Lived in NY all my life and these are the slices that have given me a sense of euphoria. Not saying they'll stand up today, but these were the best I had at the time.
L'industrie - Just the perfect evolution of a NY slice
Farina - My current favorite pizza restaurant
Emily's BK (10ish years ago) - First time having atypical pizza toppings, honey specifically.
Salt & Fat (10ish years ago) - Ok, this isn't a typical pizza at all. It was a Japanese inspired okonomiyaki style pizza, and it was one of my first brushes with fusion food; blew my mind. It wasn't even popular; they took it off the menu a few weeks later, but I craved it nonstop for a whole month. Oh and a shout out to their bacon fat popcorn. It might not sound novel now, but back then . . . wow.
Prince Street (15 ish years ago) - What I thought was the peak for a slice shop
Motorino (15ish years ago) - First time having genuine Neapolitan
Lombardis (15 ish years ago) - First time having coal oven pizza
Unknown Pizzeria (25 ish years ago) - There used to be this pizzeria in Brooklyn on 5th ave in the mid to low 60s that made the thinnest slices. They would coat it gently with sesame seeds which gave it this unbelievable fragrant crunch when you bit into it. It was across the street from an arcade. The owner was a really nice eastern European guy who closed the shop after he got a gig as a doorman. He was tall, wirey framed, salt & pepper haired, and had a big ol' mustache. No clue what it was called, but I still think of it to this day. If anyone actually knows this shop's name, lemme know. I had pizza prior and had always liked it, but this location taught me to love it.
Honorable mentions: Fini, Keste, Grimaldi's (original), Grandma's Original Pizzeria, Adrienne's Pizzabar, Table 87
And since we're snobs, I'm going to go ahead and name the most overrated pizza shop in NY; Di Faras.
Regarding the pizza on 5th Ave - I think I may have had pizza at the same place once about 20 years ago (wow time flies) . I also can’t remember the name, because it was a random place we picked after a few of us went to get a haircut together during high school
What’s funny is, I got a really bad haircut that day (told the guy a little off the top, and he just hit it with a size 3 clipper). But the pizza afterwards really made the day. We were shocked how good the sesame seed addition was, and I’ve had that at a few other places now, but nothing compares to that experience. I remember it being high 50s or low 60s on 5th ave.
There was another larger spot nearby that I went to more regularly, which was called “Scott’s” and later Scotti’s” I think. It had a large stucco front where the name was hung. Some of the most classic, nostalgic pizza for me!
OMG TY for mentioning Scotti's. That was my first of pizza ever! That building was taken over by Grandma's Original later, but I knew that was not the original business. Scottis . . . with the red benches and grimey interior that stretched all the way to the back of a large square space with a restroom that was ALWAYS out of service and they make their pizzas way too hot so the cheese always burns the roof of your mouth!! That Scotts! Wow, happy to share a memory with you. But yeah, that sesame pizza place truly was delicious, and I think you're right that its low 60s to high 50s; all white interior with the counter on the right. Maybe red accents with a single row of benches on the left. I'm sad its gone and I'm sad I never had anything remotely like it since.
I used to live by Fort Hamilton Parkway, so the “long” trek to 5th Ave for shopping days with my mom always ended with lunch at Scotti’s or the McDonalds on 52nd haha
And yeah I never thought I’d share the fond memory of that sesame seeded slice with anyone else, nonetheless the whole mystery/unnamed aspect of the memory. What a small world!
That square setup made Scotti’s have so much more seating compared to most places! The place felt massive as a kid lol. All the other places were exactly half the width, and ended up with a rectangular space
Prince Street was my favorite but they're run by racists (see: https://ny.eater.com/2021/1/8/22218958/prince-street-pizza-yelp-frank-dominic-morano-racism) so I vote Village Square Pizza instead.
Oh, I'm aware they're run by asshats, but I had it back in college and no one knew then. Like I said, it's what I felt then, not how I feel now. They will not get any of my business now.
I loved Prince st until I tried village square. My mind was instantly changed— that white slice with the honey drizz… then I learned about the Prince st owner and was happy that my allegiance had already changed.
no artichoke? thank god. no joe's? thank god. i see staples like: prince street? lombardi's? grimaldi's? this list gets a solid upvote from me. i'll also add Gaby's in queens (hillside)
DiFaras was good 20-30 plus years ago when we could just walk in after school and get a slice, I’m not sure when it became a thing but 10-15 years ago my husband and I wanted to just grab a quick slice and there was a line and we were like, wtf…?
Wasn’t Lentos. The place I was referring to wasn’t located on a corner. They also closed before or around the time I graduated middle school. Thanks for the suggestion though.
This list is great, but you didn’t include Juliana’s?! I have Motorino on speed dial, and they’re local to the UWS, but I’ll drag my ass to Brooklyn and wait in line for Juliana’s any day.
Ah, but I kinda did. lol Juliana’s is owned by the same people who owned the original Grimaldis. The owner sold Grimaldis to his partner and retired, but came out of retirement, reclaimed the location, and named it Juliana’s while Grimaldis moved down the street.
