Sachem Bites Nearby: La Famosa Pizzeria

The corner location in Waverly Shopping Center has played host to a number of pizzerias over the past three decades, but the newest entrant to this long-standing tradition is bringing the flavor in a big way, and if La Famosa Pizzeria can continue its strong start, then good times are certainly ahead. Featuring a robust menu, quality ingredients, and a zeal for delicious Italian cooking, La Famosa is quickly establishing itself as one of the go-to pizza spots for Holtsville residents.

Décor: Inside La Famosa you’ll find a well-lit, modestly sized sit-down dining room with deep red tile walls and tan accents. Wooden seating and tables can accommodate nearly two dozen diners if necessary, and an LCD TV is on constantly for patrons to watch while waiting for their food.

Drinks: An easily-accessible fridge is stocked with plenty of sports drinks, waters, juices and sodas of canned, bottled and two liter varieties.

Appetizers: Six mozzarella sticks will run you $4.95, garlic bread is $2.75 and an order of 6 or 12 chicken wings clocks in at $5.00 and $7.50, respectively. The garlic knots are a good size and are properly oiled/seasoned, and will run you $1.50 for 4 knots, up to $4.00 for a dozen.

For soups, Pasta Fagioli ($4.00) filled with shell pasta, beans and spices in a tasty tomato broth is an excellent choice, along with Minestrone ($3.75), and Chicken Noodle ($3.75).

Grab a hearty salad from La Famosa, like a standard Garden Salad (sm. $4.25, lg. $5.75) with mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onion and olives, a Caesar Salad ($7.95), or a Greek Salad (sm. 6.00, lg. $7.95). Add grilled chicken to any salad for an additional $3.00.

Entrees: La Famosa makes excellent pizza featuring flavorful sauce, perfect helpings of cheese, and a crust that’s tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. A regular slice is $2.00 and a pie is $12.50. Sicilian pie is $14.00, White $17.95, Grandma $16.00 and Margarita $10.50. Toppings per slice are $.60, $1.50 per half pie and $3.00 for a full pie. Other pies include Buffalo Chicken ($20.00), Baked Ziti ($16.50), Stuffed Pizza ($23.00) and The Coliseum ($18.00), featuring a garlic-knot crust.

For a more intense pizza-eating experience, La Famosa offers serious specialty pies, including Lasagna Pizza ($20.00), Chicken Francese ($20.00), and personal favorite, Eggplant Rollatine ($20.00).

La Famosa also has plenty of Calzones, Rolls and Heroes that can be made-to-order. A plain calzone is $6.00, and every tasty topping you want stuffed inside is an additional $.75. Chicken, Ham, Pepperoni and Vegetable Rolls are all $6.00, and a Shrimp roll is $7.50. For heroes, order up a scrumptious Meatball Parmigiana ($6.00), Veal, Lettuce and Tomato ($8.00) or the aptly-named “Gladiator” ($8.00) with grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, peppers, lettuce, tomato and vinaigrette.

The menu is packed full of delicious pasta dishes and baked entrees, which are all served with a big hunk of freshly baked bread and garlic knots. For pasta dishes, you have a choice of Spaghetti, Rigatoni or Penne, served with your choice of many homemade sauces, including Vodka sauce ($9.95 regular, $12.95 with chicken, $13.95 with shrimp), Carbonara ($9.95), Alfredo ($9.50) and Bolognese ($10.50)

Baked Pasta options include Ziti ($9.25), Ravioli ($9.25), Stuffed Shells ($9.25), Manicotti ($9.25) and Lasagna ($10.50), all of which are served in generous portions, then topped with homemade sauce and plenty of mozzarella.

Lastly, the final pillar of La Famosa’s menu are the full entrees, featuring tender cuts of meat, rich sauces and abundant food on your plate. Cornerstone Chicken Parmigiana ($11.00) is smothered in sauce and cheese and served up hot, Veal Marsala ($13.95) is always an excellent choice, and the Eggplant Rollatine ($12.00) is stuffed full of Ricotta.

Desserts: Sweet fluffy Zeppolis ($1.50 for 3, $2.50 for 6, $4.50 a dozen) are baked fresh daily on Fridays and Saturdays

Catering: La Famosa offers an extensive catering menu that features many of their best dishes.

Service: The guys and girls behind the counter sure know how to cook and are always quick to take your order. You will never stand around long at La Famosa. Even big orders are ready in no time at all.

Signature Dish: Chicken Famosa ($13.50) is a tender marinated chicken breast served with spinach and mozzarella in a white wine butter sauce. The portions are generous and it’s made with the utmost care and love. For the pasta-fan, you can’t go wrong with Rigatoni Roma ($11.50), a stunning dish of Rigatoni pasta smothered in a delectable pink sauce, tossed with diced chicken, spinach and chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Address: 1018 Waverly Avenue, Holtsville

Phone: 631-207-2055