Best Pizza in NYC: 8 Slices Worth the Subway Ride

Joe's has been the benchmark for the New York slice since 1975. Thin crust, blistered undercarriage, cheese that pulls to your elbow. This is the platonic ideal of the New York slice — the one every other city is trying to replicate. Fold it lengthwise before the first bite. This is not optional.

Lucali is the most sought-after pizza reservation in New York. Mark Iacono makes every pie himself in a coal-fired oven. The dough is thin, the sauce is simple, the cheese is fresh. There is no menu beyond pizza and calzone. BYOB. The line for walk-ins starts forming before they open.

Dom DeMarco made every pizza at Di Fara for over 50 years. His son now runs the kitchen using the same recipe. The slice is cut with scissors, finished with fresh basil snipped directly over the pie, and drizzled with olive oil. It is worth the 45-minute subway ride to Midwood.

Totonno's opened in 1924 and is one of the oldest pizzerias in the United States. The coal-fired oven has been burning for a century. The pies are thin, charred at the edges, and made with San Marzano tomatoes. Cash only. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Roberta's opened in 2008 and helped define the Brooklyn artisan pizza movement. The Bee Sting — spicy soppressata with a honey drizzle — is one of the most copied pies in the country. The wood-fired oven produces a blistered, slightly chewy crust that is distinct from the coal-fired style.

Prince Street Pizza's pepperoni cups — small, crispy, cupped discs of pepperoni that hold pools of orange grease — became a New York food trend. The Sicilian-style crust is thick, airy, and crispy on the bottom. The line moves fast.

L'Industrie makes Roman-style pizza al taglio — rectangular slices with a lighter, airier crust than the traditional New York style. The burrata slice is the one people line up for: fresh burrata, prosciutto, and arugula on a perfectly blistered base.

Scarr Pimentel mills his own flour and sources organic ingredients for what is still, fundamentally, a classic New York slice. The result is a slice that tastes cleaner and more complex than the standard version. The LES location is always packed.