The Ultimate Resy Guide to Pizza in New York

Ceres, the Roman goddess of harvest and fertility, plays as big a role in the name of this Lower East Side newcomer, namely as the leavening yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, aka brewer’s yeast. Here, former Eleven Madison Park chefs Jake Serebnick and Julian Geldmacher scout superior pantry items — from Central Milling and Cairnspring Mills flours to Jersey Girl scamorza cheese and fiery Calabrian spicy sausage — for an ’nduja pie that’s finished with a drizzle of nine-year-old aged balsamic vinegar. But just because you have immaculate ingredients, doesn’t mean you have a worthier pizza. Here, it’s precision that is paramount: Rice flour dusts the bench, so doughs don’t stick to the peel, or burn in the deck oven. That same oven is calibrated to an exacting 590 degrees Fahrenheit. Chive cuts would get a 10 @ratemychives. All of this is to say, the queue at Ceres which has been significant since their opening in 2025, is merited. Despite making 250 pizzas a day — they do run out (rarely) — but do not fear: There are plenty of tables and pies available if you plan accordingly. Pro tip: Pizzas, which are sold only in whole pies, are best when ordered and consumed fresh out of the oven, so snag a seat while you wait.

Walk-ins only for dining in. You can order online here for takeout only.

Restaurateur Sean Feeney, who co-founded restaurants like Lilia and Misi, has embedded himself on Bedford Avenue at Fini, with spicy Calabrian chile-slicked tomato slices strewn with garlicky breadcrumbs, and bright lemon Italian ices for the warmer months. Lemon zest also finds its way in Fini’s white slice, where you’ll find a funky fresh blend of mozzarella, parm and fontina, with a lemon wedge served on the side for extra acidity. These celebrated cheffy touches have translated into multiple locations, ranging from Brooklyn Bridge Park with a patio bar, and Barclays Center, perfect for right before or after a show or game.

When Scarr’s head pizza maker Christiano Wennmann isn’t walking the runway, he’s handing out Hotbois (jalapeño, pepperoni and hot honey). Owner Scarr Pimentel continues to push the limit of retro fads while still being contemporarily cool, plying pizza with a premium pantry of ingredients: DiNapoli tomatoes, Caputo Brothers Fior di Pizza cheese, and Ezzo’s beef pepperoni, in addition to milling their own flour in house, too. Scarr’s is also a marquee spot for Mike’s Hot Honey, who have their own arcade game in the back, and where slices act as ships à la Galaga ’90.

Call (212) 334-3481 for more information.

Provel, ​​a St. Louis staple “frankencheese” that’s a blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone with a gooey, almost buttery melt, is central to many pies at Speedy Romeo. When Justin Bazdarich opened it in an old auto-body shop in 2012, he was Clinton Hill’s pioneer of pizzas, bringing a Michelin-starred culinary background (Jean-Georges) to wood-fired fare. (Fun fact: It was also home to Ray’s, the fictional coffee shop in Lena Dunham’s seminal TV series, “Girls.”) A creamy smooth bechamel lets speck and pineapple sing in The Dick Dale, a Hawaiian riff, and it also takes center stage in the Dangerfield, with pork-beef meatballs, ricotta, basil, garlic chips. Add on an order of hot and smoky Kansas City-style wings for good measure.

Although Giorgia Caporuscio’s father, Robert Caporuscio of Kesté Pizza & Vino, is regarded as a godfather to New York’s contemporary Neapolitan scene, Giorgia has become an award-winning pizzaiola in her own right. Midtown’s Don Antonio is the only female-owned pizza restaurant listed in the Michelin guide. Her signature pie, the pizza fritta, a fried pizza pocket that looks like a crispy calzone, and La Montanara, a deep-fried dough that then gets topped with things like smoked buffalo mozzarella and sauce, are compelling alternatives for pizza thrill seekers. But don’t worry, Caporuscio can do her versions of the classics too, like the Margherita Gialla, which glows with a gorgeous yellow tomato sauce.

Walk-ins only.

