Arguing about pizza is a New York pastime, and no list settles it. What follows is ten places we’d send a friend to, split into two groups. Slice shops are where you walk up, order at the counter and eat standing or at a narrow ledge. Pie places are sit-down restaurants where you order whole pizzas and usually wait for a table.
None of this is a ranking. Start with whichever one is closest.
Slice shops
Joe’s Pizza, Greenwich Village
Joe’s has been selling slices on Carmine Street since 1975, and its plain cheese slice is the one people mean when they say “a New York slice.” It’s thin, it folds, and it comes on a paper plate that’s more of a formality than a necessity. There are several locations now, but the original is still the one to visit. It’s open late, which is half the point.
L’Industrie Pizzeria, Williamsburg and West Village
L’Industrie started on South 2nd Street in Williamsburg and added a second shop on Christopher Street in the West Village. The crust is thin and crackly, and the burrata slice is the one everybody orders. In 2026 it was again named the best slice in America by 50 Top Pizza. Expect a line at both locations, especially on weekend evenings.
Scarr’s Pizza, Lower East Side
Scarr Pimentel mills his own flour on site, which is rare for any pizzeria and almost unheard of for a slice shop. You can taste the difference in the crust, which is sturdier and more flavorful than most. Get a plain slice first, then a square.
Prince Street Pizza, Nolita
Prince Street is known for one thing: the spicy pepperoni square, covered in little cups of pepperoni that crisp up at the edges and hold pools of oil. It’s heavy and it’s messy. The line moves faster than it looks.
Di Fara Pizza, Midwood, Brooklyn
Di Fara opened on Avenue J in 1965, and for decades Dom DeMarco made every pie himself, slowly, snipping fresh basil over each one. He died in 2022 and his family carries it on. The slices are expensive by slice-shop standards, and the wait can be long. Take the Q train to Avenue J and make an afternoon of it.
Sit-down pies
Lucali, Carroll Gardens
Lucali is a small, candlelit room on Henry Street, and getting in takes some planning. There are no reservations. You put your name down when the doors open, then wander the neighborhood until they call you, sometimes hours later. The menu is short, pizza and calzones, and it’s worth the hassle.
Una Pizza Napoletana, Lower East Side
Anthony Mangieri has been making Neapolitan pizza for decades, and Una is where you taste the result. The menu is only a handful of pies, all with soft, blistered crusts meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. Unlike most places on this list, it takes reservations.
L&B Spumoni Gardens, Gravesend, Brooklyn
L&B has been around since 1939, and it’s famous for a Sicilian square with the cheese under the sauce instead of on top. Eat it at the outdoor tables with a cup of spumoni afterwards. On a warm evening it feels like half of south Brooklyn is there with you.
Patsy’s Pizzeria, East Harlem
Patsy’s has been on First Avenue in East Harlem since 1933 and still bakes in a coal oven. The crust comes out charred and thin. You can sit down for a whole pie or grab a slice from the takeout window, which is one of the better bargains in Manhattan.
Joe & Pat’s, Staten Island
Joe & Pat’s makes a very thin, cracker-crisp pie, and the vodka-sauce version is the one to order. The same family runs Rubirosa on Mulberry Street in Manhattan, which is a good backup if you can’t get out to the island. If you do make the trip, combine it with the free ferry. Our Staten Island guide has more ideas.
If you’re eating your way around Brooklyn, our complete guide to Brooklyn covers what to see between slices.
