New York Pizza - Everything you need to know
The humble pizza, a culinary marvel born out of necessity and ingenuity, has become an emblem of New York City. At Hungry Soles, we are HUGE pizza fans so obviously, our month in New York involved many visits to the pizzerias in the city learning about New York pizza and slice culture.
Vinnie’s Pizza in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Whilst we still think that a classic Neopolitan pizza can not be beaten (that is, after all, ‘real pizza’), we have to say we thoroughly enjoyed the slice culture in New York.
Below you will find a list of our favourite pizza places as well as a bit of history behind how the New York Pizza slice became a thing.
The History of the New York Pizza Slice
Italian immigration to New York
The story starts in Italy in the 1860’s. Conditions were poor (especially in the south) with high poverty rates and poor job opportunities. Italians started to move to New York in search for work as New York had a high demand for labourers.
Between 1900 and 1914 alone, 2 million Italians moved to New York and by 1930, 17% of the city’s population was of Italian origin.
The USA’s first pizzeria
In 1905, Gennaro Lombardi opened up the USA’s first-ever pizzeria, Lombardi’s. Gennaro learned how to make pizza in Naples and he used a Coal-fired oven (which still exists in the restaurant today) to supply the Italian-American community with the pizza they grew up with.
Gas-powered ovens and pizza slices
As time passed, gas ovens began replacing their coal-fired counterparts. Easier to use, offering better temperature control, and without needing to stoke a fire, these ovens became a standard fixture in many kitchens.
Since gas ovens were not as hot as coal or wood-fired ovens, the pizzas were baked for longer periods, yielding a drier pizza with a longer shelf life.
The longer shelf life meant pizzerias could bake large whole pizzas, store them on a rack and then reheat individual slices later as needed at the point of sale, satisfying the demand for people who wanted to eat pizza but couldn’t afford to buy an entire pie or just wanted a quick slice on the go.
The dollar slice
During the 80s - 2000s, pizza slices were becoming very popular and in a race for customers, many stores started to sell slices for as little as 99 cents. Often, dollar slice stores would use cheap, old and almost expired ingredients to save on cost and create pizza slices for 99 cents whilst maintaining their profits.
Artisan slice shops
Recently in the last 20 years, food culture has changed and people are more aware of high-quality ingredients and the culture of artisanal slice shops has grown. A new generation of pizza shops has sprung up over New York, proudly offering higher-quality goods for discerning pizza lovers like us.
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza in Park Slope, Brooklyn
What exactly is a New York Pizza?
A New York pizza slice consists of:
A thin and crispy crust that doesn’t crack when folded.
A sauce made from raw San Marzano-style tomatoes seasoned with salt, sometimes sugar and other secret ingredients.
low-moisture Mozzarella cheese (the kind you often see grated in bags at the supermarket, not the creamy white delight you'd find on a classic Neapolitan-style pizza).
In slice shops, the traditional New York pizza will be labelled as ‘regular’ or ‘cheese’ on the menu and it comes served on a paper plate, designed for the on-the-go lifestyle of New York.
The plain pie at Lucali’s - Worth queuing up for!
Common additional toppings found in Slice shops for you to add yourself are:
Chilli flakes
Parmesan (typically, not the authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano but the American version)
Tabasco or other hot sauces
Oregano
Garlic powder
Most slice shops will also offer the following common variations of a New York Pizza.
Margherita - Featuring fresh mozzarella instead of the low-moisture version
Sicilian - A square pizza baked in a tin, with a thicker dough (it’s delicious!)
Grandma - Similar to Sicilian but with the sauce on top of the cheese, and often unleavened, yielding a thinner, denser crust
Our favourite pizza places in New York City
We aren’t locals; we can’t definitively say which pizza is best in New York. In fact, it’s futile to try and rank them all anyway, but from the month that we spent here (in Manhattan and Brooklyn), we’ve put our favourites in the list below. We’ve split the list into places that serve whole pies only and slice shops.
Lucali’s (whole pie)
Brooklyn
Alice at the front of the queue to get our order in
The proper New York pizza experience.
We heard about Lucali’s and Mark Iacono after watching the pizza episode of Ugly Delicious on Netflix (great episode), so we had to go and check it out. Lucali’s opens at 5 pm but you can’t book. They start taking names at 4 pm for evening tables, and you must start queuing from 3 pm to get your name on the list!
The restaurant is beautiful inside, unfortunately, it was closed the day we went for an event, but we were able to order a takeaway and eat it on the outdoor tables in front of the restaurant. (See above for a pictures of the pizza)
Grimaldi’s (whole pie)
Dumbo, Brooklyn
Grimaldi’s has a more rustic vibe than the other pizza places we’ve been to, the hanging bottle candles, red and white table cloth and non-stop Frank Sinatra really makes you feel like you’re in a New York institution. It feels touristy, but it’s worth it.
Vinnie’s Pizza (Slice)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Open since 1960 with an unchanged recipe, we loved their Margherita and the hot sauce makes a great addition to their regular slice.
Vinnie’s also does some quirky toppings which includes a pizza on pizza …. Not sure about that one.
Bleecker street pizza (Slice)
West Village, Manhatten
Award-winning Bleecker Street pizza in West Village did not disappoint! We had their Margherita, which was amazing. According to their website, they’ve won ‘Best Pizza in New York’ 3 years running (not sure by who, though), but we can vouch for them and say you have to try them.
Joe’s Pizza (Slice)
Greenwich Village + 5 other locations across New York
Founded in 1975 by Joe Pozzuoli, a native of Naples, Italy, Joe's Pizza has become a renowned institution in Greenwich Village and was our most recommended pizza place. Despite being 75 years old, Joe Pozzuoli still personally owns and manages the restaurant.
Nolita pizza (Slice)
Nolita, Manhatten
Located in the trendy neighbourhood of Nolita (North of Little Italy). Nolita Pizza is a must-visit for a sicilian slice. The moment we took our first bite, we were blown away by the heavenly combination of a perfectly crisp yet fluffy crust, a rich tomato sauce, and an enticing blend of premium, melty cheeses.
Upside Pizza (Slice)
Nolita | Greenpoint | Midtown | Garment District
We grabbed some Upside pizza before watching a movie at Bryant Park. It was delicious, a thicker cheese and a bit greasy so if you’re into that, you won’t be disappointed.
My Pie Pizzeria Romana (Slice)
Midtown East, Manhattan
This was probably the most non-New York pizza slice we had. A square pizza like a Sicilian, but the base was crispier and thinner. The staff were incredibly friendly, and the slices did taste damn good!
Crown Heights Pizza (Slice)
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
You’re less likely to come across Crown Heights Pizza as it’s not in the main touristy area of New York but it was our local for the month that we spent there. Extremely friendly staff and the pizzas were always on point!
Other places on our list that we didn’t get to go to
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza - several locations around New York
Una Pizza Napolitana - Not a New York pizza, but it was ranked the second-best Neapolitan pizzeria in the world!
John’s of Bleecker - West Village
Luigi’s Pizza - Brooklyn
Juliana’s Pizza - Dumbo, Brooklyn. The sales rep at our gym for the trip told us this was a local institution
Our NYC Pizza map
How to use our maps
Click on the menu icon on the top left to show a list of all places on the map. You’ll find our notes by clicking on each place.
Click on the fullscreen icon on the top right to open the map in Google Maps.
