Top 5 Pizza Pies

Top5pizzapies-New York City

Top 5 Pizza Places in New York City

The problem with making a list of the best pizza places in New York is that nobody, not even your neighbor or best friend, will agree with you.  I come from a small town in Massachusetts, the kind of community with one, undisputed local pizza champ.  Not so in New York.  Pizza is a divisive and deeply personal issue in this town, filled with as much elitism as pride.  So, as a disclaimer, consider this a very subjective list.  And to any New Yorkers reading, don't blow a gasket if your personal fav didn't make the cut.

1.  San Remo Pizza

1408 Cortelyou Rd

Brooklyn, NY 11226

(718) 282-4915

Quite simply the best pizza I've ever had.  Their vodka sauce and sausage slices are so good I could honestly imagine getting drunk from eating too many of them.  Around the corner from me, but worth the hike for any New Yorker.

2.  Otto Restaurant Enoteca Pizza

1 5th Ave

New York, NY 10003

Get Directions

(212) 995-9559

* approximate times

 - ottopizzeria.com

The only proper "restaurant" on this list, but worth the whole production.  Great, inventive pizzas and a great wine list (with bottles as cheap as $20 and as expensive as $2000).  Owned by Mario Batalli, this NoHo eatery's mission is good food for cheap.  Well, its not exactly Walmart, but definitely a good place to bring a date and enjoy some fine pizza.

3.  Zesty Pizza & Deli

1693 3rd Ave

New York, NY 10128

Get Directions

(212) 876-7210

A rather nondescript Upper East Side joint that contains pizza with toppings that spill over.  I can't think of a better place to get a hawaiian or a meat lovers.

4.  2 Bros Pizza

32 Saint Marks Pl

New York, NY 10003

Get Directions

(212) 777-0600

Three things: $1 slices, East Village, open all night.  'Nuff said.

5.  Luzzo's Pizzeria

119 E 96th St

New York, NY 10128

Get Directions

(212) 369-2300

Another hidden gem of the Upper East Side, Luzzo's makes distinctly Italian pizzas with such excellent ingredients as pesto and prosciutto.  The guys there always seem to be bullshitting and teasing each other in Italian about soccer matches, but when it comes to making great food they're all business.

 

Special Thanks to Pete K. for his expert local reviews!

Top5pizzapies- St.Louis, Mo

St Louis Pizza, top 5.

 

Like most cities, St Louis has pizza restaurants galore.and like most places, it‘s hard ot get good pizza. Though it pains me to do so, I have to include large chains in  St Louis’s  top 5. But it seems that in St Louis, almost every pizza place becomes a chain.

 

St Louis, Missouri Pizza

 

1)
http://www.joaniespizzeria.com

 

Joannie’s
2101 Menard St louis mo 63104  St Louis.   ( City proper!!)
21hhtthttp://www.joan
 The first time I had Joannie’s pizza was at a music show at Off Broadway, a great club with good  sound on Lemp. Near The Anheiser Busch Brewery. I’m not quite sure if it’s’ because the music was always great and the beers always cold, but Joanie’s pizza was fun to eat. You can get just about any kind of toppings you might want, including squash, or crawfish.. Joanie’s  pizzeria itself also offers  live music occasionally, and also delivers to all sorts of bars and places where people eat pizza!

 

http://www.racanellis.com
Racanelli’s
6655 Delmar- St louis, Mo  63130 actually in University City, but University City is in St Louis. Like Brooklyn is in NYC

 

The Racanelli Family is from the Bronx.In the 90s their pizza was great. The crust was good, the oil was just right etc..Rapid expansion ,meaning  opening other stores,   has taken it’s tol on the quality of the pie.l. It still is pretty good, but it’s great by St Louis standards. The  original location, in the U City Loop, looked like a real pizza place. Small, but authentic. I haven’t been there since the remodeling took place, but would imagine it retains that Bronx flavor.

