I'll be on a mission to find the best pizza in NYC (and I need your help)

[RagingInMiami]

I will be there from Thursday to Tuesday, essentially to photograph and participate in the protest. But I also want to try out what locals consider the best pizza in NYC.

Just your basic NY-style slice, I'm not looking for anything gourmet or overpriced. So what are your recommendations?

I'll be staying with a friend in Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. Visit Sheepshead Bay

Real Italians making the tastiest pizza I ever had.

I've got the famous DiFara pizzeria nearby on Ave J & E 14th St - but I prefer the veal parmigiana ... the buffalo mozzarella really shines!

[smirkymonkey]

2. As a New Yorker and 1/2 Italian, I will give you my picks...

I am very picky about pizza, having grown up on my Italian grandmother's homemade food. Unfortunately, most of the best places don't have slices, you have to buy a whole pie, but if it's very thin crust you can usually eat the whole thing by yourself. Unfortunately, with the exception of the slices, most pies run about $16 - $25, but that's the usual in NYC.

1. Lombardi's - Corner of Spring/Mott (Nolita/Little Italy) - whole pizzas, brick over, very thin but very tasty, very little cheese unless you request extra. It has gone downhill somewhat in the past few years, but still one of my favorites. The man who started Lombardi's - and really, pizzarias in NYC - trained the forbears of John's Pizza and Patsy's Pizza, so they are all very good and authentic.

2. John's Pizza - Bleecker Street, West Village (my neighborhood) - again, it has seen better days, but still great, super thin crust, tasty sauce, not too much cheese.

3. Patsy's Pizza - all over the city, it's now a small chain and the quality has suffered somewhat but probably the nicest atmosphere of any of the authentic Italian pizza parlors.

4. Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza - 106 West Houston Street - they also have great Italian pasta & other specialties. It's kind of a cool, old hole-in-the-wall type of place, but lots of fun and good food.

5. The entire area just east of John's Pizza - probably the best concentrated area of good pizza in the area on the corner of Bleecker & Carmine up, down and east a few blocks. You can get slices here at #1 Famous Joes for Slices (7 Carmine Street), #2 No. 28 Carmine (that's the address) - very authentic Italian pies (individual) very thin #3 Abitinos (slices) - very good in a pinch - they also have Sicilian (thick crust) but I prefer the thin crust. On the corner of Bleecker & Carmine.

In Brooklyn there is:

Grimaldi's Pizza - Brooklyn Heights (DUMBO, actually - Old Fulton Slip) Probably the best pizza of all.

Di Fara's - Midwood Brooklyn - slices and whole pies, very authentic.

Totonno's - Coney Island - they also have branches on the Upper East, but apparently they aren't as good as the original in Coney Island, never had them though. Basically, most of the pizza I have had uptown is all pretty much the same, more or less.

I don't know of anything in Williamsburg, but you can get to the other places easily by subway. Report back and let us know what you think! Have fun!

[Karenca]

3. I totally agree! I am so picky #1 Lombardi's!!

Our lists are almost identical


Number 1 Lombardi's (did you know that Lombardi's is the first pizzeria? (sp?)) NY

2 Grimaldi's Brooklyn

3 John's NY

and number 4 is Nick's in Forest Hills , Queens, NY

[SharonRB]

4. It will be nice to see you again, Raging

I'll be there from Thursday to late Monday afternoon.

[bunny planet]

5. John's Pizza, most def.

:-) ;-) :D

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. Yup, the one on Bleeker. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

6. I live walking distance from Totonno's in Coney Island, and it IS great!

The person who opened it- the current owner's Great-grandfather, was a pizza maker at the original Lombardi's in 1905. He left to open his own place, as did the orginal owner of John's. I believe John's and Totonno's both opened between 1910 and 1920. Patsy's was also one of the original pizzerias in NYC. Opened in 1932 or so.

If you want to stay affordable, stay downtown Manhattan or in Brooklyn.

BTW Grimaldi's, near the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge was originally called Patsy's, like the one in Manhattan. It was opened by a family member. But after a family feud, they had to change the name, but the quality remains the same.

Here is a page with names, address, phones numbers & descriptions
http://gonyc.about.com/od/restaurants/tp/best_pizza.htm

Here is the Bleeker St info for John's since the above page seems to have screwed it up:
John's of Bleecker Street
278 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
[phone]
Cross Street: Between Jones Street and Morton Street
Directions: A, C, E; B, D, F, Q at W 4th St; 1, 9 at Christopher St

[Karenca]

7. That's a great link...Thank you! I'm going to email it to all of my out-of

-state friends.:thumbsup: