Posted to Crown Heights News on

Crown Heights’s oldest pizza joint, Kingston Pizza, which recently changed hands, was shut down this afternoon by the New York City Health Department, after inspectors deemed it unfit to serve food in a routine inspection. Customers were ordered to leave the store, and a notice was posted on the door.

Kingston Pizza Shuttered by the Health Department

Crown Heights’s oldest pizza joint, Kingston Pizza, which recently changed hands, was shut down this afternoon by the New York City Health Department, after inspectors deemed it unfit to serve food in a routine inspection. Customers were ordered to leave the store, and a notice was posted on the door.

One customer that was in the store told CrownHeights.info that after a brief inspection, the inspectors asked customers to leave and locked the doors. One of the inspectors mentioned that the reason for the shutdown was due to excessive amount of mice droppings in food storage areas.

Kingston Pizza recently changed hands from Shloime Lehrer, its owner for over 18 years, to Itzik Benabou, owner of Kol-Tuv and Empire Kosher.

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76 Comments

  • hindy

    well no kidding!!!! Didnt take a detective to figure that one out.. that place is revolting!!!!

  • Amy

    Mice droppings? Last I checked they aren’t kosher. How come the Rabbis checking this place didn’t notice that??

  • Pepper or Mouse Droppings???

    Thought it was just pepper on my pizza hmmmmm must of been the mice droppings….

  • Suspicious

    Sorry to say this but if the place could pass inspection the way it was before and it couldn’t pass now I think there was some paying off being done. How could they have possible passed with ceiling fans FULL of dust, nasty mouse glue traps visible, roaches visible, etc? Itzik cleaned that store from top to bottom and now they failed? I’m sure the rodent situation was the same before. Looks like someone was paid off in the past didn’t get paid by the new owner.

  • la costa

    this is pure loshon hora and a persons parnosa. while he is now required to clean up his act, we are not given a pass to talk loshon hora. moshiach NOW.

  • gross

    the worst pizza shop in the world its amazing how the owners never cared from the filthy table and chairs to the nasty looking food, theirs not a normal pizza shop in this neighborhood. PIZZA TIME rocks

  • concerned crown heights member

    about time – have no i idea about the attitude ur talk about – shlomie was a mentsch – he knew his customers by name and was respectful

    suspicious — guess you seem to know everything about nothing – highly doubt shlomie would ever pay anyone off to get ahead,

    the management was attrocious, rude, disrespectful and more – when a suggestion was made tothe new manager in order to help the establishment – his comment – “i like what the workers are doing. they do what i tell them and am not going to act on anything anyone has to say”

    at least when suggestions were said to shlomie – he listenede said thanks and said he’d look into it

  • meizels

    It’s obvious that this did not start after the transfer to the new owners; this problem was there for a while. Anyone with a little experience knows this does not start overnight.
    You also did not have to be a inspector to see this – many customer’s saw this in the past.
    We all hope that the new owners will have this place sparkling clean – and serve the best Pizza!
    Good luck!

  • proper hygiene is important

    Hygiene is very important and restaurants need to learn this. It’s unfortunate it comes to this. Sometime you have to sacrifice some of you profits for peolpe’s health. Hope the health department catches these things at other restaurants before anyone gets sick.

    I’m pretty sure I have gotten sick in the past from food purchased at some of these restaurants. Restaurants: STOP PLAYING WITH OUR HEALTH!

  • Ed Greenberg

    Does anybody remember Chopsie’s on (I believe) either Albany Ave or Kingston Avenue, between Empire and Montgomery. It was my very first slice of Pizza, when I was a boy growing up in CH during the early 60s. A slice of pizza cost 20c.

  • Askme

    Yeah.. it was awful – the trays, the tables, the counter, the floor …everything was all sticky with dirt. Why did it take the Health Department so long to close down this dirty hole?

  • wow

    the pizza from the oven was good, but the only day i would eat something else would be the issru chag pessach!

  • nice ppl at the k.pizza, always gr8 srvc

    ok, you LHer’s
    enough!
    you are hiding behind your anonyminity (sp?)
    but one day we will know who you are
    and whether you are right or wrong
    it isn’t nice.
    shop there or dont shop there
    your choice
    but dont bad mouth
    remember the Torah somewhere between the lines of your life?

  • No joke

    That’s why they never let people use their bathroom they used it for the food storage area. Even PETA is on their case because the rats were getting sick.

  • oiss vorff

    oldest pizza shop ? i dont think so ,,i am here 40 yrs ,1] the first one to open a pizza shop was rabbi turnik , the father inlaw of moshe kline [littel people ] that was next door to chevrah shass on kingston ave ,2] the 2nd pizza shope was , open by mr blieier , and it was were the kinston bake shope is , and was next door to the mizraci shull were andrusaiy paper good store
    3] the third pizza shop was opend by yossi ducman and yossi bruk
    and it was ,[ were simons dress store is today next door to the regency dry cleaners , 4] then came what we now know is the kingston av. pizza shop shlomi learrr and in the bigenning with yossi brook as a slinet partner , sorry 4 the slelling mistakes , i went to ohoily torah 417 troy ave . 73–76

  • lloyd a cohen

    having worked as a Masgiach in the food industry including several types of food establishments, I can say that the owner not only was he stupid and greedy, he did not care about his customers. Stupid because he knows and should know what the health laws and requirements are, greedy because he cut corners and if he cared about his customers, this would not occur.
    Far too often the jewish consumer is given the short shrift owing to the fact that it is know that he would or could only buy kosher and has no other alternative.

  • Pizza is Delicious!!

    I for one am happy it changed hands, usually once a place gets shut down they need to show that they have cleaned up and apply for another inspection, it is however going to be on the stores grade that it had failed once, and it is a decent thoery that there may have been some foul play in the past bc that place looked horrible for so long to suddenly get shut down like that, all while he is busy cleaning up the place is a bit strange, either way here is to hoping we have a real good place to get good pizza etc in the near future.

  • dc

    wow! its about time this happend. Ever since the new owners, the service was horrible. We want the old guys back….

  • Are we men or are we mice? Mice!

    The mouse droppings are what gave the pizzas their special taste, and what made them so nutritious. That’s right – NUTRITIOUS!

    Who knows what will happen now.

  • Hope they reopen!!!

    i agree with comment #9, theres something really wrong here!! they worked really hard, and still are, since the new ownership to fix that place up!!!

  • Be Careful

    Unless you know for sure if someone was bought off, so the shop should not to be shut down, I dont think it’s right to make such a public assumption. After reading your comment people may understand that for being the reason. That is how rumors are spread.

  • Rattatouie

    Mmmm, yum. Chocolate rat drops. I’ll have some of THAT in my ice-cream.

    So, quarantined by the Health Department at long last as being a toxic biohazard. I hear the health workers wore CDC issue bio-containment suits so they wouldn’t catch whatever tropical fungal life-forms exist within the store. I also hear that they discovered a new fungus, and they named it Bacillus Ratpoous Pizzakingstonilium.

  • shmaltz

    to # 23
    yes there was a Kosher Pizza shop on Kingston ave Bet: mongomery and empire
    in the 60’s.

  • CH-er

    The problem is not just the pizza shop-it’s Crown Heights. Ask any homeowner or renter and they will tell you that they have had mice.Mice come in from outside.The problem of mice in Crown Heights needs to be dealt with.Especially this year when there has been less garbage pick-up.

  • to all the horrible posts

    shame on you all, Shloimy Lehrer is a very nice and good person. Some people did like the pizza. Just because its an anonymos post doesnt mean you can write horrible things

  • old timer

    people, the guy is trying to make a living. yes, it needs to be clean and sanitary conditions. you don’t know who is reading the blog and how it many harm someone. see if you can help not be gleeful at someone else’s tzores.
    i am sure now it will be good.

