the ultimate nyc pizza crawl
I ate as many slices as I could for 24 hours, here's what's worth trying
New York City has been on my bucket list for a long time. I love a big city, especially one that has a distinct personality and walkable “pockets” (neighbourhoods) with different characteristics and unique charms to explore.
Most importantly, I love a place with a strong food scene, and NYC might just be one of the most iconic food cities out there. Bagels, pizza by the slice, Italian, Jewish Delis dishing up pastrami on rye… we’re only here a week, so it became a mission: how much can I cross off my NYC food bucket list?
In order to truly get as much eating in as I could, I ended up doing a few food crawls, and started strong with one of the most iconic New York things: the New York slice.
For a day, we spent time in Soho, Williamsburg and Greenpoint and just straight up CONSUMED slice after slice. Some, I adored, others… less so. Let’s debrief, shall we?
At the end I’ll share my rankings!
Disclaimer: if I was more fair, I’d be getting the same kind of slice at each shop. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and it did not want eight cheese slices. I got whatever called my name.
Soho- Lucia Pizza
While you’ll find everything else on this list is within walking distance, Lucia is, well, not. Since Soho is very worth spending time in, (so pretty, especially in the morning when it’s calm and the light is soft) I imagine you’ll find a time to stop by for a slice on the go.
Lucia feels less stereotypical 99 cent slice-esque in nature, and a little bit more… new wave? It felt similar to the very viral L’industrie and reminded me a touch of Neopolitan style pizza. It had the characteristic thin, crisp texture that I associate with New York, and a more pillowy, charred crust. Stunning.
We got the caramelle piccanti slice, and let me tell you, this was a strong start! A pepperoni slice is loaded with hot cherry peppers, mike’s hot honey and topped with fresh basil and a sprinkle of parm. The crust was great, it wasn’t at all greasy (which I very much prefer) and it has a great touch of heat and actual flavour.
It’s easy for pizza to be bland, I find. Pizza is one of those things people enjoy even if under seasoned slice/ kinda eh, so it’s easy for businesses to just not bother with nailing it, but this did not have that issue at all!
Overall, this was one of our favourite slices! Spend a morning at La Cabra drinking good coffee and eating excellent pastries, then get a slice for an early lunch- thank me later.
Williamsburg
Our hotel was in this area, so we got pretty well acquainted with the neighbourhood- which we loved. If the sheer number of slice shops isn’t enticing to you, there’s also great breakfast options in the area, and it’s picturesque and lively without the chaos Manhattan has. We loved it here.
Best Pizza
We kicked off our crawl with Best Pizza, and I must say, the name is very apt. It was a cozy place with that stereotypical New York slice shop look/feel I always envisioned.
Here, we got the grandma slice. I ordered it rather blindly not knowing what grandma meant, and was served a thicker, square slice topped with tomato sauce, plain and simple. A risky order. When it’s this no frills, everything has to hit. There is nothing to hide behind.
Well, hit it did. The crust itself had the perfect amount of salt and was pillowy with the perfect crisp. The sauce was EXCELLENT. The tomatoes maintained some sweetness and weren’t completely cooked down to a puree, and those bits of well cooked but ever so intact tomatoes just slapped. If you only go to one place, go here and get the grandma slice.
We ended up returning to try the pepperoni, and it was solid as well! Just not on the same level as our beloved grandma slice.
Rosa’s Pizza
I’ll be honest, after Lucia and Best, this place just didn’t hold up to the standard was that set. It did feel very classic New York though, and as we moved on, I came to appreciate the slice we had more and more.
Once again, a simple slice was had: cheese. The good news? If you want a hot slice with an insane cheese pull, Rosa’s will crush it for you! They also have some potent red pepper flakes which I loaded onto the slice- very good. I didn’t quite find as much satisfaction with the crust this time around, and yearned for a touch more salt.
Otherwise, I still think it’s a slice worth eating, especially if you want to do a crawl like I did. The place is cozy and we had a good time sitting in and taking a break from the cold.
L’Industrie
Ah, the famed and very viral L’industrie. Again, they serve up slices that feel more reminiscent of Italian style pizza and less classic nyc-esque. Honestly, this place lived up to the hype! It did help that we came in on 3:30 on a week day in January though, because we didn’t have to wait in line. Waiting in lines often kill the joy of a good product; it just sets your expectations too high I think.
Anyways. The menu looked so good, that rather than settle for one slice, we got two: the L’Industrie (burrata & prosciutto) and the fig jam and bacon. I appreciated how generous and fresh the toppings were on both our slices. I’m always hesitant to order anything burrata. We got it for so cheap when in Bari, Italy (aka burrata heaven) that I’m usually disappointed by sad and expensive portions. I thought the ratio here was great though! The fig jam slice also had a perfect ratio of toppings and I loved that it was dotted with ricotta.
Also? The fresh basil, drizzle of olive oil and light dusting of parm on both? Beautiful. I thought the crust here was excellent with the perfect soft to crisp ratio. We preferred the fig jam, so if you’re going to choose one, choose that. I love a more unique slice!
Fini
Okay, I had high expectations of Fini, and sadly… they were let down. We got the white slice (a blend of cheese, no tomato sauce), and I actually enjoyed the flavour from the cheese. Rosa’s cheese had great pull, zero real taste. Fini had great taste but no pull- which is not a deal breaker.
The problem was that the crust did not hit. It was pretty dense, and was the greasiest, and not in that kinda good way. It was like the crust just absorbed a bunch of oil and wasn’t the most pleasant. I did like the addition of lemon on the slice though. If that exact topping was on the Lucia or L’industrie crusts, it would have been great!
Maybe it was an off day, but yeah… I wouldn’t return.
Vinnie’s Pizzeria
Okay Vinnie’s is fun! It has unique slices- like an elote slice, which was utterly loaded with corn- and rotates unique slices. Sadly, I would also skip this one. Again, the crust just did not hit. Too cracker like for me.
We ordered one of their rotating flavours and got a beef bulgogi slice. I think we should have gone elote, because the beef was rather tough and it wasn’t saucy enough. Not that I even require tomato sauce, it was just too dry for me overall. I did enjoy the pickled carrots for a fresh bite, but overall felt pretty eh about it.
Greenpoint- Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop
Okay we ended our night in Greenpoint to get the Hell Boy from Paulie Gee’s! Because I love a good drizzle of hot honey, and the Hell Boy was a pepperoni slice with a healthy dose of Mike’s Hot Honey.
I loved the vibes in this shop. Again, just a homey feel with ample seating and that old school vibe with checkered floors and vibrantly lit neon signs. The slice also had some tastyyy peperoni in that cup shape that catches the sauce- a stunning choice. I did find they were a bit overenthusiastic with the hot honey (I know, I just said I loved it, but it was more sweet than spicy and I’m a spice girl), so we tilted some off.
In all honesty, this wasn’t our favourite slice of the bunch- but it was solid, especially if you like Mike’s Hot Honey.
Before I go, Let’s talk overall rankings though, shall we?
Grace’s Ultimate List of NYC Slices, Ranked:
Grandma Slice, Best Pizza
Fig Jam and Bacon, L’Industrie
Caramelle Piccante, Lucia Pizza
The L’Industrie, L’Industrie
The Hell Boy, Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop
Cheese Slice, Rosa’s Pizza
White Slice, Fini
Beef Bulgogi, Vinnie’s Pizzeria
So fun to read through all of these - thank you - and now I’m in bed wanting a slice 😳
Grandma slice is def my fave. Good haul.