Pizza is practically more synonymous with this city than the Yankees or the Statue of Liberty. New Yorkers take their pie very seriously. We debate about whether a thin or thick crust is a true, authentic New York pizza. We want to know if our pizza is wood-fired or coal charred. We go from loving Roman-style pizza one day to seeking out the best Neapolitan pizza the next, and we don’t mind crossing boroughs for the perfect slice.
So while there’s no question that New York serves the most delicious pizza (sorry, Chicago!), there’s much debate about which joint has it. In New York, where it seems there’s a pizzeria on every street, it can be confusing to identify your favorite. So we’ve munched our way through enough mozzarella to narrow down the top 9:
Di Fara Pizza via Facebook1. Di Fara Pizza
Midwood, 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn; 718-258-1367
Landmark Di Fara is not only known for its great pizzas, but also for its very long lines. Like #2 Motorino, it’s the destination spot for pizza aficionados. The Neapolitan pies, with cracker-thin crust, a slight char, and a dash of Parmesan, are widely considered among the city’s finest. Mayor de Blasio anointed Di Fara as the best pizza joint while campaigning. And Di Fara has been the number one pizza in New York for eight years running according to Zagat. Even Anthony Bourdain named it “the best of the best.”
The 78-year-old owner Dom DeMarco is still at the helm of his Midwood institution. Di Fara just celebrated its 50th anniversary and has managed to remain popular and crowded despite its age, unappealing digs, and its nondescript exterior. But this is a true, no-frills pizzeria, where décor doesn’t seem to matter. Di Fara is neither a night out, nor a date night spot. It gets our top rating because the pizza is insanely great. Two much beloved and most-sought out pizzas are the semi-dried cherry tomato pies and the artichoke pies.
The pizza is so good because it sticks to fresh ingredients (dough is made fresh several times a day). and a few basics, like its pies topped with fresh basil and olive oil, or porcini mushrooms and broccoli rabe. But prices for the premium pies are expensive, so make sure you have enough cash since the old-school restaurant doesn’t take credit cards. Be prepared that a mere slice costs six bucks and pies start in the high 20s and run into the near 40s. Still, fanatics and fans of Di Fara are willing to wait for hours—literally—to get their hands on a slice or a pie.
Motorino Pizza2. Motorino
East Village, 349 East 12th Street; 212-777-2644 / South Williamsburg, 139 Broadway; 718 599-8899
Motorino isn’t just a local pizzeria with outposts in hip neighborhoods like South Williamsburg and the East Village. Since 2008, this Neapolitan pizza maker has been a must-try for pizza lovers all around New York, and has become so famous that it has opened branches in Hong Kong and Manila.
Chef Mathieu Palombino is at the helm, and uses homemade ingredients like fior di latte and oreganata butter. The wood-fire pizza is thin and has floppy, puffy crusts with some char, but it doesn’t break apart while you eat it. Some creative toppings on the menu include Brussel sprouts, cherry-stone clam, sea salt, and lemon. More traditional toppings include favorites like smoked pancetta, extra-virgin olive oil, and a spicy soppressata.
Adam Kuban via Flickr3. Lucali
Carroll Gardens, 575 Henry Street, Brooklyn; 718-858-4086
This isn’t your basic pizza parlor. The candlelit décor lends the cozy restaurant an intimate vibe, and its gentrified area and incredible pies that are thin and crispy makes this an obvious choice for people from other boroughs to visit. There’s no menu for the brick-oven pizzas; a waiter informs you of what toppings are available for the day.
Lucali doesn’t take reservations, so be prepared for ridiculous waits, and don’t forget to bring cash as this place doesn’t take credit cards. In fact, bring a lot because the pizzas aren’t cheap (most are over $20). The BYOB makes it worth the wait and more affordable. Even Jay Z and Beyoncé love this place—they famously skipped the Grammys last year, instead opting for dinner at Lucali.
Roberta's Pizza4. Roberta’s
Bushwick, 261 Moore Street; 718-417-1118
Roberta’s chef Carlo Mirarchi was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2011. His restaurant has a hip vibe, as it’s located in trendy Bushwick where being 30 means that you’re over the hill. There’s not much when it comes to décor and ambience. You won’t find tablecloths or cloth napkins here, and the hard wood seats are uncomfortable. But the service is excellent and the wood-fired pizzas are slices of heaven with a cult-like following. Ingredients run from the staple to the refreshing, from Brussel sprouts to shallot, and from horseradish to lemon. The menu changes daily and includes pastas and meat dishes. But the pizza is why you go to Roberta’s. The basic pizza is made with mouthwatering mozzarella and caciocavallo. Pizza types rotate regularly, which means your favorite might be off the menu at the moment.
The grassroots restaurant doubles as a mini-farm with its own rooftop garden for fresh ingredients. Pies are cheap, starting around ten bucks. The rustic and cramped restaurant doesn’t take reservations, which is probably why the bar area is packed with people. But Roberta’s doesn’t want to deny its denizens their pizzas, which is why it opened up a take-out area next door. Roberta’s even started its own international brand that makes frozen pizzas, which you can find at grocers like Whole Foods.
