Food Guide
Best Pizza in NYC: 8 Slices Worth the Subway Ride
New York pizza is not one thing. It is a plain slice folded on a Greenwich Village sidewalk, a whole pie on a Coney Island weekend, and a honey-drizzled pie in Bushwick. Here are the 8 pizzerias worth your time, and how to fit them into a trip.
Short answer
If you eat one slice in New York, make it a plain slice at Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street. If you want one sit-down pie, go to Lucali in Brooklyn if you can handle the line. If you can't, book a table at Scarr's on the Lower East Side.
The 8 at a glance
| Pizzeria | Style | Neighborhood | Price | Reservations | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe's Pizza | Classic New York slice | Greenwich Village | Posted at the counter | Order at the counter | Your first New York slice |
| Lucali | Whole pies and calzones | Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn | $32 large pie | No. Waitlist from 4pm | A slow BYOB dinner |
| Di Fara Pizza | Old-school slice | Midwood, Brooklyn | $6 slice (online menu) | Order at the counter | A pizza-history pilgrimage |
| Totonno's | Whole pies only | Coney Island, Brooklyn | $25 pie (online menu) | Takeout and delivery only | A weekend Coney Island day |
| Roberta's | Wood-fired pies | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $26 Bee Sting (cash) | Yes, OpenTable | Groups and sit-down dinners |
| Prince Street Pizza | Square slice | SoHo | Posted at the counter | Order at the counter | A late-night slice |
| L'Industrie Pizzeria | Slices with Italian toppings | Williamsburg and West Village | Posted at the counter | No. Walk-in only | The burrata slice |
| Scarr's Pizza | Classic New York slice | Lower East Side | $4.50 slice | Yes, OpenTable (dine-in pies) | Skipping the line |
Joe's Pizza
Joe Pozzuoli, originally from Naples, opened Joe's in 1975, and it is still the standard visitors measure every other New York slice against. Thin crust, crisp underside, a straightforward balance of tomato and mozzarella. Order at the counter, fold, and eat.
Lucali
Lucali serves two things: pizza and calzones. Owner Mark Iacono turned a former Carroll Gardens candy store into the hardest pizza table in the city to get. The pies are thin, simple, and generous with fresh basil. Lucali takes no reservations — it is first come, first served, and the restaurant starts taking names for the waitlist at 4pm. It opens at 5pm and is closed Tuesdays.
See our Brooklyn guide for how this fits with the rest of Brooklyn.
Di Fara Pizza
Domenico "Dom" DeMarco opened Di Fara in 1965 and made it the most famous slice in Brooklyn. He died in 2022. Time Out reports that his son, also named Dom, took over the shop, with other family members also working the pies. It is a long subway ride from Manhattan. Go for the slice and for the history.
See our Brooklyn guide for how this fits with the rest of Brooklyn.
Totonno's
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitana has been in Coney Island since 1924. It sells whole pies, not slices. Its official site now says it is takeout and delivery only, with no indoor seating, and it is open only Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5:30pm.
Roberta's
Roberta's is a full sit-down restaurant, not a slice counter, and the Bee Sting is the pie to order. Its wood-fired crust is blistered and chewier than a classic New York slice. Hours are noon to 10pm weekdays, 11am to 11pm Saturday, and 11am to 10pm Sunday.
See our Brooklyn guide for how this fits with the rest of Brooklyn.
Prince Street Pizza
Prince Street's square slice is thick, airy, and crisp on the bottom, and the Spicy Spring's cupped pepperoni made it famous. It takes cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay as well as cash.
L'Industrie Pizzeria
L'Industrie is a slice shop with limited seating, and the burrata slice is the one people line up for. It has two locations with the same hours, noon to 10pm daily: the original in Williamsburg and a West Village shop at 104 Christopher St.
See our Brooklyn guide for how this fits with the rest of Brooklyn.
Scarr's Pizza
Scarr Pimentel opened Scarr's in 2016. The shop mills part of its own flour in-house, and its menu says its pizzas are made with 100% organic stone-milled flour. The result is still a classic New York slice, just a cleaner-tasting one. It's open until 11pm most nights, midnight on Thursday, and 2am on Friday and Saturday.
See our Lower East Side guide for how this fits with the rest of the Lower East Side.
What kind of pizza should you order in New York?
Order a plain slice first. A New York slice is a wide, thin wedge cut from a large round pie, and you fold it lengthwise so it doesn't droop. Joe's and Scarr's are the places to learn it.
After that, try one of each style:
- Square slice: thick, airy, and crisp on the bottom. Get the Spicy Spring at Prince Street.
- Whole pie: a sit-down meal, not a snack. Lucali, Roberta's, and Totonno's are whole-pie places. Totonno's sells no slices at all.
- Slices with toppings: the burrata slice at L'Industrie is the one visitors line up for.
Don't try to do all 8. Two or three in one trip, in different styles, will tell you more than eight plain slices.
Where can you get good pizza near Times Square?
Go to Joe's Pizza at 1435 Broadway. It's the Midtown branch of the Greenwich Village original, and it's open late every night: until 2am at the earliest, and until 5am on Saturday and Sunday.
For a sit-down pie, book Roberta's Penn at 1 Penn Plaza (Plaza 33 East), across the street from Madison Square Garden. You don't need an event ticket. It's a full-service restaurant with a Margherita for $23, plus a separate R Slice counter.
Every other pizzeria in this guide is downtown or in Brooklyn. Take the subway rather than walking. The closest, Joe's on East 14th Street, is about a 40-minute walk from Times Square.
Is it worth going to Brooklyn for pizza?
Yes — if you plan it as half a day, not a detour. Five of the 8 pizzerias in this guide are in Brooklyn, and they cluster into three trips.
- An evening in Carroll Gardens: Lucali. Join the line in the afternoon, put your name down at 4pm, and walk the neighborhood until your table is ready.
- North Brooklyn: L'Industrie in Williamsburg and Roberta's in Bushwick. On a Saturday, add Smorgasburg Williamsburg.
- A south Brooklyn weekend: Di Fara in Midwood and Totonno's in Coney Island. Totonno's is open only Saturday and Sunday, so this trip has to be a weekend.
NYC pizza FAQ
Do you need a reservation for pizza in New York?
Usually not. Most famous pizzerias are counters where you order and eat. In this guide, only Scarr's, Roberta's in Bushwick, and Roberta's Penn take reservations, all through OpenTable. Lucali, the pizzeria people most often try to book, takes no reservations.
How much does a slice of pizza cost in New York?
A plain slice at Scarr's costs $4.50. Di Fara's online menu lists a regular slice at $6 and a square slice at $8. Whole pies at sit-down pizzerias in this guide run $23 to $33.
Should you bring cash for pizza in New York?
Yes. Lucali is cash only, and published sources disagree on whether Joe's accepts cards. Scarr's and Roberta's in Bushwick add about 3% for credit cards, so paying cash saves money.
Is Joe's Pizza worth the line?
For your first New York slice, yes. Joe's has been making the classic slice since 1975. The line is for a counter, not a table, so plan to eat standing.
What's the best pizza for a first-time visitor to New York?
Start with a plain slice at Joe's on Carmine Street. Then add one whole pie: Lucali if you can wait in line, or Scarr's or Roberta's if you'd rather book a table.
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