Latest Best of NY

NYC’s 10 Best Slices Of Pizza

December 30, 2011 10:00 AM

(credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

They say the price of a slice should equal that of a subway ride. No matter the economic times, pizza-obsessed New Yorkers insist: proper cheese to sauce ratio, toothsomeness and taste of crust, fluffiness of mozarella, and the right amount of salt and grease equals finger-licking excellence. Herewith, ten spots to stand up and enjoy superior slices. By Anna Van Lenten.

artichokepizza NYCs 10 Best Slices Of Pizza

The Margarita pie at Artichoke Pizza. (credit: artichokepizza.com)

Artichoke Basilles Pizza & Brewery

328 E 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2004
artichokepizza.com
Reviews & More Info

The Sicilian and the plain are marvelous: fizzling cheese over flavorful, sweet-ish sauce all underscored by a crust that combines tooth with appropriately charred, crunchy places.

Dom DeMarco snips some fresh basil to top his pizza. (credit: difara.com)

Di Fara Pizza

1424 Ave J
Brooklyn, NY 11230
(718) 258-1367
difara.com

The legendary slice. Famously superb, this sizzling slice comes with crisp but not crumbly crust, perfectly balanced sauce, and meltingly soft cheese. Watching the owner crown each hand-made pie at the end with fresh basil leaves and olive oil is when your mouth starts to water. Be prepared for long, slow-moving lines – many, many foodies make the pilgrimage.

Joe’s Pizza

(Photo: Jesse Zanger/melikeeat.com)

7 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 255-3946
joespizzanyc.com
Reviews & More Info

Wildly popular, hole in the wall-ish, classic Village joint with thin, pliable crust, freshly sweet cheese that doesn’t smother the tangy sauce, and a 3 a.m. slice that will give you sweet dreams.

Prepping the classic "Square" at L&B. (credit: spumonigardens.com)

L&B Spumoni Gardens

2725 86th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 372-8400
spumonigardens.com

The Sicilian is amazing (they call it simply a “Square”). Its crust properly doughy, sending a flat riposte to the thin mania rampaging through NYC. Silky mozzarella melts between the dough and sauce—this is what allows the crust to be light but crispy on the bottom. Perfection.

Maffei’s

(credit: Maffei's Facebook)

686 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10010
(212) 929-0949
Reviews & more info

Order the Grandma’s slice for the way the olive oil and cheese lightly blister over its naturally fruity tomatoes and crunchy yet oily, light crust.

New Park Pizzeria

(credit: File photo/Clipart)

156-71 Crossbay Blvd
Queens, NY 11357
(718) 641-3082
newparkpizza.com

Off the Belt Parkway near JFK, this is the best straightforwardly great pizza in Queens, for the not too sweet, not too salty sauce, the thin, yet airy, charred-in-the-right-places crust, and lovely supple cheese.

Some of the delicious fare at Roberta's. (credit: robertaspizza.com)

Roberta’s Pizza

261 Moore Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
(718) 417-1118
robertaspizza.com

Savor the fluffy lush mozzarella cheese, piping hot and melting over a marinara with the merest hint of sweetness, all held up by a well-baked crust that’s nicely chewy on the inside.

Saluggi’s

(credit: Saluggi's Pizza/Facebook)

325 Church Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 226-7900
saluggis.com
Reviews & more info

Follow the sauce on these ample slices, from the tender crust in the middle to its crunchy chewy edge. The way the delicate lushness of the homemade mozzarella complements the subtle, savory, tart red base will complete you.

The Spunto storefront. Within: pizza goodness. (credit: spuntothincrust.com)

Spunto

65 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-1200
spuntothincrust.com
n/b no slices after 5 p.m.
Reviews & more info

Cracker-thin crust allows many guilt-free slices to be consumed—and no sogginess either. Sauce is pungent, mozzarella creamy fresh.

Sal & Carmine’s

(Photo: Jesse Zanger)

2671 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
(212) 663-7651 (Note: they don’t deliver)
Reviews & more info

In an age where gooey, fat slices of bland mush are being pushed out of just about every storefront with the word “Pizza” above it, we thank goodness for Sal & Carmine’s. The place has been making a classic thin-crust slice since 1959. The crust has the right amount of crunch and faint charring from the oven, infusing the tart sauce with a slight smoke. If you are looking for a classic, straightforward slice, it doesn’t get any more on target than this. Chances are good you’ll still find Carmine Malanga behind the counter – his brother Sal lamentably passed away in 2009.

More CBSNewYork Food Guides:

New York City’s Best Bagels

NY’s Best Latin American Restaurants

NYC’s Best Mac & Cheese

Best BBQ In NYC

NYC’s Best Street Meat

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MSL

They also forgot Gaby’s Pizza in Queens, on Hillside Ave.

Great Pizza there!