  • To #30 - Mr KNOW_IT_ALL

    Actually, it does not say it’s the FIRST pizza shop. The article says it’s the OLDEST pizza shop. All the others you mentioned haven’t existed in the longest time.
    And SHloimy Lehrer bought the pizza shop 18 yrs ago, but it originally belonged to Moshe’s (from noshworld) brother.

  • A SET UP!

    I’m surprised know one realized what this was about. It’s a setup by Itzik. He wanted to turn it into another warehouse, but he doesn’t want everyone down his back. So he arranged an inspection, who will close down the pizzashop.
    Now that it’s closed he’ll “realize” what it would take to reopen, and decide to “push off” opening until “he has more money”.
    SCAMMER!!!!!

  • Great Pizza

    I never go to Kingston pizza… ewww!!! When there is an option like Qcumbers that has great pizza, why go anywhere else.

  • OY VEY!!!

    WHERE IS ITZIK BENABOU (THE HEAD OF CLOWN HEIGHTS) ?? WHY CAN’T HE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ? AFTER ALL HE IS BUYING EVERYONE OUT (OR AT LEAST TRYING TO). IF HIS PIZZA SHOP WAS SHUT DOWN DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE IS SOMEONE GREATER THAN HIM AROUND ??

  • CH Bochur

    I go to Kretchme all the time. Kingston was insanely rude, and the pizza had zero taste or flavor. Kretchme isn’t fancy, but their product is amazing. (I am a BT, and when I became frum I thought pizza for me was over because kosher pizza is usually terribe…BT’s joke about it…until I found Kretchme!) Plus you get can get a great vort with your slice!

  • mouse kosher?

    I thought it was pepperoni pizza…I guess it was Mouse-er-oni.
    I guess the Vaad gave a hechtscher for mouse?

  • dagan-s

    how about dagans can finally move to ch…instead of ch going to dagans can come to ch!

  • malca bazyamn

    actually — yossie brook moved his shop (la g’vena) from the site of simones do where the location is now.

    he sold the shop to moshe machputz.

    when moshe opened nosh world, his brothed dovid took over the pizza shop.

    when dovid died some 19 yrs ago – moshed sol it to leher

    and this new owner – benabou has only owned it for 1 month —

    now — anyone remember ess & bench (across from (7770) – how in the world did this styre ever pass the health inspection, yet it was constantly busy

  • Judge the Health Department

    Just as a ps:
    The health department is the nastiest department in NYC. They will close down a health institution for milk out of the fridge or a fly buzzing around when the milk was just removed for coffee or the fly flew in with the inspector.
    They obviously saw the mice droppings but excessive droppings might mean 2 or 3. did you ever notice the mice issue in crown heights? it’s possible it was not really a problem. I did not hear them say the issue was unsanitary condition of how the food was packaged or handled.
    Please realize this point and do your homework by asking the store owner personally why they closed it down. It could just be another incident of ‘Jewish Love’

  • David Simon

    Ed Greenberg stop spreading lies and falsehoods. Chopsie’s was not on Kingston, nor Albany ave- it was, in fact, on TROY Ave and secondly Pizza was 30 cents a slice, factoring in the variable of taking a coke with it as well.

  • question

    are bugers kosher? i stopped eating there when i saw someone pick their nose way up as if they were searching for gold, then serve me my slice.

  • to 57 and 58

    57 you are so right..instead of saying all these nasty things we should be thinking and loving our fellow Jew as if he didn’t do anythign right! thanks for changing my perspective :)

    58 that’s no way to talk..“lies and falsehood” a bit harsh!

  • oiss vorff

    TO # 46 “ KUSH AH BEAR ” AND B/4 MOSHE`S BROTHER OBM ? I HAVE BEEN BUYING PIZZA B/4 MOSHES BROTHER OBM CAME TO AMERICA

    KUSH VITAR

  • eli

    THAT PLACE SHOULD HAVE BEN CLOSED 10 YEARS AGO,IT WAS THE MOST REVOLTING FOOD ESTABLISHMENT I EVER SO IN MY LIFE!

