If you were to dig deep below New York City’s streets, past the subway tunnels, you might expect to find thick layers of schist, gneiss and marble. But what you’d actually find is pizza, the cultural and emotional bedrock of a city that can’t even coalesce around a single baseball team. Here, finding a decent slice is as easy as jaywalking. But finding a great slice, one that’s worth eating down to that last bite of crust, is much harder.
So we set out to do the hard work, sampling 79 of the city’s most popular and beloved pizzerias and landing on the 22 best. They offer a variety of styles — Sicilian, Neapolitan, New York and others that haven’t even been classified yet — but they’re all well worth the miles of subway (and ferry) travel. NIKITA RICHARDSON
Amore Pizza
Flushing
If you’re crawling through LaGuardia traffic and spot a line of flashing blinkers veering off at Farrington Street, let them through. These are people with taste. Hunkered in a Flushing strip mall, Amore Pizza has been turning out excellent pizzas since 1973. You may think you need to shower your pizza with garlic powder and oregano, but the plain slice needs no help, with its crisp crust and a layer of bubbling orange cheese served on a grease-slicked paper plate. LUKE FORTNEY
30-30 Stratton Street (31st Road), no website
Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria
Astoria
Just as there was a gulf of difference between Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe and Pizza by Alfredo on “The Office,” there is a gulf of difference between Bellucci Pizza and Andrew Bellucci’s Pizza. The first was where the chef Andrew Bellucci, who died in 2023 at 59, was able to finally establish his footing in the wide world of New York City pizza. He opened the second spot after falling out with his business partner, and that’s where any discerning diner should go for one of the clam pizzas that made Mr. Bellucci famous — fresh clams in a sea of oregano, parsley and garlic and a ring of lemon slices. Just be sure to make a reservation for your clam pie at least 24 hours ahead; they’re made à la minute. NIKITA RICHARDSON
37-08 30th Avenue (37th Street), andrewbelluccispizzeria.com
Ceres
Little Italy
At Ceres, the crust looks a lot like bread: savory, well-aerated and the color of an Einkorn boule. It’s fitting: The recipe is based on the baguette dough. Julian Geldmacher and Jacob Serebnick, the owners and chefs, load up their pies with blood sausage, pickled peppers, pancetta and ’nduja. The prices — as much as $60 for a whole pie — are reflective of the craftsmanship, and haven’t deterred customers from standing in lines that extend past the nail salons and mini marts of Mott Street. LUKE FORTNEY
164 Mott Street (Broome Street), instagram.com/ceres.nyc
Chrissy’s Pizza
Greenpoint
Every few years, a great pizzaiolo appears out of thin air. They haven’t spent years behind a pizza counter or come from a long line of pizza makers. They’re just obsessives, and Chris Hansell of Chrissy’s Pizza is one of them. After three years of pop-ups, his ridiculously photogenic pizzas — thin-crusted New York-style, perfected in his apartment during the pandemic — have found a permanent home. To the annoyance of some, Mr. Hansell sells only whole pies, but what true pizza lover complains about having too much great pizza? NIKITA RICHARDSON
142 Nassau Avenue (McGuinness Boulevard), instagram.com/chrissys.pizza
Dani’s House of Pizza
Kew Gardens
This 66-year-old pizza shop in Kew Gardens, Queens, stands out in the pizza landscape for at least two reasons. First, there is a not-so-subtly-sweet tomato sauce — devised by Ramiz Dani, an Albanian immigrant and the restaurant’s founder — that hints at the fact that tomatoes are indeed a fruit. It shouldn’t work, but it does. Locals hold this sauce in such high regard that they’re known to ask for a slathering of it on the restaurant’s second standout item, a bright green pesto pizza that’s herbaceous, cheesy and impossible to put down. You could certainly take it to go, but it’s best enjoyed at the tiny counter, fresh out of the oven. NIKITA RICHARDSON
81-28 Lefferts Boulevard (Audley Street), danishouseofpizza.com
F&F Pizzeria
Carroll Gardens
In a city full of maximalist, toppings-loaded slices, F&F takes a less-is-more approach. The slices are slender, with just the right ratio of sauce to cheese — each bite seemingly engineered to to deliver savory, sweet and crunchy notes all at once. And when F&F does offer toppings, it does so thoughtfully. The Partanna pizza, its nooks filled with wisps of red onion, bits of Calabrian chile, pecorino, oregano and a sweet hint of orange blossom honey, is one of the most balanced and satisfying slices in the city. PRIYA KRISHNA
459 Court Street (Luquer Street), franks.pizza
Joe & Pat’s Pizzeria & Restaurant
Castleton Corners
Staten Island is home to a distinct breed of pizza, defined by thin, crackery crusts. Joe & Pat’s is the benchmark against which all of these pizzas should be measured. Open since 1960, the original location in Castleton Corners is worth the dozen-plus stops on the Port Richmond-Manhattan bus line, even with a newer branch in the East Village. Its cheese and pepperoni pies are perfectly satisfying, but the vodka pizza, topped with the signature creamy tomato sauce, is one of New York’s best. The toppings spin off from there, with options that include calamari, clams and conch. LUKE FORTNEY
