New York has long had a love affair with pizza, dating back to when Italian immigrants moved to the city in the early 20th Century. In the decades since Gennaro Lombardi first started selling New York-style pies in Little Italy, the best pizza in NYC has expanded to include a host of styles and toppings—there’s a reason we claim bragging rights for doing the best pizza in the country.
Today, you’ll find creative takes on the OG floppy slice at a beloved Lower East Side pizzeria, squared-shaped Detroit-style pies from an NYC favorite, light Neapolitan pies at a legendary Italian foods purveyor, and so much more. We’ve rounded up five distinct pizza styles and restaurants where you can sit down to try them, so you don’t have to wait in line.
Read on for a guide to the best pizza in NYC, and make a booking on OpenTable.
For an unconventional New York slice, go to Scarr’s (Lower East Side)
Among pizza aficionados in New York, Scarr’s is legendary, which is saying a lot considering the restaurant only opened in 2016. Head here for an unconventional New York slice with a sturdy yet airy crust and a bright sauce all created by owner Scarr Pimentel. He grew up in Hamilton Heights and came up in the kitchens of local favorites like Emilio’s Ballato, Artichoke Basille’s, and Lombardi’s, so you know his pies are next-level.
They’re made with locally sourced ingredients and house-milled flour, which has earned them cult status and lines down the block. Skip the line and book a table on OpenTable to feast on pies like the signature Hotboi with pepperoni, sliced jalapeños, and a generous drizzle of hot honey.
For Detroit-style pies, head to Emmy Squared (Multiple locations)
The airy, springy dough that’s the bedrock of Emmy Squared’s pies takes more than 24 hours to come together—and it’s that level of detail that’s helped this pizzeria founded by Emily Hyland and Matt Hyland in 2016 remain an NYC staple. Detroit-style pies are known for their pillowy dough, frico topping, and square shape, a nod to the steel pans—made from leftover metal scraps from the city’s automotive industry—they’re baked in.
At Emmy Squared, you’ll find 11 such pies with a crust made with three cheeses that melt all the way down the sides. Go for the red-sauce Colony with cup-style pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and honey. Or try CEO Troy Tracy’s favorite, the Big Ang. It has a housemade vodka sauce, Italian sausage, ricotta, and banana peppers. “[It] has all flavors that you won’t get anywhere else,” Tracy says.
For a taste of Naples, go to La Pizza & La Pasta at Eataly (Flatiron and FiDi)
Eataly teamed up with Naples legend Rosso Pomodoro, so these Neapolitan-style pizzas are really as good as it gets in the city. Think housemade dough topped with San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and served fresh out of the wood-fired oven—all hallmarks of the simple and light pies that are said to have originated in Naples in the 1600s.
At Eataly, you can stick to tradition with the Margherita Verace TSG with that stellar tomato sauce, creamy buffalo mozzarella, and basil. Or go for something a little more elaborate like the Capricciosa crowned with artichokes, olives, and thinly sliced ham.
For thin-crust Roman-style pies, head to Montesacro BK (Williamsburg)
Roman-style pizza takes a left turn from Neapolitan pies; rather than round, these thin-crust pies are typically rectangular, the size of a sheet pan, and often sold by weight in the Campo de’ Fiori and other piazzas in the city.
Here in New York, you can find these hand-stretched pies called pinsa (that date back to ancient Rome) at the Roman-inspired Montesacro in Williamsburg, which makes a dozen varieties in an oval shape. For something a little more simple, get the Tor Pignattara with translucent slices of prosciutto, a flurry of arugula, and a generous dusting of Grana Padano cheese. For something that packs more of a punch, go for the Quadraro with cured guanciale, red onion, and chiles.
For fluffy Sicilian pies, go to Il Porto (Clinton Hill)
This Clinton Hill staple has long been a family favorite (even Gordon Ramsay is a fan) for its wood-fired pizzas and live jazz on weekends. But locals also know that Il Porto has a small section of its menu dedicated to fluffy Sicilian-style pies.
These almost focaccia-like creations—which originated in Palermo, where they’re called sfincione—are topped in Italy with tomato sauce, bread crumbs, and a grating of hard cheese. Sicilian immigrants to New York changed that combo, swapping the hard cheese with easier-to-find mozzarella—and you can find both versions at Il Porto.
Known for her pioneering food blog, The Strong Buzz, Andrea covers restaurants, chefs, trends, and big picture stories about the intersection of food, business, policy and the law for publications such as The New York Times, Fast Company, Food & Wine, New York Magazine, Eater, and more. She lives, eats, and loads and unloads the dishwasher in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram, @strongbuzz_.
