New York pizza is so deeply embedded in the city’s identity that it has become a tourist category as much as a food category — and the tourist category produces a lot of mediocre pizza sold to people who have nowhere else to go. This guide operates on different terms. These are the pizza places worth going to in each neighborhood, ranked on quality rather than fame, with enough specificity to be useful rather than just a list of names.
A few principles: New York pizza is not a single thing. There’s the thin, floppy, char-bottomed slice that the city perfected in the 20th century. There’s Neapolitan, which New York has adopted and adapted. There’s coal-oven pizza, which a handful of institutions have been making since the early 1900s. All three have legitimate claims on your attention, and this guide covers all three.
The Institutions: Coal-Oven Pizza
Patsy’s Pizzeria at 2287 First Avenue in East Harlem is the original — open since 1933, coal oven, thin-crust pizza with fresh tomato sauce and housemade mozzarella. The margherita from the coal oven is the reference point for what coal-oven New York pizza is supposed to be. The restaurant is a New York landmark; the pizza more than justifies the trip to East Harlem.
John’s of Bleecker Street in the West Village has been operating since 1929 in a space with booths carved full of names and a coal oven that hasn’t been updated since it was installed. Whole pies only, no slices. The sausage and pepper pie is the signature. Waits on weekends, worth them.
Totonno’s in Coney Island (a trip, but worth it for the committed) is the oldest continuously operating pizzeria in the United States, open since 1924. The coal oven produces a crust that is specific and excellent in ways that are hard to replicate.
Best Slices by Neighborhood
Midtown/Hell’s Kitchen: Joe’s Pizza has multiple Manhattan locations and is the most reliable consistent slice in the borough — the cheese slice is properly made, properly sized, properly priced. It’s not the most exciting pizza in New York but it’s the most dependably correct. Koronet Pizza at 110th Street on the Upper West Side/Morningside Heights border makes enormous slices (one slice is the size of a small pizza elsewhere) at low prices — excellent value for the neighborhood.
Lower East Side/East Village: Scarr’s Pizza on Orchard Street is the current critical favorite for a reason — the dough is made with organic flour, the cheese is fresh, and the slice has the char and the snap that signal a properly made crust. It’s the slice for people who take pizza seriously. Lucali is in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and worth a separate trip — but the closest equivalent energy in Manhattan is Scarr’s.
SoHo/NoLIta: Rubirosa on Mulberry Street makes a vodka-sauce pie that has become one of the more talked-about pizzas in lower Manhattan. The thin crust, the sauce (which has actual texture and spice), and the room full of people who know where they are all contribute to the experience.
Neapolitan in Manhattan
Don Antonio in Hell’s Kitchen is the best straightforward Neapolitan in Manhattan — the wood-burning oven produces a properly blistered crust, and the montanara (fried pizza) is genuinely distinctive. Ribalta in Gramercy is another serious Neapolitan option with a wood oven and a kitchen that takes the tradition seriously.
Una Pizza Napoletana, when operating (the restaurant has moved around; check current status), represents the most rigorous approach to Neapolitan pizza in New York — Anthony Mangieri’s obsession with the craft produces a product that purists consider the closest to true Neapolitan pizza available in the United States.
The Slice to Get on Your Way Somewhere
Joe’s Pizza for reliably correct. Scarr’s for the best technically. Koronet for the most pizza per dollar. Any of the corner slice shops in Chinatown or Washington Heights that have high turnover — fresh slices coming out continuously beat any older, sitting slice regardless of the restaurant’s reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Manhattan Pizza
What is the best pizza in Manhattan?
Patsy’s in East Harlem for coal-oven pizza. John’s of Bleecker Street for the whole-pie experience. Scarr’s on the Lower East Side for the best current slice. Don Antonio in Hell’s Kitchen for Neapolitan.
Where is the original Patsy’s Pizza?
2287 First Avenue in East Harlem — open since 1933, coal oven, thin crust. This is the original location, separate from the Patsy’s franchise restaurants elsewhere.
Is New York pizza thin or thick?
Classic New York pizza is thin-crust, foldable, and served by the slice. Neapolitan pizza (also popular in New York) is thinner in the center with a puffy, charred crust. Both traditions are well-represented in Manhattan.
Where can I get the best pizza slice near Times Square?
Joe’s Pizza has a Times Square location that maintains the brand’s quality standards. For something better, walk 10-15 minutes to Hell’s Kitchen where Don Antonio and several good slice shops are available.
Also see: Our $50 manhattan day guide
Also see: our client dinner restaurant guide