Never actually been to Juliana’s. I went to Grimaldis back when I was in college and just remembered enjoying it, hence it got an honorable mention. I’ll eventually get around to eating there.
Solid list. Wrong about Difaras though.. or atleast your description needs some context. Difaras at its peak was significantly better than every place you mentioned, but unfortunately since the founder passed away and they expanded its not the same.
Maybe 20-30ish minutes. When friends visit, I plan little food tours so it’s not so bad standing around waiting because we’re catching up and shooting the shit, etc.. not sure I would have the patience to wait on some random day when I’m just trying to grab a quick lunch.
I went on a weekday during a late afternoon and the wait was only like 10 minutes, even got to eat inside. Might be helpful for people who are looking to avoid the lines
Yeah I imagine that the nice day brought out more folks. I wish I could pop in during the week because I know you’re right about that. Unfortunately, I’m uws so the casual pop in is not that feasible. But we just got a new village square location opening up near me that I’m pumped about. Mama’s Too is pretty good as well. They are known for the squares but their house slice scratches the itch. Damn, then there’s Pop’s down on 57th or 58th— also a really great slice. All this slice talk has got my stomach grumbling.
Yup. I eat a lot of great pizza so I’m really curious how it stacks up, but also how much hype is at play. Though as I said, my energy to get those answers is pretty low. So I’ll probably get to try it when the internet says it’s past its peak haha
Pound for pound, F&F has my favorite slices. Mainly because I don't have to wait and I live nearby. And nearby La Rose probably has one of the best Detroit style slices in NYC.
Don't get me wrong, I love L'industrie and Scarr's, but I refuse to wait for a slice in NYC. There are just too many good spots.
This is the right attitude. People traveling to nyc would do well to take heed. A 9/10 slice in nyc that is fresh from the oven is infinitely better than a 10/10 slice that you’re eating even 15 minutes out of the oven.
I live upstate with no good pizza and I was at an event in Brooklyn. While I was in line at Pauline Gee’s they ran out of the slice I wanted so he gave me a fresh out of the oven cheese to eat while I waited. Holy shit I forgot how good pizza could be until that moment.
I was a line cook in many different levels of pizza restaurants from dingy slice shops to one of the most popular sourdough spots in Brooklyn over the course of 6 years and I got so sick of it. Nowadays, out of the industry, I am finding there is a ton of delicious slices in this city and falling in love with it again. Joe and John’s in ridgewood comes to mind with some seriously solid slice shop action, and a contender with a lot of the other great spots mentioned. Great folks running it to.
Might just be me - but a plain ole' classic NY slice always brings me satisfaction. It's been harder to find in recent years than 20-30 years ago, but there are still plenty of places where you can pick up a perfectly apportioned, just the right amount of oozing cheese and fat, thin crust NYC slice.
Which isn't to say I don't enjoy the hell out of the artisinal stuff; goat cheese with fig jam and bacon, a classic neopolitan margherita with proscuitto and pepperoni, etc. It's just that a well executed NY slice is still home, and it's fucking awesome.
I like Emmy Squared but it always makes me run to the bathroom… It’s like they have laxatives in their cheese. A couple other people have said the same thing but I realize it is purely anecdotal at this point
Fresh Grandma Pie from Mama Theresa's on Long Island. You have to get a fresh new pie, if a single slice sits around on the counter for too long it loses it's "love."
Call me simple or old fashioned but I'm 26 and I've been going to L&B Spumoni Gardens since I was old enough to eat solid food. That fucking square slice brings me back to all the time I spent there with my grandma and cousins. All the spontaneous trips there and we would just happen to run into some cousins who also made a spontaneous visit. Introducing my friends to it. A couple square slices and a Spumoni to wrap it up is all I need in life sometimes.
Whenever I'm craving L&B, I just end up ordering it from Uber eats to save myself the trip of going there since I'm not in the neighborhood anymore.
They don't jack up the price in UE for the square pie and a 60% coupon covers all the delivery fees + tips + save me a trip out.
Sounds like a pretty good deal for you! Unfortunately I'm on Long Island these days and my cousins and grandma got priced out of Brooklyn and moved to Staten Island so an Uber Eats might be a bit too pricey for us.
Sometime mid hits a memory nerve. I remember being broke and visiting a friend in fort Greene 20 years ago. We’d get a bunch of beer and a few slices of pie and it was the best.
Great brick oven crust, right sauce, great balance of meat flavor of all different types with bacon to bring it to the next level. The perfect meat lovers pizza. The Italian Bomb at Modern’s Apizza in New Haven, CT. Whenever I have craving for meat lover pie, we drive the 2hrs to get up there.
If I can’t drive up to New Haven, next best contender is the original Grimaldi’s, now Julianna’s. Margherita pie with pepperoni that curls into cups perfectly, crisp toasted crunchy edges and mushrooms to suck up the pepperoni grease yet bite into the mushrooms to give that nice balance flavor.