  • all people who wrote clown heights!!!

    im cracking up hearing, CLOWN HEIGHTS!!!! LOL it rlly is kind of makes sense…(though i dont live there)

  • empire kosher FAN

    STOP IT THEY HAVE FEELINGS TO, CHUTZPAH!!!!!!! THEY ARE PROFESSIONALS THEY HAVE A KEY TO THEIR BATHROOM

  • where-s the brotherly love?

    What a shame that some people here in CH are only thinking about how happy they are that a fellow jews in trouble. But not only that, They also have to help and praise the Goyishe inspectors for hurting their own brother. (That’s sickening!)

  • shirelle

    you guys should realy stop hating! its rude and obnoxious. keep your nasty comments to yourself!

  • sarah

    new york is a dirty place as it is..im sure you have all eaten rat and mouse poop in other restaurants =)

  • Sarah Mirviss

    I am really ashamed at what I am reading. Whether you liked the place or not, it is not a reason to speak that way. Do you think this is what the Rebbe wants from us? to speak in such horrible way about another Yid!!?? Do you think its like this Moshiach is going to come? You all should be ashamed of yourself this is Chilul HaShem.
    On top of that the pp couldn’t even sign their own name …thats your shame hiding behind some silly/nasty comments.

  • mb

    yanno, i was just thinking (smell it burning)

    kingston pizza open under the new ownership on jan 1,

    in the morning of jan i wanted to get a coffee on my way to work but the store was clossed – supposedly because of the construction.

    i had to leave on tue, jan 11 for fl for my uncles levaya. i found out the store had been closed the whole week while i was gone for work being done in the store.

    when i returned and went into the stor on jan 17, things were change, even the menu. when my friend and i asked for certain items we were told “THE ENTIRE STOCK – FROZEN & NON FROZEN” was SOLD to a caterer and they brought in all new stock and started cooking from scratch, meaning they no longer had anything in the store which had belong to shloime lehre and everything was BRAND NEW –

    therefore we can conclude – any problem found were on the new owner only and had nothing to do with lehre or his staff

    now – for those accusing people – how can you dare say lehre paid anyone off if all the food and stock was brand new

  • Eli

    Maybe Itzik Benabou doesn’t want to reopen the Pizza Shop right away. Because of the Hasagas Gvul of
    The Kingston Bagel Shop
    And The Kingston Ave cucumber store between Empire & Montgomery Street
    These 2 stores ruined the Pizza Shop when they both started selling Pizza.
    Everyone between 770 and Carrol Street buys their Pizza from the Kingston Bagel Shop
    Everyone between Lefferts and Montgomery Street buys their Pizza from the Cucumber Kingston Ave Store

  • TO #57

    Regardless of the establishment being located in CH or not, it is UNNACCEPTABLE for a restaurant to be run under horrifying conditions. they should have been on theyre toes and eradicated the mice problem. its not too difficult to call an exterminator every now and then. the health of the customers comes first. if this was not taken into consideration by the owners, its prood they dont care about the customers and they are just trying to make a fast buck. karma comes around.

  • smartie teen

    please watch how you talk about other peoples businesses.
    they closed down from the health department, which is common.
    why do we also have to say that their pizza was bad? thats adding unnecisary information.
    we have to be very careful when we talk about other peoples parnasah. its very hard to get around in this world with money nowadays, why should you be the one to make it harder for a person.
    maybe he will reopen after its cleaned up? who knows? and if he does reopen because of the comments you people said, the people wont want to send their kids to kinston pizza.
    do u think thats right? if he reopens there may be a change in recipe, the problom will hopefully be taken care of but we dont speak loshon hora about other people.

  • go-d-s right hand man

    hip hip hooray !! i mean everyone has to have standards ! even kingston ave. brooklyn usa !!!
    jews stop ripping off your bretheren !
    premium prices command premium product !!!!

  • ch resident

    the health dept found more than 350 mice DROPPINGS!!!! kingston pizza received 96 POINTS. do your research to see how bad that is!