15 Best Pizza Slices in NYC

It’s hard to picture life without pizza– a true staple in any food enthusiast’s diet, and even more so in New York City. The first pizza was introduced in New York by Italian immigrants in the early nineteen-hundreds, and is the most common food in the city to date.

You won’t see a New Yorker eating pizza unless it’s fresh out of the oven and folded in half. Cheese, pepperoni, vodka, or Margherita– pizza in New York is truly unparalleled. This guide features the best of the best slices of pizza in NYC. So sit back, book a flight to the big apple, and set up the pizza crawl of a lifetime. It will be the best $3 you spend in the city.

DON’T MISS: 25 BEST RESTAURANTS IN NYC

15. Lions, Tigers, and Squares

Some might call it a sin to get Detroit-style pizza while in New York, but it’s more than okay to make an exception for Lions, Tigers, and Squares because they serve one of the best slices of pizza in NYC. The flavors in these slices will blow your mind, and you’ll love the caramelized cheddar cheese crust found on the parameters of the pizza. Our favorite pie here is the sausage and onion. The sausage has the perfect blend of spices with a dash of maple syrup to balance it out. Come to LT&S for slices of pie that are thick, chewy, and full of flavor.

14. Unregular Pizza

Unregular Pizza is the newest pizza shop on this guide and we’re so glad they opened. Owner Gabriele Lamonaca wanted to bring a piece of his home, Rome, to NYC and you can definitely feel the love in every bite. Something that unregular offers that’s so unique to any other pizzeria is their burrapizza. That’s right– an entire ball of burrata on the slice of pizza, which is undeniably delicious. The burrata comes on the chicken vodka, pepperoni, or truffled mushroom, which will completely fill you up. A slice of the burrapizza is worth a trip to Unregular Pizza alone.

13. Champion Pizza

Champion pizza takes you to a place where you can simultaneously enjoy having no worries and a great slice of pizza. This is a pizza joint that will make you feel like a true New Yorker. Having a hard time deciding which slice you want? Close your eyes and point, because there is a flavor for every mood: pepperoni, buffalo chicken, margherita pesto, and even mac n’ cheese (yes, on the pizza!). There are 25 different slices and counting. Should you decide to dine-in at this cozy pizzeria, be sure to stop and admire how many celebrities have made their way to partake of these glorious slices.

SEE ALSO: TOP 20 DESSERTS IN NEW YORK CITY

12. Village Square Pizza

Whether you’re in the East or West Village, Village Square Pizza will satisfy the cravings you have for a killer slice of pizza in NYC. The motto here is “get lost in the sauce” and nothing could be closer to the truth. The ratio of sauce to cheese on each slice is perfection and the crust is beautifully pillowy. The sauce on every slice is to die for, made with recipes that have been passed down for generations, all made with top-notch ingredients. Try the vodka square slice, made with fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan, vodka sauce, and extra virgin olive oil for a pizza memory you’ll never forget.  

11. Sofia Pizza Shoppe

Located in Midtown East, Sofia Pizza Shoppe knocks the pizza game out of the park. They are tried and true and make a perfect New York Slice. Sometimes pepperonis on a pizza are too large, burnt, or soggy, but Sofia’s is the pepperoni promised land. The cheese on every slice delightfully flows over and onto the crust. Every slice is guaranteed to satisfy anyone looking for one of the best pizza slices in NYC.

10. Joe’s Pizza

If you’ve visited New York, chances are you’ve eaten at Joe’s. Joe’s embodies the quintessential New York slice and has been making some of the best pizza slices in NYC for almost 50 years (that’s a lot of pizza and a lot of happy customers). Joe’s isn’t famous just because of their affiliation with Peter Parker– these slices truly live up to the hype. Each time you come to Joe’s, every slice is just as good as your last. Picture simplistic large, cheesy, and hot slices of cheese pizza. They’re unfussy, uncomplicated, and absolutely delicious. Joe’s is the perfect “go-to” pizza spot when visiting New York because there are multiple shops conveniently located throughout the city. 

CRAVING FOR ICE CREAM? 10 BEST ICE CREAM SHOPS IN NYC

9. Upside Pizza

Upside Pizza serves phenomenal pizza, made with locally sourced and house-made ingredients from their sausage to mushrooms to fresh mozzarella. To achieve their perfect crust, they have a special water filtration system and method for making their dough. Our favorite slice of pizza at Upside is the Falcowitz, which includes a white wine lemon cream sauce topped with fresh mozzarella & sautéed mushrooms, finished with fresh lemon zest, chopped parsley, cracked black pepper, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Talk about flavor!

