Gluten-free pizza in Larchmont is Jeanne Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate This Week
It's hard to tell the difference between the regular Margherita pizza and the gluten-free Neapolitan version at Alondra's in Larchmont. They both have the same charred crust, the same tangy tomato sauce and the same cheesy mozzarella. But it's the homemade dough that makes this gluten-free variety so good — and the Best Thing I Ate This Week.
Don't get me wrong — I love their regular pie. And I'm a big fan of their paninis, which are served Fridays to Sundays and made with the same pizza dough, making for a sandwich that's more like a meal for two. There are also salads and homemade pastas along with entrees such as shrimp scampi, eggplant parm and salmon. And did I mention the large pizza topping list with everything from clams to chorizo, pesto, truffle, olives, anchovies and more?
Now open: We've already seen 14 new Westchester, Rockland eateries in 2024. Here's the rundown
You'll also find homemade desserts such as gelato, tiramisu, cheesecake, chocolate mousse and a "firepit" concoction that's a calzone with Nutella and marshmallow.
Chef/Owner Erwen Perez is always cooking up a variety of specials, which run the gamut and can include something Spanish influenced — he's from Guatemala — or French influenced like chicken cordon bleu. No surprise on the latter: Perez was the chef at Encore Bistro a few doors down for 23 years.
He was, in fact, cooking for both Encore and Gusto Pizza — that's what the restaurant first opened as — when, a little over a year ago, he had the chance to buy Gusto from Encore Owner David Masliah. Perez kept the decor the same — white tiles, wood tables and splashes of red — but named it after his youngest daughter Alondra, who was diagnosed with leukemia at age four.
Perez had always promised that when he had his first restaurant, he would name it after her. Now nine and in remission, Alondra's favorite item is, like me, the pizza. Though the gelato ranks up there too!
If you go
Address: 18 Chatsworth Ave., Larchmont, 914-881-3466, alondras.dine.online
Hours: 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; to 8:30 p.m. Sunday
Good to know: Weekend brunch, complete with pineapple and mango mimosas, French toast, waffles, avocado toast, lamb meatballs and farm pizza, is offered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Gluten-free pizza in Larchmont NY is Muchnick's Best Thing I Ate
