Top 10 Best Pizza Places in NYC
If there is any cuisine that is synonymous with New York City and a staple of the NYC restaurant scene, it will have to be pizza. Yes, there are many top ... read more...dessert restaurants and kid- friendly restaurants in NYC, but the presence of the best pizza is almost undoubtedly a necessity to round off what makes New York City. Let's take a look at some of the best pizza places in NYC.
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Since its founding in 1965, Di Fara has been producing renowned Neapolitan pies in South Brooklyn. For the majority of that time, owner Dom DeMarco made the pizzas himself right behind the counter, but in more recent years, he's handed the torch to his sons. You'll wonder why fresh basil isn't used on every pizza when you taste the one that is still being made here with a variety of cheeses, olive oil, and fresh basil. Each nearly weightless slice will offer a satisfying crackle as you fold it to consume it. The crust is particularly salty and crunchy. You'll feel ecstatic after your first slice, and after your second, you'll want to curl up in a sleeping bag and watch a romantic comedy.
Due to DeMarco's team's thorough inspection of each pie and refusal to cut corners, the wait time in this establishment frequently exceeds two hours on weekends. But it will all be worthwhile in the end. You came here looking for the best pizza, and that's exactly what you're going to get, even if it takes all afternoon. Regardless of whether you're really hungry, make sure to order more than one slice. You'll definitely wish you had done so an hour later.
- Perfect for: CLASSIC ESTABLISHMENT, SERIOUS TAKE-OUT OPERATION
- Google rating: 4.2/5.0
- Phone: 718-258-1367
- Website: https://www.difarapizzany.com
- Location: 1424 Ave J Brooklyn, NY 11230
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Going to Lucali is a pain in the ass. The 30-seat spot in Carroll Gardens doesn’t take reservations, and hours before opening, a line already stretches from the velvet rope guarding the door to some brownstone’s stoop around the corner. That’s just to put your name on the list. After that, you might have to wait one, two, or five hours before your phone rings and you’re told to arrive in the next ten minutes. So why should you put up with all of this? Because Lucali makes the best pizza in New York City.
Lucali is proud to bring fine New York Italian cuisine and pizza to Miami. Dine on quality, brick-oven pies and crisp salads with only the freshest ingredients involved. Artisanal-grade pizza and Italian cuisine go hand in hand at this one-of-a-kind restaurant. A friendly front of the house and back of the house staff work in tandem to create a unique and enjoyable experience for each guest visits. Dine on innovative pies with fresh toppings like portabella mushrooms, crisp red peppers and all-beef pepperoni. Vegetarians have plenty to choose from with signature salads like the kale caesar.
The light, blistered crust on its own will make you feel the type of emotional connection your ex said you weren’t capable of. It’s thin and chewy, but holds its shape under layers of velvety tomato sauce and three types of cheese. And yet it’s the piles of fresh basil that put the pizza here over the top. The mounds of bright green leaves are so aromatic they hit you when there isn’t even any on a slice. Lucali is pizza’s apex.
- Perfect for: BYOB, CLASSIC ESTABLISHMENT
- Google rating: 4.4/5.0
- Phone: (718) 858-4086
- Website: https://www.lucalibrooklyn.com
- Location: 575 Henry St Brooklyn, NY 11231
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You'll feel like you've been coming here for years the moment you walk through the door at Ops, a fantastic pizza restaurant in Bushwick.
There are only a few rotating cheese plates, appetizers, and salads on the menu; the rest is all pizza. It is a small menu (it's short list is also strangely physically tiny). If you're interested in square pies, their rendition is fantastic and has a great sourdough crust. Even though meals at Ops consist primarily of bread and cheese, you won't ever experience a food hangover. They might all be supplied by nearby farmers, in which case.
Even though the slices at this effortlessly stylish restaurant are excellent (try the Juno with broccoli rabe and potatoes), it stands out for its exciting natural wines. Ops' Choice Bottles' owners opened Forêt Wines in nearby Ridgewood because customers there were so enthusiastic about their wine selection.
- Perfect for: BIRTHDAYS, CASUAL WEEKNIGHT DINNER
- Google rating: 4.6/5.0
- Phone: (718) 386-4009
- Website: http://opsbk.com
- Location: 346 Himrod St Brooklyn, NY 11237
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L'Industrie, one of the best pizza places in NYC, is the new benchmark for a fantastic New York slice. This Williamsburg pizza joint combines toppings from Italy, an impressively thin crust similar to Roman varieties (like those at Bread & Salt in Jersey City), and a dough with a funky flavor from a protracted fermentation process. The outcome is the kind of slice you'll yearn for out of the blue, like on an unplanned Tuesday when a leaf lands on your head and makes you think of basil.