1758 Victory Boulevard (Manor Road), joeandpatsny.com
Joe’s Pizza
Greenwich Village
It’s hard to think of a more quintessential slice joint than Joe’s, with its many, many locations across the city. The original one is a Greenwich Village stalwart, bare bones in terms of décor, and cash only, but that doesn’t stop people from lining up for fresh, hot slices of New York-style pizza topped with slightly chewy cheese and pepperoni that shines with a thin layer of oil. Join the throngs of commuters enjoying a slice before heading home, wordlessly staring out the window onto Carmine Street, around 5 or 6 p.m.; or come after midnight for the best late-night slice option. (They’re open until 3 a.m. most nights.) KORSHA WILSON
Multiple locations, joespizzanyc.com
John’s of Bleecker Street
West Village
All those people standing in line can’t be wrong. John’s is among the oldest of the old-school, even if the exact opening date is disputed. Still, all signs point to this being a well-worn institution: the walls lined with celebrity headshots, the wooden booths carved with initials from another era, divey bathrooms. The pizzas emerge from a century-old coal-fired oven with a charred crust, each one perfumed with the ash of the thousands, perhaps millions, of pies that came before. LUKE FORTNEY
278 Bleecker Street (Morton Street), johnsofbleecker.com
Jonny’s Pizza
Lower East Side
Pizza available until 3:30 a.m. on weekends should not be this good. And yet, multiple visits to Jonny’s confirm that its bubble-blistered pies are excellent at any hour. Jonny Rashtian, one of the city’s few Persian pizza makers, had not touched a commercial oven before 2024, but with the help of a few Reddit threads and obsessive pizza eating, he learned to make thin, crunchy pizza. Try the vodka and pesto pizza, a slice shop staple reimagined with housemade sauces and bubbly, fermented dough. LUKE FORTNEY
173 Orchard Street (Stanton Street), jonnyspizzanyc.com
L&B Spumoni Gardens
Gravesend
Before hot honey, burrata and sourdough crusts, there was the Sicilian square from L&B Spumoni Gardens, crunchy, char-licked and designed as affordable sustenance, spilling over with tomato sauce. A crunchy corner slice is all you need to understand why this Gravesend institution has endured since 1939, and the scene in the summer is unmatched. Sit at one of the outdoor tables with a slice (or a whole pie with like pepperoni or anchovies) and an almond-kissed spumoni, and revel in what a casual night out in Brooklyn used to look like. LUKE FORTNEY
2725 86th Street (West 10th Street), spumonigardens.com
L’Industrie
Williamsburg and the West Village
At L’Industrie, attention is paid to every detail. The flour is freshly milled, the ingredients are imported from Italy and the slices seamlessly marry New York and Italian traditions. This pizza is aided by a fresh-tasting sauce and a crust whose toasty, sourdough-esque flavor stands on its own. A creamy dollop of burrata makes the cheese slice even better, and to further gild the lily, the gelato, with flavors like pistachio with sea salt and olive oil, is as good as any you’ll find at a stand-alone ice cream shop. PRIYA KRISHNA
Multiple locations, lindustriebk.com
Louie & Ernie’s Pizza
Schuylerville
Anyone who has crisscrossed the boroughs understands that for every chic corner of downtown Manhattan or North Brooklyn, there are dozens more sleepy neighborhoods where change takes decades instead of just a few months. That is more or less the story of Louie & Ernie’s, the pizza spot in the Country Club section of the Bronx, where for 65 years patrons have descended the short staircase in search of margherita pies and sausage pizzas. Blink and you’ll miss it on its quiet residential corner, but you’d be missing one of the city’s most classic slices. NIKITA RICHARDSON
1300 Crosby Avenue (Waterbury Avenue), louieanderniespizza.com
Lucia Pizza of Avenue X
Sheepshead Bay and SoHo
Old-school traditions meet new-school sensibilities at Lucia Pizza of Avenue X, whose chef, Salvatore Carlino, comes from a long line of pizza makers. (His family owned the now-closed Papa Leone Pizzeria in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.) This pizza tastes like it’s been perfected over many years, with a crust that’s airy and light, yet holds up to a sweet smear of sauce, puddles of mozzarella and snips of fresh basil. Come on Fridays for a lemon-spritzed clam pie that may rival any New Haven apizza. PRIYA KRISHNA
Multiple locations, lucia.pizza
Mama’s Too Pizzeria
West Village and Upper West Side
When Frank Tuttolomondo started selling thick, square slices from his parents’ Upper West Side pizzeria, he was shunned as a heretic. “I couldn’t give them away,” he said. He found an audience after opening his own pizzeria a block away, where slices with fried chicken, cacio e pepe and street corn became standard protocol. For all the focus on square pizza, the triangular “house slice” has become a bit of a cult object. The glug of olive oil and grated Parmesan call to mind Di Fara Pizza, with a leavened crust that reflects modern baking trends. Sometimes a square peg fits through a round hole. LUKE FORTNEY
