# best pizza in NYC? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155 "2006-03-05T18:10:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/21 "2006-03-06T17:51:56Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > … Pattsy’s on University is good too but it’s a little garlicy. I’m sorry, I’m unfamiliar with this phrase. “A little garlicy”?? Is that even possible? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/22 "2006-03-06T18:28:28Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > You probably won’t find the best pizza in NYC in Manhattan. There is no way that anyone could possibly try pizza from all NYC establishments within a reasonable time frame. I’m sure you’re right, but I know one guy who tried. From an unpublished article I wrote a couple of years ago: _Pizza, like Star Trek and Marvel Comics, has its share of fanatical devotees. Sean Taylor, an improv comic from New York City, is just such a man. Last October, he made a point of eating pizza every day for 31 days. (Not for breakfast or to the exclusion of other foods; he’s not that far gone.) “The self-imposed rules were that I had to eat pizza everyday, at a different place, with at least one other person. Several of the places were lower-end ‘hole-in-the-wall’ places. Anytime I ate with just one other person during the month we typically grabbed a slice at the local pizza place near our present location.” The pies he encountered ran the gamut from amazing to average. One restaurant he visited, in the misguided spirit of European authenticity, put whole olives (with pits) on the pie. Tasty, but a rude shock for anyone not expecting it. Another standout in his odyssey, the Bayou Beast, included crawfish. A veteran employee of Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, and Hungry Howies, Sean stands out as a true aficionado._ ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/23 "2006-03-06T18:43:03Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Isn’t the correct answer to this question _always_ supposed to be “Ray’s”? THE Ray’s is at the corner of 6th Ave and 11th Street. Also try: Pintaile’s on York ave between 83rd & 84th Street Mimi’s at the corner of Lexington Ave and East 84th Street ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/24 "2006-03-06T18:50:49Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > You’re not eating, you’re _doing research_, so go wild. And for breakfast, I’d probably make it my goal to do similar research on bagels. Supposedly, NYC bagels are the best in the world. I haven’t had the opportunity to test this for myself, but I’m sure I’d enjoy finding out. I like the way you think. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/25 "2006-03-06T18:50:53Z")
[Grimaldi’s](http://www.grimaldis.com/brooklyn.htm) is the best pizza I’ve had in NY; just across the bridge in Brooklyn. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/26 "2006-03-06T18:57:09Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Best pizza in NY at the moment is Joe’s Pizza. > > Let’s see, he had two storefronts a stones’ throw away from each other, and I don’t remember which one he closed… one is (or was) right at 3rd Street and 6th Ave, where the West 4th Street subway station (A/E/F/V/B/D) is. The other was (or is) just a notch south/downtown from there, on Carmine Street just slightly west of where Carmine hits 6th Ave. > > [Zagats indicates the second location is the one still open. > > Hmm, looks like he has [URL=“[http://www.famousjoespizza.com/](http://www.famousjoespizza.com/)”]his own web site]([Zagat Stories](http://www.zagat.com/verticals/PropertyDetails.aspx?VID=8&R=50263)), too. Jeez, since I stopped being such a man about town, I’ve lost touch with the downtown pizza scene. I used to hit Joe’s on the corner of Carmine and Bleeker whenever I was in the area. Fantastic stuff. I would go to Pronto in midtown whenever I’d go to the 48th street music stores. Pronto is between 5th and 6th on 48th. Mimi’s at 84th & Lex is my favorite upper east side slice place. If you’re into super-thin crust there’s Totonno’s and John’s. Both have locations on the upper east side if you’re confining yourself to Manhattan. I think Totonno’s is based in Brooklyn. There’s also a John’s on Bleeker, so you can get a slice at Joe’s then walk down Bleeker to John’s. Yes, I used to do that. Sit down with a pie & a carafe of wine and be a glutton. Oh yeah, and a date. If I’m feeling the urge at work, I’ll go to Abitino’s on 2nd between 39th and 40th. In general, though, there are so many great little neighborhood pizza places, besides the usual “greatest pizza in NYC” suspects. Wherever you are, there’s probably an excellent pizza place within a block. Pizza places are like bathrooms. In every part of the city, you always have a favorite place to go! ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/27 "2006-03-06T19:02:59Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > John’s Pizza by Times Square I go to John’s at least once a month, since I work close by. While it’s definitely good, I’ve never been all that impressed by it. And since it’s the brick oven variety, it’s really not New York-style pizza. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/28 "2006-03-06T19:06:16Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > You probably won’t find the best pizza in NYC in Manhattan. There is no way that anyone could possibly try pizza from all NYC establishments within a reasonable time frame. But the NYC resident pizza lovers I know always point to a place in one of the other 4 boroughs. If you allow the entire NYC area to be considered, my opinion is that Northern New Jersey produces the best pizza in the world. Of course, I live there so I’m biased. But even pizza lovers who have moved out of NYC and into Jersey tend to agree, for the most part. I’ve been all over NYC and tried a bunch of places. In general, nothing beats NJ pizza, although I’ve heard great things about Pepe’s in New Haven. In the NY/NJ area, the “best pizza” is always a local thing. When I lived in Toms River, everyone swore that the best pizza in the world was “boardwalk pizza”, as in the boardwalk on the NJ shore. I agree, but I admit my bias. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/29 "2006-03-06T20:34:30Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > In general, nothing beats NJ pizza, although I’ve heard great things about Pepe’s in New Haven. Pepe’s does have great pizza, as does Sally’s down the street. (It’s an ongoing debate in Connecticut which is better. The truth, in my opinion, is that Modern Apizza on State Street is better than either.) And they are nearly as old as Lombardi’s in New York; Pepe’s was founded in 1925, Modern in 1934 and Sally’s in 1938. Sally’s has photos of people like Sinatra and JFK eating there, and an original Doonesbury strip in which the restaurant is mentioned. Also, you’ll know you really are someone in New Haven when you’re given the private reservation number for Sally’s. Everyone else waits at least an hour in line. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/30 "2006-03-06T20:42:46Z")
The best pie is in New haven, CT (Pepe’s). sally’s is also good. But NYC…the pizza has been going downhill, since the pizza shops starting being sold off to pakistanis, indians, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/31 "2006-03-07T00:22:41Z")
As a heads-up, Pepe’s is opening a second restaurant in Fairfield. I am reserving judgement until I have had a chance to sample it. In NYC, The Wife and I usually go to the nearest Patsy’s. We had the best meal at the one near Chelsea the other summer when we took the girls in for Jeopardy try-outs. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/32 "2006-03-07T05:42:27Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > I have to suggest traveling to New Haven to visit Sally’s and Pepe’s on Wooster Street, if you’re interested in seriously good pizza. (It’s only a couple of hours from Manhattan via the New Haven line of Metro-North.) I’ve never been there, but a few people i know who went to Yale said that the pizza was one of the few benefits of living in New Haven. > [@Krokodil](#): > > The oldest pizzeria in NYC, perhaps in America, is Lombardi’s Pizza, 32 Spring St, New York, NY. Haven’t been there yet, but if you’re making the pizza equivalent of a religious pilgrimage, this is an obligatory stop. I don’t profess to be an expert on NYC pizza, but i always make a point of trying a few places when i go there, and Lombardi’s is still my favorite. And New York pizza, in my opinion, craps all over Chicago pizza. I love Chicago, but those deep, greasy pizzas just don’t do it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/33 "2006-03-07T13:54:21Z")
My current favorite in the NYC area is Lombardi’s on Newark Avenue in beautiful downtown Jersey City (corner of Monmouth Street). It’s about a five-minute walk from the Grove Street PATH station (you can catch the PATH along 6th Avenue or from downtown Manhattan at the World Trade Center stop). If you were to ask me what else you could do in JC while you were there, well, give me a few minutes on that one, because all I can think of is food and more food. You could brag to your friends that you were in Jersey City. The view is nice from Liberty State Park, which is also walkable (head south on Jersey Avenue over the footbridge). You can then take the ferry from the old train station to Ellis/Liberty islands, and then go back and eat more pizza. (Actually, the downtown PATH train takes what is to me still a jarring trip around the perimeter of the big hole in the ground that was the WTC, which you might find interesting in itself.) Back in 212, Patsy’s is pretty good – there’s one on East 60th between 2nd and 3rd and one on West 74th near the park that I can vouch for. Thin-crust, coal-fired ovens. A sit-down place with a wine list and salads. I also second the above vote for