Every mouthful of the blistered crust puffs and crunches, tasting more like bakery bread than regular pizza. A thin layer of rich mozzarella stays perfectly in place thanks to minimal tomato sauce and precise oven temperatures. The sexy kind of orange grease drips down your wrist when you fold a slice. If you momentarily decide to tear the crust in half, you’d see a smattering of air pockets that look something like bubble wrap.
Beyond the crust, what makes L'Industrie unique is their emphasis on fresh ingredients, frequently imported from Italy. After all, a Florence native founded the store in 2017. Each slice has a sprinkle of parmesan and basil on top for a herbaceous and salty finishing touch.
- Perfect for: CASUAL WEEKNIGHT DINNERCHEAP EATS
- Google rating: 4.8/5.0
- Phone: (718) 599-0002
- Website: http://www.lindustriebk.com
- Location: 254 S 2nd St Brooklyn, NY 11211
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The gravitational pull of Lower East Side pizzeria Scarr's is nearly impossible to withstand. A Scarr's slice will leave you wondering how crust alone can taste so flavorful, in part due to the stereotypically hypebeast-like crowd that hangs out in front.
Let's dissect the structure of a Scarr's pizza. The flour is first thoroughly sifted by Scarr before being combined with additional flour, yeast, salt, and olive oil. After allowing the dough to ferment for a few hours, the dough is divided into sticky, elastic balls. No other slice shop in New York City that you are aware of mills its own grains rather than using regular unbleached flour or even packaged Italian.
The dough is handled with about as much care as a spoiled only child before being kneaded to a flawless thinness. If the crust was stretched out one more time, it would come out of the oven too crackly. The surface of the slightly yeasty crust is covered in browned cheese, and the tomato sauce underneath is tangy. There are hints of oregano in the sauce that will make you think of Sicilian bushels of the herb raining down into bubbling vats of passata. The precious grease will drip down your wrist if you choose a pepperoni slice, and the charred pepperoni bits might fall off when you fold it in half. These specifics are what set Scarr's thin-crust slices apart as the best on the LES.
- Perfect for: CASUAL WEEKNIGHT DINNER, QUICK EATS
- Google rating: 4.6/5.0
- Phone: (212) 334-3481
- Website: http://www.scarrspizza.com
- Location: 22 Orchard St New York, NY 10002
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Within walking distance of Central Park, Mama's Too is a small eatery on the Upper West Side that serves some of the best pizza. The square slice that is covered in thick, tiny pieces of pepperoni and has edges that extend upward as if to thank the pizza gods for creating such delectable slices is the main draw here. It has a sweet and garlicky sauce underneath what would appear to be an excessive amount of melted mozzarella, if melted mozzarella weren't such an objectively desirable food. It is crunchy on the bottom and crispy around the edges.
All of this might sound familiar if you've ever visited Prince St. Pizza. It's a nearly perfect mass of dough, cheese, and mildly spicy cured meat when it first comes out of the oven. In contrast, Mama's Too offers triangular slices that are worth traveling extra distance for, something Prince Street does not. The house triangle slice has a fresh basil garnish on top and is spotted with cheese and sauce in a leopard-print pattern. You'll want to eat it in large quantities, just like Pac-Man eats those tiny dots, because it's large but surprisingly light and slightly crispy.
The cacio e pepe, which, like everything else here, is available in square or triangular form, is superior to the house slice despite being just as good. It will persuade you that every pasta should be taken to a lab and reverse-engineered into a pizza because it is rich, salty, and covered in cheese. The only real issue with this place is that you might not be able to find it when you stop by.
- Perfect for: QUICK EATS
- Google rating: 4.2/5.0
- Phone: (212) 510-7256
- Website: http://www.mamastoo.com
- Location: 2750 Broadway New York, NY 10025
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Pizza and ice cream are the main focus at L&B Spumoni Gardens, much like a seven-year-birthday old's celebration or the best office meetings. This location's version of the famous Sicilian square slice is thick and rectangular, with a crispy base and a sizable amount of slightly undercooked dough that is soft and chewy in a good way in the middle.
Tomato sauce, melted cheese, and more tomato sauce are all added to the top to create a surprisingly heavy, gooey pie that is worth walking several miles across town for. There is enough food on each slice without adding toppings. However, you must finish your meal with spumoni, a hybrid of ice cream and gelato. Here, sharing a whole pie at a picnic table with friends is a traditional summer activity in NYC. Additionally, L&B won't make you wait three hours for your food like some of Brooklyn's other well-known pizzerias. Pies are produced in a reasonable, humane amount of time in the kitchen.
