Best Pizzas in NY

I have tried them all and the best are in this order

1. Totonnos in Brooklyn only (the other locations do not do it justice)

2. Nicks Forest Hills (surprised me the first time I went there)
3 Grimaldis Brooklyn by the bridge
4 Johns on Bleeker st almost off the list

Lombardis has fallen and now officially become a tourist trap and is horrible

What about DiFara's?

Maybe I missed a few Where is that one

quote:

Originally posted by richardao1

Maybe I missed a few Where is that one

Maybe you did. How about Totonnos in Coney Island? pb
Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J
Brooklyn, NY 11230
(718) 258-1367

I put Totonnos first didn't miss that one All others have to measure up to it so far

quote:

Originally posted by richardao1

I have tried them all

quote:

Originally posted by richardao1

Maybe I missed a few

Yeah, not even knowing of the existence DiFara's (and by extension, quite possibly other great pizzerias) kinda invalidates your original statement

But that's OK.

It's generally best to state "in my opinion" rather than state something as an absolute truth.

I like Joe's in Greenwich Village on Carmine off 6th Ave. But it was better before it moved up the block from its original location.

Let me restate I have been to quite a few and in my gastronomical opinion . Just Kidding. How does every one feel about Frank Pepe's in CT. I was a bit dissapointed when I went. The service was so slow and the pie was really over cooked. I still don't understand how they cut there pies either. Must have been 30 tiny slices all over the place.

richardao

I couldn't agree with you more! I am a big fan of NY style pizza, its my favorite kind. While I like New Haven style, I don't like it as much as NY. I've had my fair share of New Haven style, and I don't think that Pepe's is the best. Maybe it used to be, and people are just trying to hold on. I can't stand the way they slice it, and it is impossible to eat without a knife and fork, at least for the first 10 minutes, until it gets cold.

Modern, is much better.

Buzzy's in Niagara Falls...see, there's a State attached to the City and it has pizza, too.

Hands down the best pizza in the world is Mark's Pizza in Rochester NY.
Those pretentious NYC pizzeria can't come close.
And the upstarts in New Haven are vastly overrated!

http://www.markspizzeria.com/

This is a interesting post..First time I've seen one of these

quote:

Originally posted by Kaczmark

Hands down the best pizza in the world is Mark's Pizza in Rochester NY.
Those pretentious NYC pizzeria can't come close.
And the upstarts in New Haven are vastly overrated!

http://www.markspizzeria.com/

Is the Rochester location better than the other 43 outlets of this chain? I had it once...near Syracuse, and it was just okay.

quote:

Originally posted by Kaczmark

Hands down the best pizza in the world is Mark's Pizza in Rochester NY.
Those pretentious NYC pizzeria can't come close.
And the upstarts in New Haven are vastly overrated!

http://www.markspizzeria.com/

You are kidding, right? pb

Most of Kaczmark's posts include a good deal of humor. And the only places in New Haven discussed here have been around for decades!

quote:

Originally posted by porkbeaks

quote:

Originally posted by Kaczmark

Hands down the best pizza in the world is Mark's Pizza in Rochester NY.
Those pretentious NYC pizzeria can't come close.
And the upstarts in New Haven are vastly overrated!

http://www.markspizzeria.com/

You are kidding, right? pb

Maybe they put nasty Rochester white hots on them.

quote:

Originally posted by richardao1

I have tried them all and the best are in this order

1. Totonnos in Brooklyn only (the other locations do not do it justice)

2. Nicks Forest Hills (surprised me the first time I went there)
3 Grimaldis Brooklyn by the bridge
4 Johns on Bleeker st almost off the list

Lombardis has fallen and now officially become a tourist trap and is horrible

I wish I could have tried them all, alas, I was only in NYC for a few days.
Lombardi's was horrible.
Grimaldi's was great, but not the best.
I wish I could have tried totonnos... is it also thin?
IF so, then yes, I realize I'm comparing apples to oranges, but I think the slice I miss the most came from:
Spumoni Gardens, in Brooklyn, not far from Coney Isl.
Thick and full of real flavor.

SAL & TONY'S guess you haven't been to all of them

Fairly new place in Brooklyn...Lucali's on Henry Street. BYOB. They only have pizza and calzone. Been to New Haven,Totonno,DiFaro etc. Try this.