Patsy Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn. You can walk or bike across the Brooklyn Bridge and make an afternoon of it. (It’s going to be in the 60s this weekend!) Keep in mind that you will wait in line for at least 20 minutes in all likelihood, and (like the others I mentioned, and many of those that others mentioned) they do not sell slices. You can get it to go and eat it on the waterfront, though. You’re not missing anything as far as atmosphere goes, the decor is strictly 1970s Convenience Store. But honestly you could spend months just eating slices at places with “Ray” in their name – a comprehensive survey would take years and even if you walked from joint to joint you would be a very large person by the end of it. If you knew what neighborhoods you planned on spending the most time in, you could get more specific recommendations that fit in with your plans. (Not to disparage what is surely very good pizza, but for some reason I doubt anyone would want to take MetroNorth to New Haven for lunch.) ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/34 "2006-03-07T13:59:55Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > And New York pizza, in my opinion, craps all over Chicago pizza. I love Chicago, but those deep, greasy pizzas just don’t do it for me. I meant to mention that the places I just touted all serve pizza with VERY thin crusts, and they have coal- or wood-fired ovens that impart a specific taste that might not be to your liking. The hole-in-the-wall slice places tend to have thicker, chewier crusts and sweeter sauce and none of the smoky/burnt aroma. To me Chicago pizza is almost a different type of food entirely. ---
**Author:** ![quietriot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7cd45c/32.png) [@quietriot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quietriot)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/35 "2006-03-07T17:42:20Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > personally, as far as slices go, my favorite is Anna Maria’s on Bedford Ave (right outside the subway station)…greasiest pizza in town! For a damn good calzone, try Ray’s at the corner of St Marks and 3 Av. I definately vote for Anna Maria’s as well. If you’re staying in Manhattan, Bedford Ave is really close (just over the bridge) on the L-Train. There are a few decent bars around there as well, so we always grab a slice in the midst of our nightly ventures. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/36 "2006-03-07T19:01:16Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I’ve never been there, but a few people i know who went to Yale said that the pizza was one of the few benefits of living in New Haven. True, that. Sally’s and Pepe’s are world-class, and even the pizza joints closer to campus (Yorkside, Naples, Tower, Broadway, etc.) produce pies that compare favorably with anything in the five boroughs. Plus they all serve beer, unlike many NYC pizzerias. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/37 "2006-03-07T20:19:02Z")
Brooklyn. Bay Ridge. Avenue J. One block from the Q line. The place is called Di Fara’s. The pizza is pure Naples - thin crust, fresh ingredients (they grow the basil in little herb pots in the window!), moist with olive oil and fresh-grated cheese, perfect balance of tastes. The neighborhood is blue-collar: think landromats, pawn shops, and a nearby OTB. But it’s actually well worth the subway ride. I love Manhattan for almost everything. But pizza is better in the outer boroughs. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/38 "2006-03-07T20:34:35Z")
Mmmm, diFara’s. Let’s not forget that the whole place is run by one old Italian guy who does everything, including make his own sauce, by hand. For instance, if you request peppers on your pizza, he stops making pizzas and fries you up some peppers for your slice. I heard he _might_ let his assistant grate the cheese if he promises to be really, really careful. Consequently, there is always a wait. Luckily, you get to wait with other pizza lovers. But avoid the lunch hour if you’re in a rush to get someplace. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/39 "2006-03-07T20:39:34Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > I go to John’s at least once a month, since I work close by. While it’s definitely good, I’ve never been all that impressed by it. And since it’s the brick oven variety, it’s really not New York-style pizza. Lombardi’s is brick oven too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Swan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Swan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Swan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155/40 "2006-03-07T23:17:22Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Lombardi’s is brick oven too. What kind of oven do they use if not brick? Almost every pizza place I’ve visited in NYC uses a stone, or “brick” oven. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pizza-in-nyc/347155.md?page=3)