Il Leone is located at 158 Seventh Avenue, just south of Garfield Place, and is currently open on Thursday through Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Ben Wexler-Waite is a New York kid through and through, born and raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But in 2021, he found himself living in the woods on Peaks Island off the coast of Portland, Maine. And while we here at Brooklyn Magazine are certainly pro-nature and relaxation and everything, it’s not entirely surprising Wexler-Waite became a bit restless Downeast and needed something to absorb all that native New Yorker energy.
Thankfully, for us, that something was pizza. Specifically: Perfecting the art of making Neapolitan-style pies, which Wexler-Waite debuted at a pop-up on Peaks called Il Leone, and now, after slogging through the adventure known as “opening a restaurant in Brooklyn,” at the chef’s second Il Leone iteration, located in Park Slope, just a couple of blocks from his new apartment.
“It feels incredible to finally be open,” Wexler-Waite told us. “I’ve been working on this project for three years now. Finding a space, raising money, recipe development, hiring people, all the construction…it’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I feel so grateful, so lucky to be here, and it’s so nice to be making pizza for my neighbors.”
Where the action happens (Photo by Scott Lynch)
It’s nice for us, too, because Wexler-Waite’s pizza is terrific. The dough is naturally leavened, using a sourdough starter rather than commercial baker’s yeast, and fermented for 48 to 72 hours before getting blasted at 900 degrees in Il Leone’s kick-ass Italforni oven. “It’s the one [pizza legend] Gino Sorbillo uses in Napoli,” Wexler-Waite said. “Just a great oven.”
The famous “Isola,” or lobster pizza, “market price” ($48 when we had it) (Photo by Scott Lynch)
The crust is tangy, salty, floppy in the middle—never too wet, though—and charred-to-hell on the edges. It’s Wexler-Waite’s toppings, however, that really elevate these pies into destination-worthy pizza. Most obviously, on his “Isola” pie, aka Il Leone’s famous lobster pizza, a photogenic beauty covered with big chunks of claw meat, the levels of deliciousness jacked up even higher by the San Marzano tomato sauce, some freshly cut basil, a splash of Italian rosé, and enough red chili to really get your attention.
It’s very good and really fun to eat, and though the Isola was born on Peaks Island for obvious Maine reasons, Wexler-Waite says his inspiration for the pizza was actually the simple lobster pastas he fell in love with during his time spent along Italy’s Amalfi coast. The chef is also quick to point out that there are a bunch of other, and maybe even better, pizzas on the Il Leone menu. “We love the lobster pizza,” he said, “and I understand why people love taking photos of it, but I’d hate for this restaurant to be defined by that one pizza.”
Funghi, $24 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Margherita del Leone, $24 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
So don’t feel discouraged if you can’t swing the lobster pizza’s “market price” ($48 when I had it), or if the kitchen is out of crustaceans when you get there (which happened the first night we went). Because honestly, I think I enjoyed the other two pies I ate here even more. The “Margherita del Leone” is a phenomenal pizza, mostly because of Wexler-Waite’s impossibly bright and lively cherry tomato sauce. It’s a certain kind of magic to get this much flavor out of something that looks so…basic.
The funghi white pie is also a big winner, the funky fried cremini countered by creamy mozzarella, lots of garlic, sharp pecorino, and a glorious amount of cracked black pepper. Other available pizzas include one topped with Calabrian salami, and you can add Sicilian anchovies, or blobs of burrata, or slices of prosciutto to any of the pies.
Pan-fried whole baby artichokes, $15 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
There are a few starters as well, like pan-fried (and wonderfully salty) whole baby artichokes, an arugula and pear-based salad, and a bowl of saucy meatballs made with beef, pork, and She Wolf sourdough bread crumbs.
There are also a lot of natural wines at Il Leone, mostly costing about $15 a glass, or around $65 a bottle, as well as classic Italian cocktails (about $16 each) and a few digestivos, like grappa and a homemade limoncello. The room is moodily lit, and the setup really vibes more date-night than kid-friendly, especially since about half of the 35 seats are backless stools at the bar or set before high tables. That will change come spring though, when Wexler-Waite opens the spacious back patio for dinner service.
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