 

Pizza World gourmet Pizza   St Louis (City Proper)
5611 S Kingshighway Blvd
St Louis, MO    63109e.htmttp:   //wwcity w.joaniespizzeria.com/pizza_page.htm02101 Menard (at Russell)

 

Pizza Wold is a chain. I first had it when living out in St Peter’s, Mo.. I used to get a  reasonably thick crust, with sausage, or with mushrooms and black olives.. It actually is  good, the best chain pizza I’ve ever had.
http://www.pizzaworldusa.net/locations.php?L=Missouri

 

 

 

 Pantera’s Pizza  St Louis City Proper
7222 Manchester Rd
St Louis, MO 63143
(314) 781-1424
http://www.panteraspizza.net/

 

 I believe Pantera’s is  a St Louis phenomenon. I ate tons of this in the early and mid 80s.Also good chain pizza.  A belly bomber, can be used as a anchor or stanchion. Very tasty, but don’t expect to get a lot of work done later if you eat more than one slice for lunch.

 

 

La Pizza
8137 Delmar Boulevard
http://www.saucemagazine.com/lapizza/
University city,  Mo 63130 But St .louis City
New joint. Fresh ingredients, nice presentation, pretty tasty..

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bio: Jeff Alexander.St Louis, Mo &  Brooklyn, N.Y. Home page www.cousinmoemusic.com

 

I was born in 1958,  and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Great pizza was a birthright. Every which way  I turned, there was great pizza. Even the bad pizza was good!.. I don’t remember ever having bad pizza in NYC  till I was in my thirties. The eighties were a rough decade for music and pizza.
     I grew up in the Madison neighborhood.. Kings Highway was a short walk away. Within just 4 short blocks of Kings Highway, between Ocean Avenue and E16th street, there were three great pizza places. I’m talking perfect crust, great cheese and sauce, just the right amount of oil. Not too little, not too much. And there was always a fresh pie about to come out of the oven. None of this new fangled idea of making a bunch of pies and stacking them up and then heating the cold , congealed slices when a customer came in. Pizza never lasted long enough to congeal,. As it was sold, the pie makers would put fresh pies into the oven to bake. If there wasn’t a relatively fresh pie waiting, we’d wait for  a fresh one to come out of the oven. The best neighborhhod  pizza was next to the Carvel on the  NW corner of E19th street. Then  a block down and on the south side,, across E18th street from the Avalon Movie Theater, the pizza was pretty darn good. Go back across Kings Highway, walk one and half blocks towards E16th st, the pizza was pretty damn good too. In my teens, Phil’s opened up under the train station,  between E16th street and E15th street.. It was  a little more tomatoey, and the crust a little thicker and softer., but good. It was open really late,  a few hours into the next morning, so it was a popular spot.
   Ave U. had Trio Pizza.  Ave J. had Di Fara’s. It’s still there on the corner of E 15th street. Same guy runs it. He’s really old now. Looks like he is wearing the same apron from 30 years ago. And the place is just as dirty and rundown as it was then. I’m not talking just a nondescript place. I’m talking downright dilapidated. But it has become a celebrated, often reviewed landmark. He gets4 bucks a slice.  Sells the pie faster than he can make it. We’ll talk bout the pie another time.
    All that said, the best pizza place I frequented, and I mean frequented, was Mario’s. On Dyre Avenue , in the far Northeast Bronx. 

 

Top5pizzapies-Staten Island,NY

Brother's Pizzeria
750 Port Richmond Ave
Staten Island, NY 10302
(718) 442-2332

Amazing pizza! Brother's puts the perfect combination of tangy sauce and cheese so it compliments instead of overwhelming one another. An old school pizza joint where family and friends can hang out and relax in a laid back atmosphere. Even better is that they stay open late. The best part is that no matter what time you walk in, there's always a large pizza in the oven waiting to be munched on, so the wait time is non-existent. The staff is super friendly and a bit of flirts but not in a creepy way.

Denino's Pizzeria Tavern
524 Port Richmond Ave
Staten Island, NY 10302
(718) 442-9401

One thing I have always appreciated about Denino's is that they don't skimp on the sauce or cheese. They pile it on like there's no tomorrow. Pair that with the super thin crust and you have the Best. Pizza. Ever. It's the perfect combo of chewy cheesiness and zesty tomato sauce and the pizza never gets the least big soggy. They kind of skimp on the toppings but the pizza is so good you don't really miss it. While you're waiting inside the red brick pizzeria, check out their cute slogan: In Crust We Trust. The place is often packed so I recommend taking your pizza to go since the wait for a table is long.