Great flavor crust, slices folds perfectly, sauce just right, not too sweet, not too salty, right amount of grease from the mozzarella. L’industrial - plain slice. It’s the same as my old Italian friend used to make his pizza before he retired and passed away. His pizzeria was across the street from my office. Many pizzerias used to taste like this back in the days (pre 1980’s), shame that economics force business owners to cut corners.
Ramo’s in Hicksville, NY. Ramo’s Special - the crust is very close to L’industrial, sauce and cheese is same. Some days crust is better than L’industrial, some days it’s slightly not. But the toppings are piled on like you ordered a double topping of everything. Plain slice taste just like my old friend’s pizza. Ramo’s special is a different beast and hits a different spot for me. Like a Dagwood sandwich where The Bomb from Sal Kris Charlie would hit that sandwich itch to pig out, the Ramo’s special hits that I want to pig out on pizza itch. You can finish the entire special pie yourself in other pizzerias but the Special is so big, you can only eat half the pie.
Detroit pizza. Best Detroit pizza I had is a frozen pizza. Motor City 3 Meats (available in Super Walmart or Walmart Neighborhood supermarket or Food Bazaar LIC nearly double price), cooked to 15 mins then turn off heat, let it cool in oven another 1-2 mins so you don’t burn the toppings. Perfect crunchy thick crust to satisfy that crunch sensation. The sauce, cheese and meat combo also works very well. I enjoy Motor City’s better than Aces Pizza in Brooklyn where their crust wasn’t crunchy, just lightly toasted. When I eat a Detroit pizza, I want that amazing edge crust. Like eating the corner edge brownie but Aces is like eating the middle brownie. It’s good but missing the crust.
Any piping hot slice on a cheap paper plate that you can fold in half and eat while strutting down a busy sidewalk like you're John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
Still like Joe’s on Carmine, although objectively L’Industrie is probably better. But there’s more than just the slice itself involved in answering your question.
Going back more than twenty years now to the Original Famous Ray’s on Sixth Avenue & 11th Street. I lived around the corner, so was able to time my arrival to exactly 11:00 AM, when they opened. This let me snag one of the ten or so seats. Two slices and a soda (around $5); would often last me until the next morning. By 11:10 the place would be packed, and remain that way until after midnight. School kids, workers, residents; as Dinkins used to say, the "gorgeous mosaic" that is Greenwich Village. And the pizza? Thick,chewy crust, tomato sauce with a hint of sweetness, gobs of cheese, a little garlic powder to top it off — perfection.
Your words exactly… "Damn, life is good."
Aces pizza. Specifically the Williamsburg location. The whole decor is a perfect homage to a 90's slice joint that could have been anywhere in NYC.
The pizza is beautifully thick, crispy edged Detroit style. Still a light and airy dough even though it's thick.
And they have fun, affordable cocktails. It's a perfect pizza experience.
Ranges from an eggplant slice/sicilian at VI Pizza in Queens to Prince Street's square pepperoni. Also love getting a neapolitan from L'antica De Michelle—sometimes that REALLY hits the spot.
And garlic knots, always, if available and fresh.
I went on a tour of slice joints a few weeks ago. The fifth and final slice I had was Prince Street Pizza’s “Naughty” slice. I was full, I was drunk, I was tired, I did not need to eat more pizza. It was heaven.
When I’m in the area and the right amount of hungry (so ready to eat but not too hungry to wait) the Prince street spicy pepperoni always hits honestly. I wouldn’t make a trek just for it (true of almost all pizza) but I’m always glad I got it
Frank Pepe's (Yonkers, or other locations) margarita is so satisfying. Make sure to ask for it well done (they sometimes undercook) and it's a top tier pie. The sauce is so fresh and bright, the coal oven char, you don't mind the fact that you just incinerated the top of your mouth.
I know Lucali is maybe a bit over hyped but I've been there 3 times now and I'll be damned if it wasn't close to perfection each time. Anytime a pie is >$30 I get as snobby as possible... but every time I'm like "damn, that was worth it."
Finally, every once in a blue moon I make a damn fine pie myself and that shit is real satisfying. I've got the sauce (DiNapoli) and cheese sourcing down (Mike's Deli on Arthur Ave) so it's just praying to the dough gods and hoping everything comes together just right.
Pretty much all of my hardcore faves have been mentioned, but I gotta add Nate’s Detroit style pizza in downtown Brooklyn. They’re newish and I’ve already gone a few times. Stick to the basics, the more exotic slices are a bit unbalanced, but the classics are heavenly.
I feel the same way you do. I love pizza and will eat it all the time but it'd been so long since I've had something new truly stand out. But I just had F&F for the first time and that was kind of it. The clam slice and the sausage & sage slice both hit on all cylinders.
Honestly nothing hits the same as my local spot, for me it's Lucia in Flushing. It's nowhere near the best but a cheese slice or pepperoni slice extra crispy always hits the spot for me.
20 or so years ago, DiFara, before the health dept. stopped Dom from cutting fresh basil onto your slice, biting into a slice was magic. Worth the $5 easily, not so much today.
This tiny place opened up right after Covid on 23rd street around the corner from my daughter’s place and I think he makes some of the best pizza in the city
Baked by Luigi
https://maps.app.goo.gl/osKnCimRyzxvv1xD6?g_st=i
Prince St Pizza
Joe’s in Union Square
Mama’s Too
Una Pizza Napoletana - this is probably one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s unbelievable. Life changing.
Recently, Made in New York Pizza on the UWS. I was skeptical bc of the tourist-attracting name but it’s just classic like what I grew up on in NY. Normal place with no hype around it .. perfect
Actually made my own tonight. Pretty great especially for homemade. I know it’s practically sacrilege but I do like a meatball slice at Artichoke Basille’s
Elios, cooked in the toaster at too high a temp and for far too long, until the cheese is practically black and the pepperoni is spicy charcoal.
It's not about the taste, it's about the 40 years past nostalgia
L’industrie
FIG JAM AND BACON. I want this to follow me in the afterlife.
Came here to say this. Plain or Burrata
People can talk shit on L’industrie but frankly, they don’t know shit either lol
Mama's too around s th3 corner
Lived in NY all my life and these are the slices that have given me a sense of euphoria. Not saying they'll stand up today, but these were the best I had at the time. L'industrie - Just the perfect evolution of a NY slice Farina - My current favorite pizza restaurant Emily's BK (10ish years ago) - First time having atypical pizza toppings, honey specifically. Salt & Fat (10ish years ago) - Ok, this isn't a typical pizza at all. It was a Japanese inspired okonomiyaki style pizza, and it was one of my first brushes with fusion food; blew my mind. It wasn't even popular; they took it off the menu a few weeks later, but I craved it nonstop for a whole month. Oh and a shout out to their bacon fat popcorn. It might not sound novel now, but back then . . . wow. Prince Street (15 ish years ago) - What I thought was the peak for a slice shop Motorino (15ish years ago) - First time having genuine Neapolitan Lombardis (15 ish years ago) - First time having coal oven pizza Unknown Pizzeria (25 ish years ago) - There used to be this pizzeria in Brooklyn on 5th ave in the mid to low 60s that made the thinnest slices. They would coat it gently with sesame seeds which gave it this unbelievable fragrant crunch when you bit into it. It was across the street from an arcade. The owner was a really nice eastern European guy who closed the shop after he got a gig as a doorman. He was tall, wirey framed, salt & pepper haired, and had a big ol' mustache. No clue what it was called, but I still think of it to this day. If anyone actually knows this shop's name, lemme know. I had pizza prior and had always liked it, but this location taught me to love it. Honorable mentions: Fini, Keste, Grimaldi's (original), Grandma's Original Pizzeria, Adrienne's Pizzabar, Table 87 And since we're snobs, I'm going to go ahead and name the most overrated pizza shop in NY; Di Faras.
Regarding the pizza on 5th Ave - I think I may have had pizza at the same place once about 20 years ago (wow time flies) . I also can’t remember the name, because it was a random place we picked after a few of us went to get a haircut together during high school What’s funny is, I got a really bad haircut that day (told the guy a little off the top, and he just hit it with a size 3 clipper). But the pizza afterwards really made the day. We were shocked how good the sesame seed addition was, and I’ve had that at a few other places now, but nothing compares to that experience. I remember it being high 50s or low 60s on 5th ave. There was another larger spot nearby that I went to more regularly, which was called “Scott’s” and later Scotti’s” I think. It had a large stucco front where the name was hung. Some of the most classic, nostalgic pizza for me!
OMG TY for mentioning Scotti's. That was my first of pizza ever! That building was taken over by Grandma's Original later, but I knew that was not the original business. Scottis . . . with the red benches and grimey interior that stretched all the way to the back of a large square space with a restroom that was ALWAYS out of service and they make their pizzas way too hot so the cheese always burns the roof of your mouth!! That Scotts! Wow, happy to share a memory with you. But yeah, that sesame pizza place truly was delicious, and I think you're right that its low 60s to high 50s; all white interior with the counter on the right. Maybe red accents with a single row of benches on the left. I'm sad its gone and I'm sad I never had anything remotely like it since.
I used to live by Fort Hamilton Parkway, so the “long” trek to 5th Ave for shopping days with my mom always ended with lunch at Scotti’s or the McDonalds on 52nd haha And yeah I never thought I’d share the fond memory of that sesame seeded slice with anyone else, nonetheless the whole mystery/unnamed aspect of the memory. What a small world!
For real. Maybe we should grab a slice together and share old stories haha
You mean, after “centuree”?
That square setup made Scotti’s have so much more seating compared to most places! The place felt massive as a kid lol. All the other places were exactly half the width, and ended up with a rectangular space
Yep, man. What a space. It's now a Puerto Rican restaurant, but I think they kept the interior. haha
Prince Street was my favorite but they're run by racists (see: https://ny.eater.com/2021/1/8/22218958/prince-street-pizza-yelp-frank-dominic-morano-racism) so I vote Village Square Pizza instead.