8. Bleecker Street Pizza

Bleecker Street Pizza has been serving New Yorkers for almost two decades and continues to make one of the best pizza slices in NYC. Their Nonna Maria slice will knock your socks off– made with mozzarella cheese, dollops of garlicky tomato sauce, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and thin cuts of basil. The sauce isn’t overly sweet or bitter and the garlic is not overpowering. But the crust is what really stands out at Bleecker Street: sturdy and crunchy, yet still soft on the inside. Whether you want this pizza for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an after-midnight snack, Bleecker is open from 10 am until 2 am, and 5 am on the weekends so you can always satisfy that late-night pizza craving.

7. Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop

If you’re coming to New York for a classic New York slice, Paulie Gee’s is the slice you should get. Brooklyn is notorious for having the best pizza of the five boroughs of NYC, and Paulie Gee’s supports this reputation. Their classic pepperoni slice is unparalleled. This slice passes the “foldable” test (folds perfectly down the middle as an authentic NYC pizza slice should), the perfect crust test, and the perfect topping test– a true New York Slice. The cheese and sauce ratio is flawless. Have you noticed a theme here? There is no fault in Paulie Gee’s which serves some of the very best pizza slices in NYC. 

6. Made In New York Pizza

Opened by an ex-staff member of Prince Street Pizza (keep reading), Made in New York serves some of the best pizza slices in NYC, since its opening in early 2019. Rivalry aside, they serve the iconic pepperoni square slice, but also offer plenty of other toppings and slices including sausage jalapeno, veggie, bbq chicken, and our personal favorite– the vodka slice, which is so simple but so incredibly tasty. Made with mozzarella, house vodka sauce, and basil, it’s rich and creamy but has the perfect balance thanks to the acidity from the tomatoes. We consider this the pizza of our dreams. 

5. Prince Street Pizza

Prince Street Pizza is one of the most well-known pizza joints in the city and home to one of the best slices of pizza in NYC. New Yorkers, tourists, and celebrities alike flock to Prince Street on a daily basis to sink their teeth into the ever-famous thick, square, spicy pepperoni pizza slice. This slice is substantial, chewy, cheesy, saucy, and juicy (think the type of pizza you’d see in a commercial). The amount of pepperoni on each slice is perfection. Prince Street Pizza is one of the only New York pizza shops that has expanded to other parts of the country including Los Angeles and Miami.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST PIES IN NYC

4. Di Fara Pizza

They say that a pizza is only as good as the oven and at Di Fara Pizzeria, they’ve baked fantastic pizza from their piping hot ovens like no one else for decades. Owner Domenico De Marco opened Di Fara in 1965 and has been perfecting the art of pizza for over 53 years. Everything on the pizza at Di Fara is high quality: the cheese, the sauce, the olive oil, and the toppings are unmatched. Customers often wait for over an hour, but it’s always worth the wait for one of the best slices of pizza you can get in NYC. No need to get fancy at this Brooklyn joint; a simple margherita slice is the way to go.

3. Scarr’s Pizza

Scarr’s is home to the Lower East side and was founded by native New Yorker Scarr Pimentel in 2016. The pizza dough at Scarr’s is made with grains that are milled in their very own basement flour mill, which lends to pizza that’s just as delicious as it is impressive. For one of the best pizza slices in NYC, order their Hotboi slice, made with pepperoni, jalapeno, and topped with local Mike’s Hot Honey. Yes– honey on pizza, which elevates the flavor in a very simple way but keeps you coming back for more. If spice isn’t your thing, a cheese slice at Scarr’s is more than satisfactory. 

2. Mama’s TOO!

Though Mama’s Too doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a “foldable” New York slice, the flavors are unmatched at this small pizza joint in the Upper West Side. There’s a reason the line is always around the block. Once you have Mama’s Too, it’s difficult to go anywhere else. If you ask the owner what slice to get, he will simply reply that whatever mood you’re in is what you should get, because there is not a flavor at Mama’s Too that isn’t delicious. Still having a hard time deciding? Order the Vodka or Florentino which includes spinach, garlic, and oozing mozzarella and whipped ricotta. For one of the most spiritual pizza experiences though, you must order the poached pear, made with aged mozzarella, poached pear, sweet gorgonzola, and hot honey. It is the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and spicy and one of the best pizza slices in NYC.

1. L’Industrie Pizzeria

If you want to experience the very best pizza slice in NYC, do not miss your opportunity at L’Industrie. Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, this restaurant opened in 2017, but has quickly gained traction in the pizza world. The owner reins from Florence, Italy and mixes the classic Italian-style pizza with the large New York slice. The dough, sauce, and cheese are the highest quality ingredients and many of the ingredients are imported directly from Italy. There are classic New York slices such as pepperoni and margherita, but the standouts are the burrata and tartufo, made with a melody of mozzarella, ricotta, basil, portobello mushrooms, and truffle sauce imported from Italy. This slice shop will have you coming back every time you’re in New York; take our word for it.