Keste Pizzeria5. Keste Pizza & Vino
West Village, 271 Bleecker Street; 212-243-1500
Kesté, in the Italian dialect of Naples, means “this is it.” It might as well be since New York Magazine rated Keste the number one pizza in NYC despite the fact that it’s stuffed in a veritable shoebox. This is authentic Neapolitan pizza held to high standards, with an oven handmade from the lava clay of Mount Vesuvius that has the correct mouth size and which receives fuel from stacked wood. That should be no surprise as chef and owner Roberto Caporuscio is a member of the American chapter of Associazone Pizzaiouli Napoletana, an organization that certifies authentic Neapolitan pizzas. Before Caporuscio learned how to make authentic pizza under esteemed masters in Naples, he was an expert on cheese. He was born on a dairy farm outside of Naples and was first a farmer and then a cheese salesman.
Keste’s authentic Neapolitan pies have smoky and chewy crusts due to a 1,000-degree oven. The imported Neapolitan ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes and doppio zero flour are all here. The brick-oven sear is famous for creating small burnt pockets on the pies, but not so much that any single pie tastes overcooked or too charred. Keste is versatile, as it offers nearly thirty pies to choose from. Some are simply topped with fresh, homemade buffalo mozzarella, some are made for vegans, and others are gluten-free.
Marta via Twitter6. Marta
NoMad, 29 East 29th Street; 212-651-3800
Try to nab a reservation (good luck!) or just show up and wait in ridiculous lines at the insanely-popular Marta. Head chef Nick Anderer produces the only pies on the menu—Roman-style pizzas that are airy and light with thin, crisp cracker-like crusts that don’t crumble and also manages to be chewy. The toppings go beyond sausage and pepperoni including such items like chanterelles and arugula.
Marta is located in the Martha Washington Hotel in the new-ish area of NoMad, and it doesn’t look like a typical pizzeria. Its open kitchen, soaring space, and polished dining room make the refined space elegant and beautiful. Even though it’s relatively new, it’s become an instant New York icon, receiving two stars from The New York Times. It’s almost guaranteed to remain popular because it’s owned by famous restaurateur Danny Meyer, the man behind Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern and The Modern, as well as the now ubiquitous Shake Shack. Marta’s Roman-style pies seem poised to challenge the Neapolitan pizza found in so many pizza restaurants around the city.
Tavola Trattoria 7. Tavola
Hell’s Kitchen, 488 Ninth Avenue, 212-273-1181
Tavola is off the beaten path unless you’re catching the bus at Port Authority, looking for a place to eat before a Broadway show, or maybe if you work in the area. That’s why this restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen is a hidden gem for great pizza. Nicola Accardi is the chef and owner of Tavola, who lived in Sicily to learn family secrets on how to create regional Italian fare. That’s exactly what makes his pies so authentic and special. With homegrown ingredients, the pies are made in a wood-burning oven made from Mount Vesuvius volcanic clay.
The rustic restaurant is located in the former space of the historic grocery store Manganaro Grosseria Italiana, and Accardi references his restaurant’s past by keeping intact the pressed tin ceilings and the shelves, fully stocked with imported Italian products like olive oil. Tavola makes more than pizza, which is why it has a second wood-burning oven reserved for roasting meats and seafood.
Robyn Lee via Flickr8. Rubirosa
Nolita, 235 Mulberry Street; 212-965-0500
The average wait time of an hour to get seated at Rubirosa will leave you worn and annoyed, but once you try the crisp crusts, sweet marinara, and fresh mozzarella on pies that are almost paper thin, you’ll forget the hassle. Rubirosa is all about keeping it simple with a crust that’s both chewy on the inside and crispy on the bottom. They’re also renowned for a delicate char and crunchy edges.
This is a genuinely Italian family business. Angelo Pappalardo is the son of Giuseppe Pappalardo, the owner of the famed pizzeria Joe & Pat’s in Staten Island. That’s where Angelo learned how to create super-thin but substantial crusts.
Oliver Chesler via Flickr9. Totonno’s Pizzeria
Coney Island, 1524 Neptune Avenue; 718-372-8606
If you’re up for a trip to Coney Island, you’ll find that Totonno’s serves the best pizza out there. Totonno’s is practically an institution, an old-fashioned parlor unchanged since it opened in 1924. This 91-year-old joint is known for its almost sauce-less coal-oven pies made with the freshest ingredients. In fact, its most famous pie is the white pie, crafted from house-made mozzarella and pecorino romano and cooked until crispy char marks show up.
This is a no-nonsense pizza joint, the kind where you eat off Styrofoam plates and pay by cash because that’s the only type of currency that Totonno’s takes. But none of that has stopped Totonno’s from being anointed as the best pizza in New York by Zagat, The New York Times, and even the James Beard Foundation.
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Being that New Yorkers can get saucy about this subject, the pizza debate is hotly contested. What’s your favorite slice in town?
[Featured Image: Courtesy of Tavola]
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