When we heard another New York-style pizzeria was coming to SoHo, we thought one thing: yes, finally, some real competition for Paisano’s! Owned by IHM, the same folks behind fan favorites Posto Pubblico and Linguini Fini, the joint had some serious street cred even before it opened.

The menu may be small—a handful of kinds of pies, a few subs and salads, and one dessert option (a cannoli)—but the selection is well-chosen.

The décor is old-school American with a touch of class, with a black-and-white checkered floor, exposed brick walls and seats upholstered in red. Pizzeria Pubblico’s signature pizza is simple, with little sauce and a few spread-out splotches of mozzarella; we preferred the Brooklyn special, which is generously loaded down with eggplant and garlic. The chicken parmesan sandwich was just the way we like it—tender but not chewy; tomato sauce oozing out at every bite; bread thick enough not to get soggy.

Our bone to pick revolves around the portion sizes and the prices. Both the slices and the sandwiches are fairly delicately sized, while Paisano’s around the corner serves up enormous plates of food. A slice at Pubblico is $45 (the sandwich was $100), while at that other P place slices start at $25 a pop. Don’t get us wrong, Pubblico is good, and more sleek than Paisano’s to boot. But to attract the kind of traffic they want with a rival in such close proximity, they might want to reconsider their rates. In the end, competition can only push these eateries to improve, right?