You're probably already here, so my tip to GO BEFORE OPENING is probably wasted on you. So I'll just say, GET A WHOLE PIE. Round or square. Both great. It's not worth the wait for only a slice or two. Read more.
Almost all the pizza here is great, but the grandma slice and grandma slice with pickled vegetable are KILLER. Also? BEST MEATBALL SUB in the city. Read more.
My two favorite pizzas here are the brussels sprout and pancetta pie and the cherrystone clam pizza. But you really can't go wrong with whatever calls to you on the menu. Read more.
Owner Paul Giannone has a gift for great topping combos. My favorites are the Anise & Anephew and the Hellboy (hot soppressata & spicy honey). For brunch, the Monte Cristo is absolutely craveworthy. Read more.
First-class pizza in all respects, but there are a couple of unique items here. Try the montanara, a pizza whose crust is first FRIED(!) then baked. The carbonara is an interesting brunch option. Read more.
Only one of two coal-oven places in NYC that sells by the slice (the other is Sac's in Astoria) -- over in the small take-out shop near the corner. I prefer the whole plain pie with regular mozzarella
The old-fashioned pizza, basically a grandma (or "nonna") pie, is insanely great here. It's THE pizza to get, plain or topped. A riot of crust textures, crisp, chewy, springy-fried. Read more.
The atmosphere alone here is great, but the pizza is killer, too. My favorite is the Cortes, but just go with whatever calls to you. And the nonpizza food options are insanely delicious. Read more.
Excellent pies. Get the stratchatella. Get the margarita. Also try the plain bread with sea salt. excellent. just don't expect to get "your own table." Read more.
One of our favorite pizzerias in NYC. The burrata special pizza (available starting Thursday and through the weekend) is not to be missed!
Whatever you do, DON'T ASK FOR A MENU. There are none, as Totonno's matriarch Louise "Cookie" Ciminieri will be quick to remind you. Just check the menu board in the back of the restaurant.
A sister pizzeria to Luzzo's in the East Village, but I think even better. Don't miss the pizza a cono (cone pizza), which seems gimmicky but is actually really good. Read more.
The plain slice here is not going to blow your mind, but it is miles above other pizzerias in the area. It's basically a quintessential NYC slice. They're thin and light. You'll need at least 2 slices Read more.
Great, great regular slice. So thin and crisp. And SALTY! Make sure you get something to drink! ;)
Don't leave without trying the "upside-down" slice, which has a rich, savory-sweet sauce and a light crust. And there's just something satisfying about the way the cheese melds with the dough.
Chances are you know this already, but if you're a noob to L&B, the square slices (or pies) are a must! Finish it off with pistachio spumoni. Read more.
Dinner? Get in line. It's very popular and very busy. But lunch is another story—very easy to get a table. Try the clam pizza. It's killer. But they're pros. Whatever calls to you will likely be good.
If you're not in line before it opens, good luck. Best then to wait till later (9, 9:30p), when dinner rush is over. Do not sleep on the calzone. Even if you're not a calzone person. It's excellent!
If they have the apple pie on special order one per person. You won't want to share. Trust me. Ask for the #secretmenu pickled cherry peppers on your pizza. #epic piquant, slightly spicy and delicious
Rosario's looks like an Italian market. It is. But it has KILLER PIZZA. Get a slice now, thank me later. Also ... one of the best Italian combo sandwiches ever. Read more.
Great sausage here from a local place in the neighborhood. Big, juicy, fennel-flecked chunks. Good white pizza too. Get a sausage pie whole, so the cheese melts around the meat and it stays on the pie
Great thin-crust pizza here. Not for folks who like their pizza foldy, though. It's uniformly crisp--and that's a good thing!
All the pastas are homemade so you can't go wrong, but the cavatelli is a personal fave. Also: the vodka pie, the braised vegetables, the cannoli.
Get the vodka pizza. Made with a sauce infused with pancetta, Parmesan, and vodka, it brings an undefinably savory quality to their thin, crunchy bar-style pies. Read more.
Old-school joint serving some of the pest pizza in all 5 boroughs. Start with an order of wings and/or fried calamari and then move onto the Garbage Pie.
Serves some of the best Pizza and Italian on Arthur Avenue. Try the La San Matteo or the Polpettine Polenta E Caprino. The service here is amazing.
Skip the sit-down Neapolitan pizza. It's got a tough crust and isn't that good. Where this place shines, though, is the NYC-style slice in the take-out shop. It is absolutely sublime. And cheaper. Read more.
Home to a unique thin-crust square pan pizza with a sweet, concentrated tomato sauce and a touch of cheese. Very good when fresh, but eat it fast—delivery or take out don't treat it well.
Even if the pizza was no good, it'd still be worth a visit for the fantastic old-school decor—straight from a Scorcese movie. Luckily, the pizza's great, so dinner here is a must-do if you're nearby.
The Lafayette slice (caramelized onion, gruyere, grana Padano, mozzarella, thyme) seems simple, but the flavors come together nicely. One of my favorite slices here. Get it if they're making it!
Whole pies only at this Washington Heights pizzeria. Stick with the Grandma pizza for the best experience.
Try the Salvatore pizza made fresh with Salvatore Bklyn Ricotta, Mozzarella, Garlic, and Chile! Seriously good eats!
Solid wood-fired-oven pizza from an alumnus of Paulie Gee's. Clam pie is very good. Get it. And is this weird, but the Bibb salad is nice, too. Read more.
You don't need a tip to tell you to get one of their phenomenal plain slices, but please do try the grandma slice. It's one of the best around.
Trivia: the "Pistachianco" pie here is a tribute to Chris Bianco's "Rosa" pizza at Phoenix's legendary Pizzeria Bianco.
Get the Montanara pizza, which has a deep-fried crust. This is one of the only places in the city (let alone the U.S.) that serves it. Fear the fried? Get the Pistacchio e Salsiccia pizza.
Do you like clams? What about clams on pizza? Yes? Then get the Vongole pizza. It's one of the best white clam pies I've had in NYC—similar to, and up there with, Motorino's, Franny's.
Magnificent pizza here. The crust is perfect! Up there with the best New York–style places going these days. It's by-the-slice at the bar only. Table service is for whole pies.
If you're not getting the square slices here, you're doin' it wrong. The Spicy Spring (pepperoni) is my pick here, but the plain square is excellent, too. Best-in-class squares.