And they’ve won several television awards (if that matters).

Jamaal

That’s because all of these reviews are done by Manhattanites, well transplant Manhattanites who live here for ten years and never go north of 125th street unless it’s on an express train to Yankee Stadium, and who rearly go any where east of Park Slope/Williamsburg unless they’re headed to JFK. So, that is why they fail to mention any Pizzareas on Arthur Ave(the real little Italy), and they label ass the best in Queens some pizza joint that nobody in Queens cares about (which is suspiciously close to JFK) because we already knows that Margharita’s in Jamaica, Gaby’s in Hollis, and Nick’s in Forest Hills hold the crown. And by the way, minus the spumoni and squares, Spumoni Gardens is good but not the great.

dp

Sorry Jamal…New park Pizza is great and many people go there…actually better than Nicks and much cheaper…plus Nicks does not serve slices….a big fail.

what does the airport reference actually mean??
bronx kid

Yeah, Arthur Av. is the real “Little Italy” if Italy is populated with Albanian restaurants and Mexican residents. Get Real.

glenn leslie

gabbys hahah please

big tony

paulie gee , thats it thats all

glenn

i agree pauly g and keste …….and tortonnos in the past as well ….glenn

Karen

I love Maffie’s, I order from them all the time. I just wish they were on http://www.deliverybuzz.com so I could use my free meal coupons with them
Jack Mabonna

What about Greasy Joe’s or Tomaine Tony’s?
You also forgot Moldy Mike’s and STD Sammy.
The hepatitis pie is the best. Extra mucous is the way to go.
Cleo

I love Joe’s and Carmines. Never went to Artichoke Basilles Pizza & Brewery, but I’ve heard it’s amazing. Maffei’s sounds pretty interesting, maybe I’ll try them for lunch today I usually troll Insider Pages and Yelp for new places to check out. There are a few other sites that seem to track the newest pizza joints as well, and I wrote an article about some of these sites.
http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/7521-pizza-shop-analytics-monitoring-sites-for-food-retailers

che

i think di faras is the best but it is so expensive

JOHN

Best Pizzeria by far is ANTIKA PIZZERIA on broadway and 165 st across from Columbia. Grandmas is AMAZING
Arman

This is awesome! I am always on the hunt for the perfect slice of pizza. you should sign up for the beta testing of City Maps and rate all these places. Get your opinion out there so other people will know what is good and what isn’t!
http://zagwee.wordpress.com zagwee

OMG do I have a sudden craving for some pizza yummy!
http://www.anon-web.es.tc
Mia

FIREHOUSE PIZZA KITCHEN ON 23RD! NEAR BELLEVUE HOSPITAL

Mia

I mean 29th st

Mike P

John’s Pizzaria of Jamaica Hills s the BEST pizza in NYC!!!
Ashley

Agreed! Definitely should be on this list.
john

sals pizza 305 court st brooklny ny
Alan Frankel

#1? DiFara’s by far. L&B was good years ago.
Val

In NY there are hundreds of great pizza places! Everyone’s got a favorite and everyone likes different things. I agree with the person who said to go anywhere outside the city and you’ll appreciate how good NYC pizza is.
Jimmy

Please, if you’re not at least a third generation Italian don’t even try making Pizza.

joey fom B’hurst

For the most part, pizza in NYC is presently made by Mexicans.

James Brandenstein

Near me there’s 1. Setauket Pasteria in South Setauket , and 2. Carnivale in Port Jefferson Station. Two Very Good Pizzerias.
WJDochertaigh

Spend some time out west or south or north and you’ll appreciate NYC Pizza!
Almost anywhere (in nyc) is better than everywhere else!

Jimmy

Try New Haven Ct.

Jeff G.

You could make a top five or ten in every borough of New York and be close!

allyson

was it a burnt pizza? the roberts or?

almahdante

what’s uP with those pizzas. t’was like burnt on the crusts…
well it looks Yummy though

almahdante

i wanna hear answers
joey fom B’hurst

Pizza is supposed to be cooked thoroughly, not some doughy crust. This happens because owners don’t want to turn up the dial on the oven past 275*F; it is all about making a profit. The beauty of these “brick” ovens is that the wood burns hot, and the pie only has to stay in the oven 2-3 minutes to be properly cooked. That is what gives the charred crust—-an oven at the proper temperature. If you see a guy putting a pie on a screen, you know that his oven is way too low. You should expect a soupy slice.

TRACK

Brothers Pizza, 185th Street n Horace Harding/L.I.E. Queens, New York

Dan Livni

I totally agree with you about Brothers. That pizza is great.
Its right off exit 25 off LIE.

Mark

I agree Kenny !
Bill Gilman

I am curious how many pizza establishments you went to to create this list. Also was this done by committee or by one person?
Mike

You also forgot Denino’s in Staten Island.