Looking for the best pizza in New York? From old school Coney Island pies to late night slices in Brooklyn, this is the ultimate guide to New York Pizza.
NEW YORK PIZZA
Add To New List
OPS
Ops, Himrod Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Other than Totonnos, this might be our favourite pizza in NYC. A super-chilled spot in Bushwick, sitting outside here on a summer’s night with a beer and a couple of pizzas is about as good as it gets. There are a few set options such as the Juno – broccoli, potatoes, provola, and ricotta – but the real star of the show is the square pizza. With a slightly thicker base (but not too thick), you can add your own toppings to the basic margheritta and in our opinion you just can’t beat pepperoni and mushroom. Well worth making a special trip for.
Add To New List
TOTONNOS
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitana, Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
This 93 year-old pizza joint turned up on Netflix’s Ugly Delicious recently – after finishing his first pizza David Chang immediately orders another and we can see why, this place really is worthy of the hype. Don’t expect much in the way of service but what you can expect is one of th best pizzas in NY, thin-crusted and topped with rich tomato sauce and soft mozarella. You choose your own toppings from a simple list that includes sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms – nothing groundbreaking but it if you’ve been around nearly 100 years, why change it up? Combine a visit here with a day out at Coney Island and you’ll be winning at life.
Add To New List
EMMY SQUARED
Emmy Squared - Brooklyn, Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA
One of the best things about pizza in New York is the sheer variety of different styles from cheap slices to the more familiar Neopolitan style we get in London. King of them all though is the square slice and they don’t come much better than at Emmy Squared. These deep dish rectangular beauties are the absolute nuts, with soft, thick dough, crispy edges and sweet tomato sauce that soaks right through the base – if you think you’re a pizza purist who would never go for a thick cake-like slice then think again, as this is pizza heaven. We love the ‘Colony’ pizza especially, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and honey but really you can’t go wrong.
But it doesn’t stop there. Not content with knocking out incredible pizza, these guys also make one of the best burgers in New York, just casually on the side like it’s no big deal. So the perfect Emmy Squared order is to share a pizza and also share Le Big Matt, double-stacked grass fed beef patties, American cheese, greens, pickles, Sammy Sauce, and waffle fries. Pure joy.
Add To New List
PAULIE GEE'S
Paulie Gee's, Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
This dark, narrow room just near the waterfront in Greenpoint is one of New York’s best pizza joints. When we say dark we mean it – the only natural light comes from the doorway and that slowly fades as you get further back into the room, lit gently by the pizza oven at the far end and sparse moody lighting. There’s no reservations and it does get busy but turn up early (before 8pm) and you shouldn’t have to wait too long.
Paulie Gee’s manages to tread that fine line between making a serious pizza with top ingredients but also having some fun along the way. There’s a big menu to choose from and we like that – none of the infuriating Naples tradition of ‘you’re getting margarita and that’s it’ here, oh no. For a flavour of what we mean consider pizzas such as the ‘Hometown Brisket’ topped with fresh mozzarella, beef brisket from Red Hook’s Hometown Bar-B-Que, house-pickled red onions, and a drizzle of Hometown Bar-B-Que sauce, or the ‘Ricotta Be Kiddin Me’ topped with mozzarella, Canadian bacon, sweet Italian fennel sausage, fresh basil, and post-oven fresh ricotta dollops.
We were very happy with the ‘Porkypineapple’ made with Italian tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, house-pickled pineapple, and post-oven speck and the ‘Mo Cheek’s’ – thats’ Italian tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, house-pickled red onions, and Berkshire guanciale. This place is also amazing for vegans with at least nine vegan options on at any one time. For banging pizza with a bonus slice of FUN, Paulie Gee’s is where it’s at.
Add To New List
JOE'S PIZZA
Joe's Pizza, Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Joe’s Pizza is like the Katz’s Deli of the pizza world – it’s been around forever, it’s very no-nonsense, and they have a legion of celebrity fans who you can find in faded old photos stuck up all over the walls. It’s a perfect example of an NY slice shop, and although there’s better pizza out there, it does hold a certain charm and authenticity, and it’s very cheap by the city’s standards. There’s a few branches but we like the on Bedord Avenue as it’s located right by the subway stop, meaning you can grab a slice when coming home drunk – it may not be the absolute bes pizza in New York, but it’s definiltey the best drunk pizza in New York.
Add To New List
DI FARA
Di Fara Pizza, Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Founded in 1965, Di Fara is one of New York’s legendary pizza joints, loved by everyone from Antony Bourdain to the New York Times. Still run by original founder Domenico De Marco, or “Dom”, with a little help from his sons, this as fine a slice of NY-style pizza as you’re likely to find. The original location is quite deep into Brooklyn, but if you can’t make it there, the exciting news is that Di Fara have just opened another outpost – their first ever – in the brand new North 3rd Street Market in Williamsburg. The slices are great but we think the square pizza pie is even better. Keep it simple with fresh tomato sauce and stringy mozzarella or add toppings for a couple of dollars more – the pepperoni and the meatballs are both excellent.
