2024 New York Best Pizza: A Top 10 List

Owned by the pizza guru of New York, Mark Lacono, and loved by none other than Beyonce and her better half, this New York Pizza restaurant is popular with every pizza lover and lover in the tri-state area. A cozy space quaint in appearance and ambience and traditional in practice accepts no reservations.

You have to show up at 5 pm to nab a table for yourself. The speciality of this place is the way the chef rolls out the dough. Empty wine bottles are used to roll the dough in front of a wood-fired oven. It is a Bring your Bottle (BYOB) place and is a spiritual place for pizza worshippers. You can even get yourself a drink from the joints close to the place and enjoy the perfect pizza. A pilgrimage spot for the pizza lover, you have no reason to miss the best pizza place in New York. It is a perfect Brooklyn style pizza joint for you to enjoy the cosiness of New York.

Where: 575 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States

When the joint opened in 2012, it replaced another small joint that was present for decades. It looked like a normal run-off-the mill neighbourhood joint that served regular slices of pizza. But if you are craving for a square pizza amongst the New York Pizza joints, then this one is where you should head to. With bare room to stand, this hole-in-the-wall pizza joint serves Neapolitan pies that are quite popular. But the crowd’s throng to this place for the Soho Squares. It is a thick crust slice topped with tomato sauce, oodles of mozzarella, pepperoni toppings and is called the Spicy Spring. This signature pizza has the pepperoni dripping oil into cups after it comes out of the oven. But it is this taste that makes it worth the wait.

Where: 27 Prince St A, New York, NY 10012, United States

A Brooklyn style Pizza joint that is 80 years old- this joint serves some thick, dense and fortifying pizzas either as squares or on trays. An outdoor and indoor pizza joint, you get served typical Sicilian pizzas here- thick and rectangular with a crispy base and a copious amount of dough. The dough is topped with tomato sauce, melted cheese and more tomato sauce that feels more like a lasagne. Every pizza has layers that you can sink your teeth into. Each slice is so well layered and tasty that you would never need extra toppings. You would need to end your meal with a Spumoni. A visit during the summer is a must when you can eat those takeout slices on the tables outside while you enjoy the sun. Tallish, crunchy and browned beneath with a substantial thick yet soft interior, L&B Supmoni’s serves the classics in an entirely different style.

Photo: Instagram@lbspumonigardens

Where: 2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223, United States

A no-frills storefront where customer queue up to partake its legendary slices, Di Fara in Brooklyn is one of the best New York Pizza joints. This old-school store dates back to 1965 when Dome DeMarco (the same man you will see behind the counter even today) opened his doors to handcraft his signature pizzas. With a keen eye to detail and carefully sourced ingredients to make thin pies, this joint guarantee you a slice that is excellent and borders on perfection. Dom DeMarco bakes every pizza himself, which explains why it is so delicious. The round ones come in a variety of cheese kinds and olive oil with a crunchy and salty crust topped with fresh basil (making you guess why every pizza in the world could not be covered with basil!). The square ones are different and intense with loads of cheese and sauce and the crust soaked in butter. It is more indulgent, and just one slice will fill up your soul and fulfil your gastronomic delights. No fanfare at all, the orders are taken in pen and paper and only cash accepted for purchases. Customers are happy to dish out a USD 5 for a slice of the regular Margherita which could take hours to come through. If you are lucky during busy times, you will find yourself in front of DeMarco who is wielding his pair of scissors to cut the fresh basil over his masterpiece with precision.

Where: 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230, United States

Paulie Gee’s is another Brooklyn style pizza restaurant that treads on the unconventional path. They do not do takeaways, and you will have to wait for those coveted seats to have wood-fired pizzas with unique names and equally novel ingredients. The king of invention, Paulie Gee’s comes up with the most unexpected pairs of toppings. This joint combine cool spaces with pizzas topped with creative ingredients. Be ready to eat pizzas topped with cherries, blue cheese, hot honey or prosciutto. Go for the Hell Boy- the signature which is topped with spicy soppressata and a drizzle of hot honey. You can also try the Hometown Brisket that is crowning with meat and the Frankel’s Pastrami Ruben which is overflowing with pastrami. The space is as huge as a barn, and you will often find Paulie roaming around which gives it a classy yet casual appeal. If you cannot wait then, you can walk to Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, just a few blocks away. It offers a truncated menu which is equally satisfying.

Photo: Instagram@foodballin

Where: 60 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222, United States

A classy joint operated and owned by pizza lovers- Matt and Emily Hyland, Emmy Squared is for these adults who know they can spend some extra cash to have the best. This modern New York Pizza styled pizzeria is dedicated to serving Detroit style pies. Born in the technologically savvy era of Facebook and Instagram, their pizzas are delicious and savoury. Try the insanely rich and precious pizza covered in molten cheese and some waffle fries that are spruced with mayo on the side. The pizzas are fluffy and full of cheese with a crispy crust that is fried. Topping range from banana pepper and a thick ranch dressing. Their best is the Roni Supreme- cheesy, thick crust, dotted with pepperoni with Calabrian chilis for a spicy appeal. You will probably end up with a stomach ache eating, but it is worth it.

