The Ultimate Guide to the Best Pizza in Manhattan

Let’s get a few undisputed crowd-pleasers out of the way. In fact, if you haven’t had at least one of the below, we’ll kindly request you give back your “legit New Yorker” card right now.

There’s the divine Prince Street Pizza—an undisputed Nolita favorite that New Yorkers still line up for; John’s coal-fired, brick-oven goodness on Bleecker Street; Joe’s, the quintessential New York slice that’s been part of the West Village since before you were born; Artichoke Basille’s (affectionately known as “Artichoke” around these parts) with a saucy, soupy artichoke-heart-and-spinach slice that could put you into a coma; and Roberta’s, which despite its Brooklyn roots, still rates pretty darn high for its two Manhattan outposts in midtown.

When it comes to slice spots churning out the extra-greasy, ooey-gooey melted mozzarella on a crunchy crust pizza New York is famous for, NY Pizza Suprema, near Penn Station, always has a line out the door and a bunch of toppings to choose from. Koronet in Morningside Heights makes extra-large slices that are so gigantic, a single slice barely fits on a plastic tray. On the other side of the park, King’s Pizza of Harlem is pretty legit too.

And we don’t really care which one is the “original” Little Italy—if you need a slice in midtown, either location (on 43rd or 45th) will provide a greasy, hungover-at-your-desk lunch like no other. Speaking of “drunk pizza,” Famous Amadeus’s two midtown locations serve up a satisfying, carb-heavy slice with a slightly thicker (but not too thick!) crust to hold extra sauce, cheese and toppings. They also have a cheese-locked buffalo chicken slice that will light your tongue on fire. (Bonus: It’s drenched in ranch.)

OK, now for the high-end stuff. You know, like that gorgeous, artisanal wood-fired pizza with a charred cornicione like you first ate in Naples for €10 (including wine).

Bocce USQ is a master of the delicate Neapolitan-style pizza that’s so light you could eat approximately 8 million slices. (And when you’re done licking your olive oil–soaked fingers, there’s an outdoor bocce court to burn off some calories.) We’re also partial to Sorbillo on Bowery, where the Margherita bufala reigns supreme; Farinella Italian Bakery, with three locations serving “palam” (i.e., sharing-style square cuts); and Ribalta’s bubbly namesake pie with mozzarella, Italian sausage and broccoli rabe that is the stuff pizza dreams are made of. Olio e Piú in the West Village also serves up a tasty Neapolitan-style pizza (and some stellar people-watching).

Other faves to get your cheese pull on in this category? Gruppo in the East Village, Arturo’s on Houston and Rubirosa in Nolita, which has some of the best gluten-free options in the city.

We’re calling it now: Roman-style pizza is trending in Gotham. We’re talking about a thick, bakery-style slice that’s crunchy on the outside but super-soft on the inside.

Case in point: the melt-in-your-mouth square slices at Alla Pala Pizza & Enoteca, a pizza counter in Eataly Flatiron. There’s also PQR on the Upper East Side, which is run by a pretty famous (actually, really famous) Roman pizza master. 

Last, but certainly not least, Noam Grossman of Dig Inn recently teamed up with Roberta’s pizza consultant Anthony Falco and 2 Bros. owners Eli and Oren Halali to launch Upside Pizza in midtown. You can expect updated, old-school ’90s-style pizza parlor vibes, with house-made mozzarella, sausage, pickled peppers and responsibly sourced ingredients in traditional round and Sicilian-style pies.