Comparing Pizzas in New York City

I've been back and forth between Boston and New York three times over the past couple of months, trying some of the best-known pizza places in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Between these trips and a couple I took last spring, I have been able to come up with a list of some of the pizza places I have been to. Here they are in order of greatness, starting with my favorite:

1) Lombardi's, Little Italy
2) John's, Times Square
3) Arturo's, Greenwich Village
4) Di Fara, Midwood (Brooklyn)
5) Joe's, Greenwich Village
6) Grimaldi's, Dumbo (Brooklyn)
7) Da Nico, Little Italy

Lombardi's was nearly a perfect pie, in my opinion. Mild yet tasty mozzarella, zesty sauce, perfectly charred thin crust, and enough fresh basil to add some oomph to the pie. Di Fara probably would have been my #1 choice if not for the fact that the owner poured an inordinate amount of olive oil on the top of the pizza, using what looked like a watering can. Grimaldi's used to be perhaps my favorite pizza in the Northeast, but on our trip there two weeks ago, it seems a lot less flavorful than the previous time I was there. Arturo's and Da Nico had some really underrated pizzas, and both had that old-New York atmosphere that I love so much.

I still have not gotten to Spumoni, Lucali, and Totonno's (all in Brooklyn), nor have I tried Patsy's or Una Pizza Napoletana in Manhattan, so I have a ways to go before I can decide what my absolute favorite pizza is in New York City. Perhaps I'll get to at least of couple of these later in the spring.

I saw a FN speical on comparing NY to Chicago pizza and having fire fighters be the judge. Though I thought it was very skewed as they were comparing deep dish to thin crust. There is a huge gap in personal taste there. They should of done thin to thin and thick to thick. Nice list though. I travel to NY a lot so I will try out some the places listed

I like your list. Personally, I would rate Arturo's a bit above John's in midtown. I'm a fan of the coal oven and I feel that John's has slipped a bit ovet the past few years. My last meal at John's was about a year ago. The crust on my pizza was pretty soggy on that visit.

I agree with all of above....EXCEPT Joe's..,...just so ordinary to me....really have never understood the accolades....

Have you tried John's on Bleecker? I thought this was the original John's. In any case, it is excellent.

John's
278 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 243-1680

Darren72 wrote:Have you tried John's on Bleecker? I thought this was the original John's. In any case, it is excellent.

John's
278 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 243-1680

That is the original John's, and it's wonderful. The new John's, while beautiful, I think has a hard time doing that many covers at once.

Darren72 wrote:Have you tried John's on Bleecker? I thought this was the original John's. In any case, it is excellent.

John's
278 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 243-1680

I haven't tried John's on Bleecker yet, even though I have walked by it about 200 times (every time I go by it, the lines are out the door).

It's been a few years for me too, but I still have fond memories of Grimaldi's. Probably the only place I've stood in line, in inclement weather, for an hour and a half, and felt afterwards like it was worth the wait. Sorry to hear the quality's slipped.

You are mostly talking about Neopolitan thin crust pizza. As a misplaced New Yorker (living in Cleveland, Ohio) I miss New York style pizza the most. My favorite for this style is The Famous Ray's of Greenwich Village, at 6th Avenue and 11th Street.





There is no other pizza in the world with the mouthfeel this slice delivers!

NancyEsq wrote: My favorite for this style is The Famous Ray's of Greenwich Village, at 6th Avenue and 11th Street. There is no other pizza in the world with the mouthfeel this slice delivers!

NancyEsq, you are clearly an individual of outstanding taste and discernment.

That Ray's was my favorite of the Ray's 1977-1987 -- there are lots of variations on the Ray's name, but the one at 6th and 11th was always the best. If the pictures you took are any indication, this is the same pie it always was. Grease blotting verboten!

Josephine - I have a few more photos on my blog, www.funplayingwithfood.blogspot.com. Bob had a slice with Pepperoni and Sausage, but I'm a purist. Famous Ray's formula hasn't changed, even though the counterman I chatted with has only been there a few years. And there is only one "Famous Ray's" - though there are a lot of places with "Ray" (or "King", in Italian) in their name in NYC.

Yes, when i was there i noticed Famous Original Ray's, Ray's Original Famous, Original Famous Ray's, etc.

In the olden days, Famous Rays used to ship pizzas. It might have been a gimmick, and it can't be any good, but I wonder if they still do it. In any case, I am close enough to drive there for a late dinner. Lucky me.

I was an NYU student when Famous Ray's shipped those pizzas to England. For years, the walls were decorated with news reports etc. about that - now all gone. And the counterman didn't know what I was talking about when I asked him about it.

I will second John's on Bleecker, it's a must try if you wait in the line outside.

I had dinner at Lucali's, a pizza joint on Henry Street in Brooklyn. The OP mentioned it as a place he hadn't gotten to.

It's an interesting neighborhood place. It has about 10 tables, and the pizzas are made out in the restaurant (there is no kitchen). They have no appetizers and no desserts; just pizzas and calzones. They have no menu; they simply tell you the 8- or 10 ingredients available, and you tell them what you want. There are no reservations (and when you wait, you have to wait outside, although you can call and put your name on the list and they'll call you when you're table is ready), they take only cash, and they are BYOB. Get the idea?

The pizza itself is fairly thin crusted, and only a modest amount of topping is put on. Everything is fresh. The pizza maker (I forget the fancy Italian word for that) has fresh mozzerella balls in front of him and he rips off pieces for each pie. That night's special ingredient was artichoke hearts, and he sliced them on the pizza with a mandoline type of thing. I thought the two pies we had were excellent.

Between that and an earlier visit to Jacques Torres' chocolate shop in DUMBO, we had some good eats that day in NY.

Darren72 wrote:Have you tried John's on Bleecker? I thought this was the original John's. In any case, it is excellent.

John's
278 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 243-1680

It is the original. anyhow its delicious. for something strangely different in the utility pizza category i would recommend the vodka sauce pie at pomodoro on spring between lafayette and mulberry