Di Fara Vodka Sauce Frozen Pizza Review: The Sauce Is Not Boss But The Crust Certainly Is

While pizza may have originated in Italy, New York City is perhaps the world's epicenter of pizza awesomeness. Domenico De Marco started serving pies at Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn back in 1965, and what was once a neighborhood gem grew to be one of the most revered pizza meccas of America. This institution was a favorite of Anthony Bourdain's and has received high marks from the mouthy Dave Portnoy. Di Fara has also cashed in on its sterling reputation by launching a line of retail frozen pizzas in the spring of 2025.

With a few flavors already in its portfolio, the brand released a new one earlier this summer — Di Fara Vodka Sauce Pizza, claimed in a press release as "the first ever frozen vodka sauce pizza" on the market. Margaret DeMarco, co-owner of Di Fara Pizza, noted in a statement, "We're always looking for ways to share a true slice of Brooklyn with more people, without compromising on quality." She added that this new pie is "a little rebellious, a little nostalgic, and 100% Di Fara."

The freezer aisle is already overloaded with long-running, familiar names like Mama Celeste, Tombstone, and Red Baron, and more recently penetrated by big names like California Pizza Kitchen and Rao's. So what separates a Di Fara frozen pie from, say, a DiGiorno, and most importantly, is the new vodka pie "di" best, or not so much? I took the Di Fara Vodka Sauce Pizza for a spin to see where the truth lies. Pull up a seat as we slice this baby up and spit out this chew and review.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The origin of vodka sauce isn't exactly clear, but it earned a place in many a penne recipe in the latter part of the 20th century. The sauce later spread its way into pizzas, which helped to solidify (or liquify?) its popularity. Despite this, one thing you won't find on Di Fara's restaurant menu is a pizza made with vodka sauce. Enter Di Fara's Vodka Sauce Pizza.

This frozen pie is 11 inches wide and weighs in at 16.1 ounces, or 456 grams. The pizza is headlined by a vodka sauce made of tomatoes, heavy cream, onions, tomato paste, extra virgin olive oil, corn starch, water, spices, actual vodka, and sea salt. Other ingredients include water, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, sunflower oil, basil, deactivated durum wheat sourdough, yeast, malted wheat flour, and good old binding agent guar gum.

Di Fara Vodka Sauce Pizza retails for $9.99, although price may vary by grocer. It can be purchased in-store at retailers such as ShopRite, Giant, and Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace, and is currently available in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and of course its home state of New York. Starting in September, it will find a home in the frozen aisles of Kroger, and in the fine states of Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. You may also be able to order the frozen pizza for delivery in your area through those retailers and sites and apps like Instacart. Check with your local grocery store for availability.

A single serving size is a quarter of the pizza, which is a rather wide slice. That will net an eater 280 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 650 milligrams of sodium, 39 total grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 1 gram of sugars, and 12 grams of protein. It also contains 25.5 micrograms of vitamin D, 200 milligrams of calcium, 5.9 milligrams of iron, and 90 milligrams of potassium. The pizza contains the allergens wheat and milk. Based on the expiration date printed on the box, these pizzas should stay fresh in your freezer for up to 9 months.

Fresh out of the box and wrapped plastic, the frozen vodka sauce pie held about four leaves of basil, plenty of tiny, cubed pieces of mozzarella, a healthy smattering of finely grated parmesan, and patches of the namesake sauce, all sunken in and surrounded by a raised crust that already looked pre-baked. I placed the pizza in my trusty old Frigidaire oven, set it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and needed the full 12 minutes to melt the cheese and see the crust turn golden brown, as the cooking instructions dictated. While I knew it wouldn't look exactly as depicted on the paper box, the actual pizza displayed less sauce and basil and instead looked like a wide covering of congealed cheese. The crust looked amazing and, to the touch, had a crusty and soft feel to it.

Without further ado, I tasted it and was immediately a bit underwhelmed by its flavor. The cheese tasted fine, although I wish it had been a little bit more fluid, like a pie you'd get from the oven at the actual Di Fara. The sauce, while definitely bringing something new to the table beyond regular old marinara, seemed to be lacking bite. After several nibbles, I realized what was missing — a dash of salt, or any kind of seasoning, for that matter. 

Still, this was well beyond just an ordinary frozen pizza, and that feeling was solidified when I got to the astounding crust. It was crackery-crunchy on the exterior yet had a perfect soft interior. That helped to make up for the sauce's slight setback.

As is, Di Fara's Vodka Sauce Pizza is a good product, but it began to become a better product when I started tinkering with items from the spice cabinet, first with some cracked sea salt and later with some garlic powder. Both gave a flavor boost the sauce was lacking. Oddly enough, the vodka sauce tasted best long after my test was over, when the slice had sat around and gone cold.

While I haven't had any of the other pizzas in Di Fara's frozen roster, I assume it's safe to say that the crust is the same across the board. If that's the case, it's wonderful news, as the crust was one of the best I've ever tasted in a frozen pizza. I was lucky my kid didn't want hers, as I was more than happy to scoop up her leftovers and munch away on that unforgettable crunch.

I truly wish the vodka sauce had more oomph to it, but I would still say this pie is a solid bet to buy. Its price is very fair at a hair under $10, and it turned out to be a rather filling meal for one. We cut ours into four wide pieces, but you can create "more" by cutting them into eight kiddie slices. As a New Yorker, I have been blessed to have dined at Di Fara's Brooklyn pizzeria on multiple occasions, and it has always lived up to the hype. While this frozen pie doesn't even remotely compare to the genuine article, it is 9,000% a way better option to pick up at the supermarket than whatever DiGiorno is slinging.