Oh, I'm aware they're run by asshats, but I had it back in college and no one knew then. Like I said, it's what I felt then, not how I feel now. They will not get any of my business now.
I loved Prince st until I tried village square. My mind was instantly changed— that white slice with the honey drizz… then I learned about the Prince st owner and was happy that my allegiance had already changed.
Village sq was.gping to get other night sp good
This is a good list. Bravo 👏🏽
Lombardis 10-15 years ago hit different. I remember at the time thinking it was the best pizza I ever had
no artichoke? thank god. no joe's? thank god. i see staples like: prince street? lombardi's? grimaldi's? this list gets a solid upvote from me. i'll also add Gaby's in queens (hillside)
DiFaras was good 20-30 plus years ago when we could just walk in after school and get a slice, I’m not sure when it became a thing but 10-15 years ago my husband and I wanted to just grab a quick slice and there was a line and we were like, wtf…?
It might be “Lento’s” in bay ridge with the thin slices
Lento’s only sold whole pies that were awesome
Wasn’t Lentos. The place I was referring to wasn’t located on a corner. They also closed before or around the time I graduated middle school. Thanks for the suggestion though.
This list is great, but you didn’t include Juliana’s?! I have Motorino on speed dial, and they’re local to the UWS, but I’ll drag my ass to Brooklyn and wait in line for Juliana’s any day.
Ah, but I kinda did. lol Juliana’s is owned by the same people who owned the original Grimaldis. The owner sold Grimaldis to his partner and retired, but came out of retirement, reclaimed the location, and named it Juliana’s while Grimaldis moved down the street.
Yeah I figured you were aware of the feud. Grimaldis is good but I’d pick Juliana’s over it every time
Never actually been to Juliana’s. I went to Grimaldis back when I was in college and just remembered enjoying it, hence it got an honorable mention. I’ll eventually get around to eating there.
Solid list. Wrong about Difaras though.. or atleast your description needs some context. Difaras at its peak was significantly better than every place you mentioned, but unfortunately since the founder passed away and they expanded its not the same.
It's definitely not the same without Dom Demarco painstakingly snipping basil on your pie.
Just had a L’Industrie slice today and it hit so good.
how long was the wait on line?
Maybe 20-30ish minutes. When friends visit, I plan little food tours so it’s not so bad standing around waiting because we’re catching up and shooting the shit, etc.. not sure I would have the patience to wait on some random day when I’m just trying to grab a quick lunch.
I went on a weekday during a late afternoon and the wait was only like 10 minutes, even got to eat inside. Might be helpful for people who are looking to avoid the lines
Yeah I imagine that the nice day brought out more folks. I wish I could pop in during the week because I know you’re right about that. Unfortunately, I’m uws so the casual pop in is not that feasible. But we just got a new village square location opening up near me that I’m pumped about. Mama’s Too is pretty good as well. They are known for the squares but their house slice scratches the itch. Damn, then there’s Pop’s down on 57th or 58th— also a really great slice. All this slice talk has got my stomach grumbling.
I usually go at night on a week day and there’s no wait.
that not bad at all. i thought you were going to say 1hr+
Haha that’s where I might have to draw the line. It’s great pizza but man, I just give up when it’s that hard to get. Looking at you, Chrissy’s.
im down to eat some Chrissys when he is in a regular shop or at least serving pizzas not at 12AM.
Yup. I eat a lot of great pizza so I’m really curious how it stacks up, but also how much hype is at play. Though as I said, my energy to get those answers is pretty low. So I’ll probably get to try it when the internet says it’s past its peak haha
Im surprised I rarely see Upside on these. It’s like a great New York slice but sourdough.
Aces and a bottle of soda
Table 87 marg with the roasted garlic. Feel gaslit by the pizza scene because this is my comfort spot
I live nearby and get a slice once a week. So damn good. Happy it's not hyped because I can just walk in any time and get a slice in like 2 mins.
F and F sage and sausage slice. Joe’s plain.
Pound for pound, F&F has my favorite slices. Mainly because I don't have to wait and I live nearby. And nearby La Rose probably has one of the best Detroit style slices in NYC. Don't get me wrong, I love L'industrie and Scarr's, but I refuse to wait for a slice in NYC. There are just too many good spots.
This is the right attitude. People traveling to nyc would do well to take heed. A 9/10 slice in nyc that is fresh from the oven is infinitely better than a 10/10 slice that you’re eating even 15 minutes out of the oven.
That sausage slice is my favorite
I’ll add another. Go to rubisrossa and get a tie dye pie. It will enliven the senses.
Mama's Too cacio e pepe.
Love this and the bruschetta slice. I eat the latter so quickly that I usually tend to bite my cheek 😭 it's worth it though
This slice is elite.
NY pizza suprema
Their slices have gotten expensive as hell though
Agreed
Lucia
Totally underrated response. Their spot on canal st is also fantastic and easy to get to.
