By John Lee
When it comes to pizza, some consider
New York the best source outside Italy. There are close to 1,000 pizza restaurants in New York City (according to menupages.com); so you should be selective. Try the big-name restaurants, the oldest establishments, and the famous chains. Each type of restaurant will give you a different taste and feel for pizza in New York.
The Big Names
Probably the most well-known pizza place is Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn Heights. It serves coal-fired brick oven pizza. It is a thin crust with a smoky taste. Another establishment worth trying is Totonno's Pizza in Kips Bay. It makes a thin slice with canned tomatoes imported from Italy. Finally, check out Naples 45. It has been approved by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. This basically means it gets its ingredients from Italy.
Grimaldi's Pizza
19 Old Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NJ 11201
(718) 858-4300
www.grimaldis.com/index.html
Totonno's
462 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10016
(212) 213-8800
www.totonnos.com
Naples 45
200 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10166
(212) 972-7000
www.naples45nyc.com
Old Timers
If longevity is a mark of greatness, then you must try Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn. People swear that no pizza is better. Domenic DeMarco, who has been making pizza for 40 years, makes every pie by hand himself. The wait is obscene but well worth it. Lombardi Pizza's claim to fame is not only its great food, but that it was the first pizza restaurant in America, opening in 1904. This fact alone deserves a visit.
Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J,
Brooklyn NY 11230
(718) 258-1367
www.difara.com
Lombardi's
32 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012-4173
(212) 941-7994
www.firstpizza.com
Pizza Chains
No visit to New York would be complete without going to the pizza chains, the places where locals go to grab a quick pie or a slice. You can get a good sense of New York by going to these places. Three popular sites are Patsy's Pizzeria, Angelo's Pizza and Ray's Pizza.
Patsy's Pizzeria
67 University Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-3500
www.patsyspizzeriany.com
Ray's Pizza
856 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019
(212) 489-6187
www.raysfamouspizza.com
Angelo's Pizza
1697 Broadway
New York, NY
(212) 245-8811
http://www.angelospizzany.com/
About the Author:
John Lee is voracious reader of history, sociology, anthropology, and religion. His pursuit of knowledge has lead him to study at various schools. He is currently writing his dissertation. He has also published a study on Ovid's "Metamorphoses." (2007)
