway cut a path under Castle Hill Ave, right where it stands on one corner. Rumor (actually, old Facebook group threads about the neighborhood) has it that even before this place opened in the ’90s, when it used to be a pizzeria called Sal’s, it was frequented by famous local Jennifer Lopez. (Look closely and you’ll see a picture of her in a Yankees cap with the current owner next to a couple of framed NYC permits on the wall.)

exterior Cross Bronx Pizzeria

photo credit: Kate Previte

NO HANGIN OUT sign at Cross Bronx Pizzeria

photo credit: Kate Previte

counter at Cross Bronx Pizzeria

photo credit: Kate Previte

jumbo slice $5 sign at Cross Bronx Pizzeria

photo credit: Kate Previte

But the nostalgia here doesn’t just come down to a photo of JLo, or even the grimy figurine of Elmo in a chef’s hat on a forgotten shelf, or the handwritten sign yelling “NO HANGING OUT!” in scratchy ballpoint. It’s in the pizza itself—each pie cut into eight jumbo slices that cost $5 each. (“CASH ONLY!” but they have an ATM.)

business card with a giant slice on it that says "Giant Slice"

photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick

person holding up giant slice of pizza over their face

photo credit: Kate Previte

That slice is Cross Bronx’s calling card, quite literally—just take a look at their business card. The pie has a pale crust that appears almost unbaked, with a yeasty flavor that immediately demands something cold, fizzy, and sweet. You’d think the nearly 15-inch slice would flop, but though it is doughy on the rim, it’s also surprisingly crisp: a just-firm-enough platform for the molten terrain of cheese and sauce on top. One bite sends you straight back to the years when every other weekend was a birthday party, and hanging out was as easy as sharing an after-school slice, and long-fermented dough was a distant dream.