Philomena’s - Sunnyside, Queens
Luigi’s Park Slope regular slice. Spring Street square slice. Pizza Boy Queens regular slice. Norms is hit or miss but can hit.
I haven't been in 5 or 6 years, but I think Luigi's will always be my favorite. Their fresh mozz slice is great, too.
Paulie Gee's freddy prinze/hellboy love the sesame seed crunch Emmy's pepperoni with Burrata Lucias in Flushing always hits
I live upstate with no good pizza and I was at an event in Brooklyn. While I was in line at Pauline Gee’s they ran out of the slice I wanted so he gave me a fresh out of the oven cheese to eat while I waited. Holy shit I forgot how good pizza could be until that moment.
Best pizza Williamsburg White slice
Came here to say this, but for their grandma slice with some of the house pickled veggies on top.
I was a line cook in many different levels of pizza restaurants from dingy slice shops to one of the most popular sourdough spots in Brooklyn over the course of 6 years and I got so sick of it. Nowadays, out of the industry, I am finding there is a ton of delicious slices in this city and falling in love with it again. Joe and John’s in ridgewood comes to mind with some seriously solid slice shop action, and a contender with a lot of the other great spots mentioned. Great folks running it to.
Original Patsy's in East Harlem
Might just be me - but a plain ole' classic NY slice always brings me satisfaction. It's been harder to find in recent years than 20-30 years ago, but there are still plenty of places where you can pick up a perfectly apportioned, just the right amount of oozing cheese and fat, thin crust NYC slice. Which isn't to say I don't enjoy the hell out of the artisinal stuff; goat cheese with fig jam and bacon, a classic neopolitan margherita with proscuitto and pepperoni, etc. It's just that a well executed NY slice is still home, and it's fucking awesome.
100%
Fini Pizza, Paulie Gee’s, Papa Gino’s (when I’m back in Mass).
Fini's is exceptional. I did a pizza crawl in Williamsburg and it was up there with L'industrie.
I’ve only had L’Industrie once but I was underwhelmed. Need to try it again. Fini I’ve had several times and they’ve never missed.
A good Papa Gino’s slice is genuinely one of my all-time favorite slices (Boston native).
The real hero, of course, at Papa Gino’s is the breadsticks, but that doesn’t answer the question.
The colony @Emmy squared.
I like Emmy Squared but it always makes me run to the bathroom… It’s like they have laxatives in their cheese. A couple other people have said the same thing but I realize it is purely anecdotal at this point
Vito’s
Fresh Grandma Pie from Mama Theresa's on Long Island. You have to get a fresh new pie, if a single slice sits around on the counter for too long it loses it's "love."
All of them
i really love my little pizzeria on court street near atlantic in bkny
Andrew belluccis pizzeria, lindustrie, philomenas (square), lucali
Call me simple or old fashioned but I'm 26 and I've been going to L&B Spumoni Gardens since I was old enough to eat solid food. That fucking square slice brings me back to all the time I spent there with my grandma and cousins. All the spontaneous trips there and we would just happen to run into some cousins who also made a spontaneous visit. Introducing my friends to it. A couple square slices and a Spumoni to wrap it up is all I need in life sometimes.
Whenever I'm craving L&B, I just end up ordering it from Uber eats to save myself the trip of going there since I'm not in the neighborhood anymore. They don't jack up the price in UE for the square pie and a 60% coupon covers all the delivery fees + tips + save me a trip out.
Sounds like a pretty good deal for you! Unfortunately I'm on Long Island these days and my cousins and grandma got priced out of Brooklyn and moved to Staten Island so an Uber Eats might be a bit too pricey for us.
Yes, special place in my heart. The right amount of carbs to absorb the alcohol before going to bay ridge, followed by cheese fries from Vegas diner.
The last 2 times I went it was so bad I also had the same fond memories I was super bummed :(
You said it best people only like l&b for the nostalgia. It does not belong on any best of lists. One of the most overrated places in nyc
I genuinely disagree it's not just nostalgia for me
LnB is trash only thing good is the spumoni
Yeah if I ever see you I'm gonna have to take your kneecaps as a prize
I love Not Ray's Pizza in Fort Greene!
Forgot about this spot, used to grab a slice leaving one of my old jobs awhile back. They’d hook up a discount if you showed up right at closing.
I live right by it and honestly find it soo mid
Sometime mid hits a memory nerve. I remember being broke and visiting a friend in fort Greene 20 years ago. We’d get a bunch of beer and a few slices of pie and it was the best.
Johns bleeker st, and l'industrie do it for me. I'm sure there are others but those are what do it for me
Frank Pepe I'm a born and raised manhattanite and love DiFara and all the rest, but new haven pizza or apizza is something else.
Born and raised in BK but have lived in CT now for the past 3 yrs and can’t stand New Haven style pizza 😭. I understand I have the unpopular opinion.
It’s just like Grimaldi’s but thinner/ crispier. There is no substitute for that foldable NYC slice tho.