This is owner Frank Tuttolomondo’s ode to his grandmother’s original Mama’s Pizza, which opened on the Upper West Side in 1959. Mama’s Too! now has two storefronts, one uptown and one on Bleecker Street in the West Village (ridiculously close to L’Industrie, making for an easy pizza crawl) where square, upside-down slices (cheese first, sauce on top) rival the legendary L&B Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend, Brooklyn. What’s exclusively Mama’s is the Poached Pear square, dripping with sweet gorgonzola and hot honey, as is the over-the-top Cacio e Pepe, with whipped mascarpone and enough cracked black pepper to make you sneeze.

Walk-ins only.

L’Industrie became somewhat of a modern legend when Massimo Laveglia and Nick Baglivo made high-hydration pizza doughs a thing. Founded in 2017 in Williamsburg, with stacks of artisan flour sacks on the sill, it has since become a favorite among hobbyist and professional pizzaiolos alike. Their epic queues continued in the West Village in 2023, no doubt fueled by their burrata slice boom. Combos of sausage and pesto, or fig jam and bacon are popular, too, as is a swirl of seasonal soft-serve ice cream to round out your meal.

Walk-ins only.

Brooklyn DOP’s New York-style Giusepp’ pie might be their gold standard, but chef Thomas Ardito, who began his pizza journey by selling pies through Instagram in 2022, considers their DOP Margherita his mission statement. A base of fresh and aged mozzarellas is a platform for dollops of bright tomato sauce, done upside-down sbagliata-style, a nod to Neapolitan pizza master Franco Pepe. Of course, you should stop by their Park Slope window, but if you’re in a bigger hurry, Brooklyn DOP FastLife on Fulton in Clinton Hill is an excellent expedited convenience.

Walk-ins only.

Fermento’s founder Michele D’Amelio first came to the States when he was 19 in 2015, as the executive pizza chef for Caputo flour. Since then, he’s taught and mastered many styles, ranging from Neapolitan to New York. In 2019, he and his wife, Silvia, founded Zero Gluten Foods, a bakery dedicated exclusively to gluten-free Detroit-style pizza crusts, which are available at all Fermento locations. Their Sicilian slice is a standout, however: airy, crunchy and flavorful in its simplicity, while the Spicy Vodka Roni Cup piles it on.

Walk-ins only.

Agostino Cangiano, a L’Industrie vet, defines Slicehaus not only by its flour build, but also its hearth: a high-powered Moretti Forni electric deck oven that heats up stunning shishito and sausage slices on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village. Fire-engine red tables and Eurobeat spill onto the sidewalk, the same way their silky vodka sauce drips off the side of their mondo meatball parm square. Try an opulent porcini with black truffle cream slice, too, but be sure to grab extra napkins.

Walk-ins only.

It’s in the name: Best Pizza has, arguably, the best white slice in town, carried by their signature caramelized onions and a sesame seed crust. Since its start in 2010, owner Frank Pinello has been a very vocal new wave American pizzaiolo, with a television show, literally called “The Pizza Show.” The most humbling, and charming part of his pizzeria though, are all the interpretive pizza drawings customers sketch on paper white plates that the staff thumb tacks on the walls as decoration.

Walk-ins only.

Brothers Peter and Danny Aggelatos’ Milkflower brings lovely leopard-spotted cornicione Neapolitan pies to Astoria, Queens. Opened in 2013, Milkflower utilizes a thoughtful set of ingredients to grace their pies: brussels sprouts, cherrystone clams, and coastal cheddar — the latter combined with Aleppo pepper and burnt honey. Their Chico Verde pie is hearty, yet refreshing — with loads of lemony lacinato kale, garlic, tomato, chile and crunchy pangrattato, aka glorified fried breadcrumbs. Most pies get some grated Grana Padano, which is a milder, less salty alternative to Parmesan, part of Milkflower’s smooth finish.

Call (718) 204-1300 for more information.

Bar pies are at a premium on Staten Island, and while Denino’s has expanded far past Port Richmond, Lee’s Tavern has been there all along, since 1940. With its long wooden bar, tons of tap handles, and sports on TV, Lee’s has been offering bar pies with toppings like peppers (sweet or hot), olives (green or black), artichokes, eggplant, and anchovies since before the ferry … just kidding, the Staten Island Ferry commenced in 1817. All jokes aside, Lee’s even offers seafood from the nearby waters. Clam pie, anyone?

