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Taglio Pizza has done it again.
For the second year in a row, Rob Cervoni’s Roman-style pizza shop has been named the third-best slice shop in the United States by 50 Top Pizza, the prestigious Italy-based guide that ranks the world’s best pies.
Cervoni, who opened Long Island’s first Roman-style pizzeria in Mineola in 2018, said the continued recognition from the international group is “still surreal.”
“Just to be on that list with some of the biggest names in the world of pizza… it boggles my mind to think that I’m in that same category,” Cervoni told Greater Long Island after the 2024 announcement. “It’s a huge honor.”
This year’s rankings were announced Wednesday.
The guide has announced its top 14 slice shops so far, with Taglio Pizza again securing the No. 3 position. Taglio’s two locations — Mineola and its new Massapequa Park outpost — are the only Long Island pizzerias to make the U.S. slice-shop list.
The No. 1 spot went to New York City favorite L’industrie Pizzeria, followed by Slice & Pie of Washington, D.C.
How it all started
Cervoni grew up in Great Neck and started working in pizzerias as a teenager. But his true pizza journey began in Italy.
Inspired by trips to visit family in the Lazio region outside Rome, he fell in love with the pan-cooked, square slices known there as “pizza al taglio,” or “pizza by the cut.”
“I would always say, this is so good — why doesn’t this exist in New York?” Cervoni said. “We have slice shops, but they’re all New York style. No one had done this.”
He eventually trained under Roman pizza master Massimiliano Saieva, then returned to Long Island and launched Taglio in Mineola with a mission: Bring Roman pizza to the masses.
“Rob, for sure, is going to be the No. 1 pizza in the U.S.,” said Saieva, the world-renowned pizzaiolo. “I think he’s probably going to No. 1 in the U.S., and going to be top 50 in the world.”
A slow climb to the top
Mineola wasn’t an easy spot, Cervoni admitted.
Tucked under a bridge with limited signage, he had to hustle to get people in the door.
His break came early when Newsday’s Erica Marcus — a fan of Roman-style pizza — visited soon after opening and featured Taglio in her list of top Long Island pizzerias. Then, the Food Network came calling. Cervoni was selected to compete on the cooking competition show “Chopped.” He won.
But the big explosion came in 2024, when 50 Top Pizza ranked Taglio the No. 3 slice shop in the U.S. It sparked massive media attention, long lines, and daily dough sellouts.
“It was a different animal,” Cervoni said. “We were selling out at 6 p.m. every day. Everyone wanted to try the third-best slice in the country — and top 100 in the world.”
The international attention helped set the stage for his second location, which opened at 113 Front St. in Massapequa Park earlier this year.
Spatula mic and slice-side stardom
Much of Taglio’s momentum has also come from Cervoni’s unique social media presence.
He’s become a local influencer of sorts, posting man-on-the-street videos holding a spatula with a mini microphone attached — now known as the “spatula mic.”
It started as a joke but took off fast. Some videos have reached hundreds of thousands of views.
“I’m not scared to be myself,” he said. “I’ll say what’s on my mind, and I think people appreciate the authenticity. That’s what it’s all about.”
What’s next?
With Mineola and Massapequa thriving — and the 50 Top Pizza title renewed — Cervoni says he’s ready to grow.
And wherever he goes, he plans to bring that same combination of quality, hustle, humor — and a whole lot of Roman pizza.
“This all started because I wanted to do something different,” he said. “Now I’m looking for locations three and four.”
Top: All photos by Nick Esposito
