Ina Garten’s Top Pizza Place in the Hamptons

If you’re heading back East or already live in the area, it’s worth checking out Ina Garten’s Instagram. She has been highlighting some of her favorite spots in the Hamptons, and in her latest post, she shared her go-to pizza place located in the quaint hamlet of Amagansett. According to the Barefoot Contessa, Fini, situated on Main Street, offers the “best pizza around,” especially their white pizza, which she’s “obsessed” with (per Instagram).

The restaurant specializes in thin, Brooklyn-style pizza served by the slice or whole pie. Garten’s fondness for the white pizza makes sense; it replaces the traditional tomato sauce with layers of mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheese, creating a rich, creamy delight that’s paired with a lemon slice to balance the flavors. A single slice is priced at $5.50, while a full pie costs $36.

Garten has consistently favored white pizzas. In 2018, she declared the Brussels sprouts cacio e pepe pizza at NYC’s Martina Pizzeria as her favorite (via Instagram); however, that restaurant closed a year later. She also features her personal white pizza recipe in her cookbook “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics,” which includes goat cheese along with fontina and mozzarella, complemented by a lemony vinaigrette drizzled over arugula on top.

The inaugural Fini location opened in 2022 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, followed by a branch in the Hamptons in 2023, and a third location at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Plaza the same year. Owner and restaurateur Sean Feeney is recognized for his earlier establishments, including the Italian restaurants Lilia and Misi, which he co-owns with chef Missy Robbins. The Amagansett venue frequented by Ina Garten occupies the former site of Astro’s, a beloved pizzeria that had been operating since the 1970s before closing in 2021.

While enthusiasts often debate whether NYC pizza is supreme, Fini has undeniably brought genuine NYC flavors to the upscale region about 100 miles east of the metropolis. The restaurant serves classic thin and foldable slices, as well as thicker Sicilian pizza. Besides the sauceless white pizza, Fini also offers varieties adorned with San Marzano tomato sauce and other special additions. For instance, the tomato pie is garnished with garlic breadcrumbs and Calabrian oil. Unique options such as long hot pepper and shallot pizza, and the grandma pie are also available.

The primary distinction between grandma pizza and the conventional New York slice is their shapes. While NYC pizza is typically triangular, grandma pizza is more often cut into squares or rectangles. It has a denser crust too—though it’s crispier and not as thick as Sicilian.

Interestingly, grandma pizza is thought to have originated on Long Island, where Italian immigrant grandmothers adapted their traditional recipes using locally available ingredients. Typically, grandma pizza has its sauce placed atop the cheese, though it can be made without sauce for a white variant.

Alongside the regular NYC-style pizza, white pizza remains a popular choice throughout the state. This dish can be prepared in numerous ways, often inspired by the original Italian pizza bianca. The Fini white pizza, which Ina Garten enjoys, contains fontina cheese, but it’s generally made with ricotta. Tasty additions can include garlicky greens like spinach or broccoli rabe, and seafood enthusiasts might like a version topped with clams—though white clam pizza is more associated with New Haven, Connecticut.

If you find it hard to choose, both options are available at Lombardi’s, the first pizzeria in the U.S. Established in 1905, this Manhattan mainstay offers a white pizza featuring mozzarella, ricotta, and Romano cheeses, paired with garlic and basil. Visitors can also savor their renowned clam pie, made with three dozen clams, garlic, Romano, black pepper, and garnished with parsley and lemon.