This native Brooklynite has a sampled more than a few slices of the best NYC and Westchester has to offer:

Denino's in Port Richmond
Di Fara's in Midwood
Grimaldi's in the Heights
Joe & Pat's on the Island
John's on Bleeker
Johnny's in Mount Vernon (Westchester)
Lento's in Bay Ridge (now closed)
Lombardi's on Spring
Patsy's in East Harlem
Pizza Wagon in the Ridge
Sal's in Mamaroneck (Westchester)
Sofia's in Harrison (Westchester)
Spumoni Gardens (or L&B) in Gravesend
Totonno's in Coney Island

All offer (or once did) great pizza, but a few are (were) truly exceptional.

Totonno's back in the 60's and 70's was truly an experience, especially since it was empty most of time due to the fact that people other than those who worked or lived in the immediate area were afraid to venture a block beyond Nathan's due to the crime, and this was in broad daylight. I attended high school a half-mile away and and an extended lunch break with a few friends at either Nathan's or Totonno's was always a blast.

John's rocked in the 70's, but I've always been more partial to the thin crust of the hot sausage, mushroom and fresh garlic pies with a thin sheen of oil once served at Lento's.

Pizza Wagon served an outstanding Sicilian with an always fresh square featuring a thin, chewy crust during the 70's and 80's.

Today, Sal's serves an exceptional slice, but for pies I'm with Johnny's of Mount Vernon all the way.

I would not say that Lombardi's was terrible. It was good but not the best. Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge is my favorite right now.

I used to like Totonno's in Coney Island but since they expanded and Joel is not behind the counter making the pizzas, it has gone down a notch. When I first went to Totonno's I had a nice chat with Joel and Louise Ciminieri and they were quite friendly. Joel even allowed me behind the counter to see the oven. He opened the oven to show me where he put the coal in. He said I should get closer to get a better look, but all I could think about was Hansel and Gretel and said that I could see fine.

DiFara's is good, but the Scilian pie is better but it takes forever to get a pizza as Dominic does it all by himself. It is really a show to see him makes each pie by hand and cut the fresh basil on top.

Spumoni Garden is OK, but I would not go out of my way to go again.

John's is very good but I haven't been to Patsy's which is supposed to be on the high list for New York City. Also on the list is Ray's Pizza, but I haven't the foggiest which one to go to: Ray's, Famous Ray's, Original Ray's, Famous Original Ray's, Not Ray's...


Frank Pepe is a good pizza, though different from the New York City style. But I agree the service can be really bad at times.

Has anyone tried Luzzo's? In the West Village I think, amazing coal fired brick oven pizzas Nepolitan in style.

Just wanted to add that Tontonno's in Coney Island recently had major damage due to a fire. It is closed indefinately but they do promise to reopen. The fire received quite a bit of coverage in the local press.

My 2 cents as a native Brooklynite and having worked in NYC all my working life:

Lombardi's (disclaimer: I haven't been there in about 4 years so I guess I've missed the nosedive)

John's (Bleecker Street location)

Krispy on 13th Ave in Brooklyn for Sicilian.

Lento's was a long time favorite of mine when I lived in that neighborhood back in the late 70's/early80's. In fact one day as a test my sister and I ate at Tontonno's for lunch and Lento's for dinner and we both felt that Lento's was much better. But I should say it seems there were always day-to-day variations in both places. Maybe we hit Lento's on a good day and Tontonno's on a bad day.
PS, my wife and I have to go to a wake tomorrow on Long Island so I did a little research and based on Ed Levine's Pizza book we're going to try out Eddie's Pizza in New Hyde Park. I'm looking forward to it (Eddie's, not the wake)

Does John's on Bleecker Street sell pizza by the slice?  If so, which is better, John's or Famous Joe's on Carmine?

John's is strictly a whole pie place.  I think John's has a better quality pie than Joe's on Carmine.  

Hi billyboy.  Where do you recommend going for a slice in lower Manhattan?  A whole pie is not an option, as I'll be on foot.

LOL.....
Marks is good....but not even the best in the area...
(minus points for any place that heat lamps their slices)

Chester Cab..Cam's & Pizza Stop are my favorites around here..

big ups to Gino's in Long Beach, NY (Except parking situation sucks)

Kaczmark


Hands down the best pizza in the world is Mark's Pizza in Rochester NY.
Those pretentious NYC pizzeria can't come close.
And the upstarts in New Haven are vastly overrated!

http://www.markspizzeria.com/

Morfood


LOL.....
Marks is good....but not even the best in the area...
(minus points for any place that heat lamps their slices)

Chester Cab..Cam's & Pizza Stop are my favorites around here..

big ups to Gino's in Long Beach, NY (Except parking situation sucks)

Kaczmark


Hands down the best pizza in the world is Mark's Pizza in Rochester NY.
Those pretentious NYC pizzeria can't come close.
And the upstarts in New Haven are vastly overrated!

http://www.markspizzeria.com/

I used to go to Gino's when I lived in Lido Beach back in the early 90's.
 