- Perfect for: BIG GROUPS, BIRTHDAYS
- Google rating: 4.6/5.0
- Phone: 718-449 1230
- Website: https://spumonigardens.com/
- Location: 2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223
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The F&F Pizzeria, which was established in 2019 by renowned chefs Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, has quickly established itself as one of the best American suppliers of New York-style slices. The pizzeria uses high-quality ingredients and a methodical approach to baking to produce pies that are both simply thrilling and true to the original recipe. Many of these ingredients are produced next door at sister restaurant Frankies Spuntino.
F&F Pizzeria is a pizza place from the people behind Frankies 457 Spuntino and Franks Wine Bar, and it also happens to be located in a converted garage between these two very good Italian spots in Carroll Gardens. F&F, however, is a counter-service slice shop with a rotating list of basic toppings that you can either eat as a slice of pie or a whole pie, unlike its neighbors. The cheese tastes like it was recently delivered by a kind dairy farmer hours before it was baked. The crust is crispy, the sauce is amazing, and the cheese is delicious. There’s a nice sidewalk patio out front where you can stare lovingly at your half-finished slice, and wonder how many of the world’s problems could be solved by bringing together a few people who treat bread like a vitamin. This is definitely one of the best pizza places in NYC.
- Perfect for: CASUAL WEEKNIGHT DINNER, CHEAP EATS
- Google rating: 4.3/5.0
- Phone: +1 718-407-6575
- Website: https://www.ffpizza.com/
- Location: 459 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
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If you lived in lower Manhattan in 2012, you might think that Rubirosa is the only place that makes a super-thin-crust pie with excellent vodka sauce. News flash: Rubirosa borrows their recipes and style by from legendary Staten Island spot Joe & Pat's (for context, the owner of Rubirosa is related to the team who started Joe & Pats).
Probably the best pizza in Staten Island is from Joe & Pat's. Its pies are the pinnacle of the thin-crust, vodka-sauced bar pie, one of the borough's most popular varieties. Although it doesn't look like much and has been around since 1960, the pizza is excellent. The crust is extra crunchy and disappearingly thin as a result of the dough being pounded to prevent it from becoming airy.
The sweet and silky vodka sauce is the ideal foil for the pepperoni, which is curled up in crisp cups. But even with just mozzarella, it's tantalizing because, unlike in a traditional New York slice shop, the fresh cheese is used sparingly, keeping the islands of cheese distinct and creamy. The Sicilian is also at the top of its game, with a delightfully soft, moist, and chewy crust that is topped with a vibrant tomato sauce and a manageable amount of cheese. It is not at all bready and dense.
- Perfect for: BIG GROUPS, CASUALWEEKNIGHT DINNER
- Google rating: 4.5/5.0
- Phone: (718) 981-0887
- Website: https://joeandpatsnyc.com/
- Location: 168 1st Ave., New York, NY 10009
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In the city's Midtown East neighborhood, there is a well-known pizza restaurant called Patsy's Pizzeria. Having been in the same place for 75 years as of 2008, Patsy's Pizzeria. This longevity can be attributed to Patsy's consistently producing tasty pizza with flawless service in a warm and welcoming setting.
Even though Patsy's serves a variety of traditional Italian dishes, the restaurant is best known for its pizza, so visitors would be missing out if they didn't order one of the well-known pies. With its customary thin crust, tomato, mozzarella, and basil, the traditional margherita pizza is a favorite among diners. Also popular are Patsy's pizza alla vodka, which has a creamy house vodka sauce on top, and the bolognese with meat sauce.
This pizza resembles the images that appear when you search for "NYC pizza" on Google. However, calling it ordinary would be completely incorrect. This East Harlem restaurant boasts that it invented the idea of selling pizza by the slice in the 1930s. It bakes its pizza in a coal oven, giving each slice a noticeable blackened char. However, if you visit the original East Harlem location, it makes no difference if you order a whole pie or just a slice at the counter. What does matter is that you’ll need to order the plain – it’s thin and soft but holds up the bright red sauce and big circles of mozzarella cheese, and it’s the reason you’re coming to Patsy’s.
- Perfect for: CLASSIC ESTABLISHMENT, KIDS
- Google rating: 4.5/5.0
- Phone: (212) 534-9783
- Website: http://www.patsyspizzeria.us/
- Location: 2287 1st Ave., New York, NY 10035