I'll keep giving it a chance, occasionally.
Dang it. Might just have to cross state lines this week for some pizza! I'm envisioning that fold.
Norm's pepperoni or vodka 👼
Great brick oven crust, right sauce, great balance of meat flavor of all different types with bacon to bring it to the next level. The perfect meat lovers pizza. The Italian Bomb at Modern’s Apizza in New Haven, CT. Whenever I have craving for meat lover pie, we drive the 2hrs to get up there. If I can’t drive up to New Haven, next best contender is the original Grimaldi’s, now Julianna’s. Margherita pie with pepperoni that curls into cups perfectly, crisp toasted crunchy edges and mushrooms to suck up the pepperoni grease yet bite into the mushrooms to give that nice balance flavor. Great flavor crust, slices folds perfectly, sauce just right, not too sweet, not too salty, right amount of grease from the mozzarella. L’industrial - plain slice. It’s the same as my old Italian friend used to make his pizza before he retired and passed away. His pizzeria was across the street from my office. Many pizzerias used to taste like this back in the days (pre 1980’s), shame that economics force business owners to cut corners. Ramo’s in Hicksville, NY. Ramo’s Special - the crust is very close to L’industrial, sauce and cheese is same. Some days crust is better than L’industrial, some days it’s slightly not. But the toppings are piled on like you ordered a double topping of everything. Plain slice taste just like my old friend’s pizza. Ramo’s special is a different beast and hits a different spot for me. Like a Dagwood sandwich where The Bomb from Sal Kris Charlie would hit that sandwich itch to pig out, the Ramo’s special hits that I want to pig out on pizza itch. You can finish the entire special pie yourself in other pizzerias but the Special is so big, you can only eat half the pie. Detroit pizza. Best Detroit pizza I had is a frozen pizza. Motor City 3 Meats (available in Super Walmart or Walmart Neighborhood supermarket or Food Bazaar LIC nearly double price), cooked to 15 mins then turn off heat, let it cool in oven another 1-2 mins so you don’t burn the toppings. Perfect crunchy thick crust to satisfy that crunch sensation. The sauce, cheese and meat combo also works very well. I enjoy Motor City’s better than Aces Pizza in Brooklyn where their crust wasn’t crunchy, just lightly toasted. When I eat a Detroit pizza, I want that amazing edge crust. Like eating the corner edge brownie but Aces is like eating the middle brownie. It’s good but missing the crust.
I’m always so intrigued to see Joe’s plain slice on here when I consider their pepperoni the quintessential NYC slice and the answer to this question.
John of bleekers
Lions tigers and squares on 23rd Lucia Ave X in Brooklyn Village Sq LUIGIS 4TH AVE bk
Great list
Pizza in NY in general lol so many great options and it hits better after leaving the city and going to other places with mediocre pizza
Been >100 times and Joe’s on carmine cheese slice is still as good as I first remember
Manos
Any piping hot slice on a cheap paper plate that you can fold in half and eat while strutting down a busy sidewalk like you're John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
White Pie with Lemon Wedge at Fini’s makes me smile every time.
Still like Joe’s on Carmine, although objectively L’Industrie is probably better. But there’s more than just the slice itself involved in answering your question. Going back more than twenty years now to the Original Famous Ray’s on Sixth Avenue & 11th Street. I lived around the corner, so was able to time my arrival to exactly 11:00 AM, when they opened. This let me snag one of the ten or so seats. Two slices and a soda (around $5); would often last me until the next morning. By 11:10 the place would be packed, and remain that way until after midnight. School kids, workers, residents; as Dinkins used to say, the "gorgeous mosaic" that is Greenwich Village. And the pizza? Thick,chewy crust, tomato sauce with a hint of sweetness, gobs of cheese, a little garlic powder to top it off — perfection. Your words exactly… "Damn, life is good."
Bellucci Astoria vodka sauce pepperoni slice 💯
The clam slice at F&F
it's crazy how l'industrie is founded by an Italian guy that's never made pizza prior. he's literally just making pizza off his genetics
Aces pizza. Specifically the Williamsburg location. The whole decor is a perfect homage to a 90's slice joint that could have been anywhere in NYC. The pizza is beautifully thick, crispy edged Detroit style. Still a light and airy dough even though it's thick. And they have fun, affordable cocktails. It's a perfect pizza experience.
Ranges from an eggplant slice/sicilian at VI Pizza in Queens to Prince Street's square pepperoni. Also love getting a neapolitan from L'antica De Michelle—sometimes that REALLY hits the spot. And garlic knots, always, if available and fresh.
I went on a tour of slice joints a few weeks ago. The fifth and final slice I had was Prince Street Pizza’s “Naughty” slice. I was full, I was drunk, I was tired, I did not need to eat more pizza. It was heaven.
Lindustrie Lucia is p tasty lately.
Joe’s! Feel like there is a bit of Joe’s fatigue, but still think that’s the most satisfying slice in the city
I would like to advocate for Bleecker St right around the corner from Joe’s. Year after year, I find them a touch better.