325 Bleecker Street (Christopher Street), mamastoo.com
Mano’s Pizzeria
Ridgewood
Any neighborhood would be lucky to have a Mano’s. But it’s Ridgewood that won this particular lottery. For fans of new wave pizza, characterized by tangy, fermented crusts that stand straight when folded, Mano’s has become a destination. The owner, Nick Manopella, takes great lengths to ensure his slices don’t land in your stomach like a dumbbell, fermenting the dough for several days and ladling on unsweetened tomato sauce. It’s all highly technical, but it doesn’t take much thought to enjoy a plain slice at Mano’s. LUKE FORTNEY
62-98 Forest Avenue (Butler Avenue), instagram.com/manos_pizzeria
Nonna’s Pizza
Great Kills
Nothing builds up an appetite quite like driving to the heart of Staten Island in a borrowed car. You’re sure to pass venerable stalwarts like Lee’s Tavern and Denino’s on the way to Great Kills, but don’t let your foot off the gas. The slices at Nonna’s Pizza, open for two decades, are in a tier of their own, distinguished by toothsome, char-marked crusts. (That’s because of the oven, in part, a retro model that rotates around a central axis like a water mill. “No cold spots,” an employee said.) Don’t snub the inland clam slice, and be sure to order the “upside down” triangle, a style typically found at brick oven joints. It’s reverse engineered — cheese first, and then sauce — which is exactly what you want when the tomatoes are as good as these. LUKE FORTNEY
27 Brower Court (Nelson Avenue), nonnaspizzaonline.com
Patsy’s Pizzeria
East Harlem, multiple locations
The original Patsy’s Pizzeria was founded in 1933 by Pasquale Lancieri, known as Patsy, in what was then called Italian Harlem. The name of the neighborhood changed, but the approach is rooted in that past. The allure after all these years is coal-oven pizza dispensed by the slice and, critically, that you can purchase a whole pie for under $20. Here is a pizza that’s better without toppings, thin and soft with big circles of aged mozzarella throughout. The pale outer crust is nothing special, but everything leading up to it is. LUKE FORTNEY
2287 First Avenue (East 118th Street), patsyspizzeria.us
Roberta’s
Bushwick
Going to Roberta’s is like taking a trip back to 2008, before Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood abounded with trendy restaurants and third-wave coffee shops. More than 15 years later, the restaurant retains its indie, pseudo-punk spirit and millennial crowds, and the pizza remains excellent. You go for the Bee Sting, a thin but sturdy pie with a charred crust lined generously with hot honey and pepperoni, whose edges are crisp and curling up. Roberta’s has since branched out into frozen pizzas, festival pop-ups and even locations in Los Angeles and Miami — but nothing hits like the original. PRIYA KRISHNA
261 Moore Street (Bogart Street), www.robertaspizza.com
Rocco Pizza
Bedford-Stuyvesant
This mini-chain of family-owned pizzerias has been a neighborhood secret for decades, but it’s high time the secret got out. Nothing about Rocco’s low-key exterior would clue in a passer-by to its status as the home of one of the city’s best grandma pies — a recipe created by an actual grandmother. A pool of tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil is framed by a shatteringly crispy and buttery crust that tastes as if it were deep-fried but is prepared simply enough on a sheet pan, a testament to the glory of a really good dough. NIKITA RICHARDSON
Multiple locations, roccopizza.com
Una Pizza Napoletana
Lower East Side
Waiting an hour for pizza is pushing it. But the Neapolitan pizzas from Anthony Mangieri are genuinely worth it. The margherita pie arrives with a ballooning outer rim, a bearing a strong resemblance to Crater Lake. In the center, a well of tomato sauce pools with rectangles of molten mozzarella. (Go ahead, use a fork and knife.) The elastic, deeply blistered dough ensures that nearly every pizza on the menu is worth ordering, but of course that’s old news. Three days each week around 4 p.m., a small crowd forms outside in hopes of securing a walk-in table. (There are also a few reservations now available on OpenTable, however fleeting.) LUKE FORTNEY
175 Orchard Street (Stanton Street), unapizza.com
Wheated
Ditmas Park
For decades, pizza makers in New York and New Haven have been at each other’s throats over who makes the better pie. But there’s been little reason to make the trip north since David Sheridan opened Wheated in Ditmas Park. Technically, this is an artisanal pizzeria with a full bar. But the most fascinating portion of the menu is the brief section of New Haven-style pizzas, added to the menu in 2023 and cooked to crunchy oblivion. The dough is pressed thinner than Frank Pepe or Sally might prefer, but it’s just right for the tangy, oregano-flecked tomato sauce. LUKE FORTNEY
905 Church Avenue (Coney Island Avenue), wheatedbrooklyn.com
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Priya Krishna is a reporter in the Food section of The Times.
Nikita Richardson is an editor in the Food section of The Times.
The post The 22 Best Pizza Places in New York Right Now appeared first on New York Times.
