Serious Eats New York - newyork.seriouseats.com

Since you can get DiFara's by the slice, DiFara's will be in the by-the-slice competition. These are the pizzerias where you've got to sit down to a pie.

John's on Bleacker - NO SLICES! - but plenty of Sierra Nevada

Maybe it would be better to put a little footnote that Di Fara, Patsy's of East Harlem, etc. will be in the other category.

DiFara

Roberta's?

I've been away a while. Does Grimaldi's get no love nowadays?

I know a lot of people on this site hate Lombardi's but I love it. Not sure why the poll list is so short...

Roberta's?

@NYC Food Guy: If it's your favorite, write it in!

Adrienne's can have some great pizza and some so-so pizza. Seems to be hit or miss. Has anyone tried their sister joint, Inatteso? I find them almost on par with Adrienne's good nights but way more consistent overall.

ugh. adrienne's was really good when it opened but lately their pizza has been pretty weak.

Y'know... Motorino probably get's my vote as the best. If it hadn't closed, UPN would've taken it. But my favorite spots for a whole pie establishments runs a three-way tie between Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, and Nick's (in Forrest Hills... which I think is an unfortunate omission on this list). I know Grimaldi's and Lombardi's both get dissed on these pages for some reason on a fairly regular basis, but I love going to both. There's nothing generic about their pizzas. You can't find pizza like that pretty much anywhere outside of the NYC-metro area.

Frankly I think people are turning their noses up at them because of three things: (1) the pizzas aren't made by a mythical-pizziaolo figure, but often by low-paid Spanish-speaking immigrants (much like your average corner-slice establishment); (2) they attract tourists; (3) they are well established, and much like the indie music snob whose coveted band receives pop-radio airplay and mass-appreciation, the magic of feeling like you have secret insider info and are therefore somehow more intelligent or special regarding your aesthetic judgment than the rest of the plebians running about like headless chickens—that magic is lost.

I'm not arguing that Grimaldi's or Lombardi's are better than the Coney Island Totonno's, Lucali's, or Franny's. But rather they are two of my favorite spots to eat a pie and they produce a top quality pizza, one that maybe has lost some of its artistic integrity, but is no less delicious or enjoyable because of it.

oops - I meant abound, not aboung.

I havent been back to my NY homeland in 4 years but I had an unforgettable pie at Grimaldi's then...by the way, ive had great coal-burning oven made pies at their Vegas branch too, and also had an awesome pie at Patsy's....Im dyin to come home and get to the nouveau pizzerias mentioned in this contest.

Franny's? Lovely little expensive pies. Next!

Co.

Another vote for Adrienne's here.

Nick's

if margherita is the benchmark, keste wins it hands down. motorino is a close 2nd, worthy of UPN's oven. co is a distant 3rd. my guess is that "you missed the best" implies grimaldi's & lombardi's. they're not that good, ppl!

What about Co.!?

first of all, which one of you knuckleheads put down Otto, while i love the portly man with orange crocs and his food is pretty delicious, his pizza pies cannot hold a candle to DiFara, Lombardi's, Tottonno's (Coney only), and many more of the NYC pizza institutions.

That said, I nominate DIFARA. Yes, they sell slices, but you have to live next door to the place to only want a slice. Otherwise, wait like the rest of us and get the best pizza i have ever had. Though Spumoni has an amazing Sicilian, this is clearly a battle of the round (pies).

Last, wait and see if half of these newer pizza spots listed even make it through these economic times. God knows Dominic at DiFara has weathered many storms, hopefully he will pass off the recipe before his years catch up to him. New York City runs through my veins, and pizza is a native birthright.

doesn't adrienne's serve slices anyway? they did when they opened but i haven't been there in years so i'm not sure....

What about Kenny's Trattoria in Williamsburg? Formerly known as Brick Oven Gallery? This is a no frills place on a desolate block. But their pizza and ravioli are delicioso!

Amorina's in Prospect Hts. Much cheaper than overhyped franny's. Awesome crust.

Didn't someone say pizza by the slice at Di Fara was not as good as by the pie? I've only had by the pie and Di Fara would be my vote

I can't believe that lack of love, or even awareness for that matter, that is given to Numero 28 (Carmine & Bleecker). It's so much better than John's, Motorino, Lombardi's, Grimaldi's, and all the others that get so much attention. I'm also gonna say it's got the slight advantage over Luzzo's. The only place in Manhattan I haven't been to yet is Keste, so can't make that comparison. Boroughs-wide, Roberta's is also not too far behind.

I think there's been some confusion as to the name (No. 28, Numero 28, Carmine's), but Numero 28 is turning out the best stuff around. I've been going for a few years and gotten to know Luigi, Marco, Margarita, and the rest of the family that runs it, an awesome bunch of Italians, who know how to cook up authentic pies. And with the 29' long pie, you get three different sections of toppings, so try a few!

BTW Numero 28 just opened a new EV location (2nd & 12th), around the corner from John's, Motorino, Luzzo's, so there's gonna be a showdown...