Photo: Instagram@emmysquaredpizza

Where: 364 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States

New York is filled with street joints that are striving to achieve a customer base with their slices of crust, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce with the perfect amount of grease. But Joe’s pizza is a joint in the West side of New York that achieves the optimal balance. Synonymous with New York pizza, the iconic and staple grab-and-go slice is what an emoji, cartoon or tattoo of a pizza slice would look like. This Carmine Street pizza joint is the best pizza place in New York. Their fold comes with a perforated edge in the middle, and the mozzarella cheese and sweet tomato sauce are in perfect proportion to the crust. Large slices are reheated in the oven till the crust is crisp with the melted cheese and sauce bubbling in your mouth. Joe’s emulate the old school pizza joints with the pure tomato sauce bordering the crust and the pies not pulled out from the oven until the cheese has a tan effect. Quintessential, Joe’s serves the perfect New York slice.

Photo: Instagram@susanretterbush

Where: 7 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014, United States

Louie and Ernie- brothers from Harlem, started this pizzeria at the Bronx in 1947 and has been a landmark there ever since. With a feel of a neighbourhood slice joint, this place is a regular visit by the block. Everything right from the sauce to the cornmeal is dusted before it goes to the oven to make it crispier. The recipe for the dough remains the same. The stand out is the sausage pizza which is scattered liberally with huge pieces of sausages and thin, foldable crust of bust that holds up admirably to maintain shape. Baked for 15 minutes, the crust is perfect, yeasty and crispy with its layer of sauce and grated cheese. The menu is made of pies and calzones of meat and cheese. Another place that defines New York Pizza, this joint is unique as it serves pizzas and calzones.

Photo: Instagram@burgersandslices

Where: 1300 Crosby Ave, The Bronx, NY 10461, United States

Another staple in Staten Island since the 1960s, Joe & Pat’s pizzeria serves some of the best New York Pizza. With an incredibly thin crust that is topped generously with tomato sauce, gooey strings of cheese and some toppings, this place serves some of the best pizzas that are light on your belly. Choose the tri-pie which splits the pizza into three, a super-thin-crust with vodka sauce and pesto sauce, the signature tomato sauce, loaded with fresh mozzarella cheese. The ratios of the pizza are perfect, and there is no need for any extra topping. The vodka pie is one of their best, and this place is a must-visit.

Photo: Instagram@joeandpats

Where: 1758 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314, United States

The tireless and endless pursuit of Anthony Mangieri to bring Naples-style pizza to New York is what makes Una Pizza Napoletana one of the best New York pizza joints. One might regard this place as simple, but it is far from it owing to the elaborate menu curated by the owner’s passion and devotion. Every pie is a perfectly proportioned combination of tomato, olive oil and loads of cheese. Meat toppings can be enjoyed over the weekend, and the vegetarian option serves testimony to its quality- especially the dough. Anthony Mangieri considers the dough to be the “most important” part of the pizza and you can find the care that goes into it with the first bite you take. The flawlessly burnt, charred and roasted crust has a soft, chewy feel to it.

The size is small but perfect for one person, and the pizzas are not precut. You would need to be adept at using a fork and knife to cut the pizza served. The menu is a selection of carefully combined ingredients. There are just five different varieties on the menu, and you cannot have any add-ons or substitutes. The Filetti is the signature dish and a standout in the selection of permanent pizzas. Made of fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella di bufala and basil, it is a sheer delight. If you happen to visit on a Friday go for the Concetta with San Marzano tomatoes, corbarini, piennolo, estrattp della casa and parmigiana as it is served only on that day of the week. The only pizza with meat or eggs is the Apollonia, served on Saturdays. Named after his daughter, it is made of egg, salami, black pepper, garlic, basil parmigiana and mozarello di bufala. Prices are steep, and just the Margherita will cost you a USD22. Also, make sure you leave some room in your belly for dessert as the tiramisu served is an equally good reason to visit Una Pizza Napoletana.

Photo: Instagram@unapizzanapoletana

Where: 175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

New York City needs pizza just like humans need oxygen to breathe. New Yorkers would get stifled without their pizza jaunts. Plants need sunlight to grow, cars or buses need a driver to show the way, and New Yorkers need pizza to give respite to their hunger pangs. Several months of research, discussions, deliberations and thoughts have gone into coming up with this list that effectively summarises the New York pizza scene. The reviews here are about the pizzas served and not a ranking or review of the restaurants. We can guarantee you will enjoy an incredible pizza-eating experience if you step into any of these places. So, if you are in New York or a local just looking to try something different, then head to one of these places to grab yourself a great meal and feel like you are in the centre of Italy- the place where pizza was born!