Ads for the upcoming Republican convention in New York are urging locals to show our guests the ropes, stating that they never “ordered pizza by the slice.”
Is pizza by the slice a New York exclusive? I find this hard to believe.
I’m from California, and you can get pizza by the slice at a carnival or informal party or something, but you would never get it like that at a restaurant, at least that I can recall. And you would never order it that way. You would buy a whole pizza, then give out or sell slices. I don’t remember ever walking into a restaurant and getting a single slice. Is that what you do in New York? I have seen very small pizzas which are probably about the same size as a slice or two, however.
What? Are you telling me you can’t go into a pizzaria and say, “gimme a slice with pepperoni?” Are you serious? I find this impossible to believe.
Except for a few (very few) pizza shops here in Kansas City and its outlying metro area, you order your pie whole. Also, never try going into a pizza shop and ordering a pie–you’ll be told that they don’t sell pies there. (Unless they do; in which case, I suggest blueberry.)
For the midwest, specifically Downstate Illinois:
Pizzarias are not plentiful, but restaurants which sell pizza are. There’s a differentiation in my mind, at least. In my town of 35,000-ish, we’ve got the big three chains (Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, of which only the Pizza Hut is dine-in), one medium-size regional chain (Pizza Inn), and one small regional chain (Monical’s). Also one local place, which is delivery/carryout only (I believe). Oh, and we have a Sabarro’s on the mall.
I’m pretty sure the only place you can walk in and get a single slice of pizza is the Sabarro’s. Things pretty much tend towards “personal pan” pizzas (the 6-7" diameter ones).
I’ve bought pizza by the slice all over the USA but never from the major chain stores e.g. Pizza Hut.
MPEI [My personal experience is] (Did I just make that up?) that pizzaria’s all across the country will sell you slices but it’s almost always the smaller stores.
ISTR getting pizza by the slice at Pizza My Heart in Santa Cruz, CA. Other than that, the only place I’ve seen it sold is at Sbarro, and I’ve never seen a Sbarro outside of a mall.
Is this an otbreak* of bad spelling, or are they really called “pizzarias” in the US? It’s “pizzeria” in Europe (including Italy, and they ought to know).
*I caught this on preview, but I’ll let it stand as a testament to Gaudere’s Law.
Well, it’s certainly not a NY only thing, but it occured to me as I was reading that every place that does it here is a Canadian chain, or local place. The American chains (and some of the local places) don’t.
This is passing strange.
Here in Western NY (Buffalo-Niagara Falls), pizza by the slice is the norm. In fact, I just had it yesterday for lunch. Actually, some pizzerias would look at you funny if you did order a whole pie…their business is strictly take-out.
I think it is usually spelled pizzeria here too.
Duke you mean to tell me people NEVER take out a whole pizza from these places? Like call ahead and pick it up when it is ready to take home, or back to the office, or whatever?
Here in the UK, restaurants and most take-away places do whole pizzas. My local supermarket has a pizza oven and does 10" and 14" pizzas to order. I often get one for my lunch.
In London, especially in more touristed parts, there are quite a few stalls and small takeaway places that do pizza by the slice. However, it generally looks like it has been sitting there for ever in the warmer, and is overpriced, so I think most locals give it a swerve.
There’s a few places around here in S Florida that sell by the slice, mostly Mom & Pop type places. Of course, there are plenty of ex-New-Yorkers down here to transplant the concept.
Everywhere I’ve ever been you can go into a pizza joint and get a slice. Most chains don’t do it e.g. Pizza Hut, Pappa Johns, Dominoes, etc. But any respectable sub and pizza joint has slices.
There are several places here in Dublin where you can get Pizza Slices - only. There are also a good few eateries where you can get the full thing, or a slice thereof.
I find it had to believe that you can’t get that on the West Coast of the US.
Hmm…
All the local pizzerias where I grew up (suburban Boston) sold it by the slice, but may have limited that to lunchtime and during the afternoon (when the students would come in after school). Most of their business, though, was whole pizzas (and we never called them ‘pies’).
I’m surprised that there are places where you can’t get a slice. I wouldn’t expect to buy one from a nationwide delivery chain (Dominos, Pizza Hut, etc) but Minneapolis and Boston both have a good number of pizzerias with slices available.
The best slice available in Mpls is at the Skyway Cafe at 5th and Hennepin—I swear the restaurant is just a front to launder money for the Chechen mafia, but they make good pizza!
In my experience, most, if not all, local pizzerias sell by the slice as well as whole pizzas, including the chains. Restaraunts usually have whole pizzas only. YMMV, I rarely get it by the slice, as we usually get a couple of pizzas as a supper meal when we have it.
I’m sitting in my office in Washington, DC, and I can think of 4 places within walking distance where you can get pizza by the slice.
For everyone saying chains don’t sell by the slice, Little Caesar’s has sold pizza by the slice for the past, oh, 20 years or so. It’s still icky Little Caesar’s pizza, but you CAN get a slice.