Ina Garten’s Top Pizza Place in the Hamptons.

If you’re heading back East or reside nearby, it might be worth checking out Ina Garten’s Instagram. She has been sharing her favorite spots in the Hamptons, with her latest post highlighting her beloved pizza place in Amagansett. Fini, located on Main Street, is highly recommended by the Barefoot Contessa for serving the finest pizza, and she is particularly “obsessed with their white pizza” (via Instagram).

This eatery offers thin, Brooklyn-style pizzas by the slice or whole pies. It’s easy to see why Garten favors the white pizza, which replaces tomato sauce with layers of mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheese. The outcome is a rich, creamy flavor explosion, complemented beautifully by a slice of lemon to balance the richness. A single slice is priced at $5.50, while a whole pie costs $36.

Garten’s affection for white pizzas is well documented. In 2018, she hailed the Brussels sprouts cacio e pepe pizza at Martina Pizzeria in NYC as her favorite (as per Instagram); however, that establishment closed the following year. Additionally, she includes her own white pizza recipe with arugula in her cookbook “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics,” featuring goat cheese alongside fontina and mozzarella, topped with a zesty vinaigrette for the greens.

The initial Fini location debuted in 2022 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with a Hamptons branch opening in 2023, followed by another in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Plaza that same year. Restaurateur Sean Feeney, known for his previous Italian restaurants Lilia and Misi, co-founded with chef Missy Robbins. The Amagansett site frequented by Ina Garten occupies the former location of Astro’s, a beloved pizzeria that had been around since the 1970s before its closure in 2021.

While pizza enthusiasts argue whether NYC pizza reigns supreme, Fini notably brings an authentic slice of NYC to this upscale area approximately 100 miles east of the five boroughs. They offer the classic thin, foldable slices and a Sicilian variety with a distinctly thicker, doughier base. Besides the renowned sauceless white pizza, Fini’s menu includes options featuring San Marzano tomato sauce and varied toppings. Their tomato pie, for instance, is finished with garlic breadcrumbs and Calabrian oil. Unique offerings include long hot pepper and shallot pizza, as well as the grandma pie.

The main distinction between grandma pizza and the traditional NYC slice lies in their shapes. NYC pizza typically has a triangular form, while grandma pizza is usually cut into squares or rectangles, featuring a denser — yet crispier — crust that’s not as thick as Sicilian.

Interestingly, grandma pizza is thought to have originated in Long Island, where Italian immigrant grandmothers made traditional pizzas using local ingredients. This style often features sauce placed atop the cheese instead of the reverse, and it can also be prepared in a white version without sauce.

Alongside traditional NYC-style pizza, white pizza is widely available throughout the state, with numerous variations stemming from the original Italian pizza bianca. While the Fini white pizza favored by Ina Garten is topped with fontina cheese, it is more commonly made with ricotta. Tasty additions include garlicky greens like spinach or broccoli rabe, and seafood enthusiasts may enjoy it with clams — although white clam pizza is primarily associated with New Haven, Connecticut.

If you’re feeling indecisive, consider trying both at Lombardi’s, the first pizzeria in the U.S. This Manhattan establishment, which opened in 1905, serves a white pizza featuring mozzarella, ricotta, and Romano cheeses, enhanced with garlic and basil. While there, don’t miss out on their famous clam pie, made with three dozen clams, garlic, Romano, black pepper, and garnished with fresh parsley and lemon.