BTW, DiFara's is not what they used to be. I think they were much better when I lived 6 blocks away back in the late 80's. As late as 1997 they were still good(when I returned after a 5 year absence) when I returned again in 2005 (after they became famous) they slipped considerably which I solidified when I visited again 2 years later in 2007
 
Lombardi's may be touristy, but they're no tourist trap. It was my 2nd favorite pie on our Pizza tour when we visited in 2007 (Grimadi's- also touristy - was my favorite)
 

Some yutz (identified only by his initials) recently asked Adam Kuban of SliceNY where he should go for pizza in NYC other than DiFara, and Adam made it into a SliceNY article

That yahoo should have asked that question here, don't you think?  Seems like a pretty roadfood-y question, if you ask me

http://slice.seriouseats....-what-would-it-be.html

TJ Jackson


Some yutz (identified only by his initials) recently asked Adam Kuban of SliceNY where he should go for pizza in NYC other than DiFara, and Adam made it into a SliceNY article

That yahoo should have asked that question here, don't you think?  Seems like a pretty roadfood-y question, if you ask me

http://slice.seriouseats....-what-would-it-be.html

funny!

TJ Jackson


Some yutz (identified only by his initials) recently asked Adam Kuban of SliceNY where he should go for pizza in NYC other than DiFara, and Adam made it into a SliceNY article

That yahoo should have asked that question here, don't you think?  Seems like a pretty roadfood-y question, if you ask me

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/09/dear-slice-if-i-could-only-eat-at-one-nyc-pizzeria-other-than-di-fara-what-would-it-be.html

 
We already have a yutz (yahoo?) with the initials TJ. We sure don't need another.   pb

richardao1


Let me restate I have been to quite a few and in my gastronomical opinion . Just Kidding. How does every one feel about Frank Pepe's in CT. I was a bit dissapointed when I went. The service was so slow and the pie was really over cooked. I still don't understand how they cut there pies either. Must have been 30 tiny slices all over the place.

What??

NYPIzzaNut

richardao1


Let me restate I have been to quite a few and in my gastronomical opinion . Just Kidding. How does every one feel about Frank Pepe's in CT. I was a bit dissapointed when I went. The service was so slow and the pie was really over cooked. I still don't understand how they cut there pies either. Must have been 30 tiny slices all over the place.

What??

Yeah what NYPizzaNut said, "What??"

Were you even on Wooster St.? This seems like a parallel universe...well except for the wait but it's always that way.

I have never been to Connecticut for pizza yet (a lack that I hope to soon correct!).  Nevertheless, I am disturbed to hear that such a fine pizza parlor uses that northeastern fashion of cutting pizza into lots of little squares, with a a tic-tac-toe sort of pattern of slicing the pie.

My all time fav is an Italian sausage from Robintino's in Bountiful Utah

MiamiDon


I have never been to Connecticut for pizza yet (a lack that I hope to soon correct!).  Nevertheless, I am disturbed to hear that such a fine pizza parlor uses that northeastern fashion of cutting pizza into lots of little squares, with a a tic-tac-toe sort of pattern of slicing the pie.

Growing up in Bpt,Ct the only pizza I ever saw cut into squares was a Sicilian Pizza. The bottom crust was an inch thick. I think the Sicilian Pizza came from Jerry's Pizza in Bpt. BillyB

Sicilian pies are the only ones that should be cut in such a way (unless they are round).

Serious Eats is currently doing a People's Choice poll:
Favorite NY Pizza Slice (Di Fara then Patsy's)
Favorite NY Pizza Pie (Motorino then Totonno's)

They've also done falafel, croissant and are doing burger right now.

I ate at a NY place, could have been Brooklyn, was very good. Made to order. Select your own fresh ingredients that were then cut.
one of the best ingredient in pizza is Eggplant. I think I had that with whole tomato slices and ?? Very good stuff.

BillyB

MiamiDon


I have never been to Connecticut for pizza yet (a lack that I hope to soon correct!).  Nevertheless, I am disturbed to hear that such a fine pizza parlor uses that northeastern fashion of cutting pizza into lots of little squares, with a a tic-tac-toe sort of pattern of slicing the pie.

Growing up in Bpt,Ct the only pizza I ever saw cut into squares was a Sicilian Pizza. The bottom crust was an inch thick. I think the Sicilian Pizza came from Jerry's Pizza in Bpt. BillyB

I never saw any Sicilian at Jerry's, which doesn't mean they didn't have it.