Call (718) 667-9749 for more information.

In 1989, Roberto Paciullo opened his namesake restaurant, Roberto’s, on Arthur Avenue in the Little Italy neighborhood of the Bronx. And by the time Zero Otto Nove opened in 2007, Paciullo had already put nearly two decades into refining his particular brand of puffy, crisp crusts with a soft middle. Now, for the past 19 years, he’s been showcasing Southern Italian cuisine with pizza as his medium. Try the La Cirilo pie, spread with butternut squash puree, cream of truffle, mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella. Mangia!

Call (718) 220-1028 for more information.

With throwback signage out front and a no-frills interior, Cello’s blends right into its surroundings at the intersection of St. Marks Place and 2nd Avenue in the East Village. A year-and-a-half in, their perfected pizza is a marked improvement on the numerous all-hours slice joints nearby. The dough is light yet firm enough not to flop, thanks to a few days of fermentation and a blend of hearty wheat. The pepperoni and jalapeño slice is an obvious hit, but the chicory, topped with bitter dandelion greens and crisp bacon bits with a squirt of lemon, is really remarkable.

Walk-ins only, or call (917) 475-1637 for more information.

Randy McLaren’s Bed-Stuy sensation keeps true to his Trinidadian heritage, smothering slices with Caribbean classics like sweet chile oxtail and many things jerk, from chicken and salmon to shrimp. While the slices can be up to $12.50 a piece, you should know McLaren’s using premium cuts and packing it on: If you fold their chopped cheese slice, it almost eats as a sandwich, thanks to the generous portions of seasoned ground beef, peppers, onions, and cheese. Since opening in 2018, Cuts & Slices has also expanded to multiple locations across the city, including the Lower East Side.

Walk-ins only.

The best thing that ever happened to pregaming Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden is this Penn Station rooftop outpost of Roberta’s. Ever since the original opened in Bushwick in 2008, Roberta’s has set the bar high for pizza in the city. And even in this bustling location, they’re still pulling it off. Find comfort in its modern classics like the Famous Original, which builds on a “plain” slice by adding nutty, aged caciocavallo cheese; the Bee Sting, spotlighting the spicy-sweet combination of soppressata and chile-infused honey; and the Cheesus Christ, a conceptual quattro formaggi meets cacio e pepe, which carries over to their quality pastas and benchmark cheeseburger, too.

More information here.

Originally opened in Harlem by an alumnus of Lombardi’s, which is considered New York City’s oldest pizzeria (open since 1905), Patsy’s purportedly invented pizza-by-the-slice, and it’s hard to challenge them since they’ve been around since 1933. A pizza pioneer in lightly charred thin-crust pies, they’ve franchised throughout the city, and now fire up their coal oven in North Park Slope, near the Atlantic Terminal, bringing their old-world flair to Brooklyn. And they just recently opened a new location near the Flatiron, too. Of course, go for the classics, but the Polpette pie with cute little meatballs is also satisfying, as are any “salad” pies with a refreshing amount of arugula atop. As kitschy as it sounds, leave room for the Nutella pizza with berries and cream for dessert.

Chris Hansell, an ex-musician, made a name for himself via a pandemic pop-up in the East Village’s old Superiority Burger spot. Since the fall of 2024, Chrissy’s rock-and-roll energy has had its very own brick-and-mortar in Greenpoint, letting 50+ hour cold fermented doughs rise before topping them with a combination of California and New Jersey tomatoes, Goodfellas-esque thinly sliced garlic, and jalapeño, known as The Rich Jacobs pie, with a firm, well-cooked, bronzed crust.

Walk-ins only.

There can’t be a pizza list without mentioning the line outside the nearly centenarian John’s of Bleecker. The longest continuously open pizzeria in America (open since 1929), its neon sign welcomes you in amongst signed celebrity photos on the walls. The scent of simmering tomatoes and smoky coal-oven char perfume the room. At its most basic, mozzarella and tomato are the foundation to the “John’s Original,” which you can embellish as you wish, but keeping it true to its origin is the move here. And don’t forget those pitchers of soda or beer to make it all feel like a classic pizza party.

Walk-ins only.