Joe & Pat Pizzeria
1758 Victory Blvd
Staten Island, NY 10314
(718) 981-0887

I don't know how Joe & Pat's Pizzeria does it. No matter what time of day I go in, the pizza always taste so fresh. They make these pizzas that have super thin crusts and tangy flavorful sauce on top and it's not the least bit greasy. Since the location is out of the way, most tourists tend to miss this spot which is great for locals looking for a friendly lo-key place to relax and kick back with friends and family.

Gino's Pizzeria & Restaurant
1351 Forest Ave
Staten Island, NY 10302
(718) 273-0945

The place is small but what is lacks in size it makes up for in charm. The slices are really cheesy, the crust has the right amount of crispness and they give you these humungous slices, which I love! There is a small dining area in the back which is often packed so take my advice and get your slices to go.

Bario's Pizzeria & Restaurant
446 Nome Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10314
(718) 966-0145

The pizza here is so good. They have a lot of variety pizzas but take my advice and go for the Sicilian or the Vodka. You won't be sorry. The sauce has this homemade, fresh, puts Ragu to shame taste to it. Bario's also tends to supersize their pizza so unless you come with a huge appetite, you're bringing home leftovers. The pizzeria itself is on the small side and parking is practically non-existent but the pizza is so worth it! 

Special Thanks to Alma for her reviews!

 

The Hamptons,NY

The Pizza Place, Bridgehampton,NY

Montauk Hwy across from the Plaza

This is a cozy little place on the south side of the highway across from BH commons just before you reach the village of Bridgehampton. What I like about this place is that the topping on their sausage pizza is served with a chopped up sausage similar to ground up hamburger. If the pizza is good fresh and hot,that's great  but if  you go there in the winter or at night during the week, they'll take a slice out of the fridge and heat it up. I don't know if this is common practice on the east end, but it explains why a couple of years ago I got sick to my stomach after eating a slice there. I really hate to list this on the Top5PP but unfortunately Bridgehampton only has a couple of Pizza Places (no pun intended). Anyway the pizza was hot and soggy , dry and tasteless. -peter cooke

Scotto's Pork Store

Scotto's Pork Store

25 W Montauk Hwy
Hampton Bays, NY 11946
(631) 728-5677

www.scottosporkstore.com

Excellent brick oven pizza. Sauce is chunks of tasty fresh Roma tomatoes. Smooth and fresh. Crust is crispy. Cheese is fresh home made mozzarella. This is excellent Brooklyn style pizza in the middle of the Hampton's.

Not too much atmosphere if your going to dine in. This is a real pork store that you find in neighborhoods in the boroughs of New York. The fact that they make pizza with their excellent ingredients is just a treat. The only problem I have with them is that a few times if I take the pie home its not hot enough. But hands down this is the best in Hampton Bays.

East Quogue Pizza Deli

East Quogue Pizza and Deli

424 Montauk Hwy 631-653-6222

This place is really a deli with a pizza oven in it. The pizza is ok and not that bad considering its still New York pizza. The good thing for this place is that it's in a small town and therefore the only pizza place. Making there no problem to make the top 5. However there is another place opening up down Montauk Hwy pretty soon near the village.

The pie here is usually pretty good however it can be crisp in parts and soggy in others. The crust is pretty good, the sauce has a plain flavor. Its a greasy pie. The cheese is a no name brand. But it is quick hot,local  and not that bad. The prices are great for the area. They have one special --2 pies,garlic nuts and 2 big bottles of soda for just under 20 bucks. Or you can 2 slices and a nice size fountain soda for 6 bucks, which is reasonable. They also deliver and are quick. The place has seats but little atmosphere. Its a good place in the summer for lunch because they have limited outside seating and plenty of people stop in. I give it 5 out of 10.