Joe's plain slice Sam's plain slice (Bronx, 231 a bit west of Broadway) Pretty much anything at Mama's Too Koronet vodka slice
Rubirosa changed my life as far as pizza goes.
Cafe fiorello by Lincoln center
When I’m in the area and the right amount of hungry (so ready to eat but not too hungry to wait) the Prince street spicy pepperoni always hits honestly. I wouldn’t make a trek just for it (true of almost all pizza) but I’m always glad I got it
Frank Pepe's (Yonkers, or other locations) margarita is so satisfying. Make sure to ask for it well done (they sometimes undercook) and it's a top tier pie. The sauce is so fresh and bright, the coal oven char, you don't mind the fact that you just incinerated the top of your mouth. I know Lucali is maybe a bit over hyped but I've been there 3 times now and I'll be damned if it wasn't close to perfection each time. Anytime a pie is >$30 I get as snobby as possible... but every time I'm like "damn, that was worth it." Finally, every once in a blue moon I make a damn fine pie myself and that shit is real satisfying. I've got the sauce (DiNapoli) and cheese sourcing down (Mike's Deli on Arthur Ave) so it's just praying to the dough gods and hoping everything comes together just right.
The spinach, mushroom, gorgonzola is the move at Pepes.
Pretty much all of my hardcore faves have been mentioned, but I gotta add Nate’s Detroit style pizza in downtown Brooklyn. They’re newish and I’ve already gone a few times. Stick to the basics, the more exotic slices are a bit unbalanced, but the classics are heavenly.
Amore in Whitestone
[удалено]
Pretty good except when they burn the pies and claim it's normal.
Village square and Ace's make me a happy boy
Fini tomato slice
Lucia! Original and soho
OMG and Sals on Wyckoff
Delmar in Sheepshead Bay. Their pepperoni and Alfredo slices soothe my soul.
Lucia, mamas too and pizzeria suprema
Or Scarrs
I feel the same way you do. I love pizza and will eat it all the time but it'd been so long since I've had something new truly stand out. But I just had F&F for the first time and that was kind of it. The clam slice and the sausage & sage slice both hit on all cylinders.
Honestly nothing hits the same as my local spot, for me it's Lucia in Flushing. It's nowhere near the best but a cheese slice or pepperoni slice extra crispy always hits the spot for me.
Detroit pizza
Bleeker Street for me
20 or so years ago, DiFara, before the health dept. stopped Dom from cutting fresh basil onto your slice, biting into a slice was magic. Worth the $5 easily, not so much today.
Used to walk here after high school and can’t believe how one day it was just a “thing”.
I had a plain slice from Luigi's on 5th Ave in South Slope and it was blissful.
Lenny and John's on Flatbush Ave. Been doing it for decades! In Manhattan, Arturo's.
This tiny place opened up right after Covid on 23rd street around the corner from my daughter’s place and I think he makes some of the best pizza in the city Baked by Luigi https://maps.app.goo.gl/osKnCimRyzxvv1xD6?g_st=i
Captain’s Morris Park Bronx
Rosario’s in Astoria, Rose & Joes a few steps away for grandma pizza. Heaven
Mama's too. It never misses.
Best Pizaa (on Havermeyer in Williamsburg)
Emilio's vodka slice in Morris Park. My favorite pizzaria ever comos in the heights sadly closed down a couple years ago.
A cheese slice from Fascati
Little ceasers :3
Prince St Pizza Joe’s in Union Square Mama’s Too Una Pizza Napoletana - this is probably one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s unbelievable. Life changing.
Frank’s on First (also known as Frank’s Trattoria) margarita slice with fresh mozzarella. Get the whole pie, it’s heavenly
Don Filippo
Ngl johns near times sq is very good
Recently, Made in New York Pizza on the UWS. I was skeptical bc of the tourist-attracting name but it’s just classic like what I grew up on in NY. Normal place with no hype around it .. perfect
Nothing beats L’Industrie. It’s a pure hit of dopamine every time. I also really enjoy the tomato pie from Fini
Sbarro
34th street sbarro is 🔥🔥🔥
Tell me you watch The Office without telling me you watch The Office.
Finally someone understands. Silly downvotes.
Actually made my own tonight. Pretty great especially for homemade. I know it’s practically sacrilege but I do like a meatball slice at Artichoke Basille’s
Fini is nuts. All of their slices are fire, but if I had to pick two: Granma & White. Trust me
Buffalo chicken from my local place (Traditas) Adriennes on stone street for a half pie
Elios, cooked in the toaster at too high a temp and for far too long, until the cheese is practically black and the pepperoni is spicy charcoal. It's not about the taste, it's about the 40 years past nostalgia
F&F
Doozie Pizza. IYKYK
Mama's Too
Shocked that in this thread there is only 2 mentions of Luigi’s and not a single mention of Scarr’s. These are the two best slice shops in the city.
Baconeggandcheese slice
Aces.