What Is The Best NYC Pizza? (Italy: wealthy, money, phone)
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I have never, in all my years here, ever heard NYC pizza refered to as Neopolitan style. Growing up I never even heard the word and pizza in the same sentence and I grew up in a heavily Italian neighborhood.
You went into a pizza shop and they had a regular, pepperoni, grandma/Sicilian/square, and some a white slice. I've never had anyone in any of the old school shops even mention the word Neopolitan.
Whether it was "influenced" by Neopolitan style, that I don't know. I haven't really talked to the guys that came here at the turn of the 20th century and opened up their stores. I don't think many people have.
There isn't more than one archetypal NYC style. Everybody knows what you mean when you refer to NYC style pizza.
In the last ~10 years there's been an explosion of establishments trying to sell you some "luxury" pizza probably because that's the only way they can charge more and pay the rent.
We're any of you around in NYC before the mid 2000s? It wasn't complicated. You had pizza shops and most of them sold pizza by the slice. It was mainly middle aged and older Italian dudes running the place with a few of their sons /nephews/sons friends working for them. Delivery wasn't that popular. The only "special" slice was pepperoni. You got fountain soda in a paper cup. Pizza shops didn't sell beef patties. Garlic knots and calzones were options too. I can't even remember if they sold anything else.
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Born and raised in NYC and lived in Italy... The style here is definitely Neapolitan influenced given how many Southern Italians came here. You claim you had pizza in Campania, so it should be pretty obvious. If you eat pizza all over Italy as I have, there is definitely a difference from region to region. There are differences for sure, but no question about the style.
Neapolitan-American Pizza: The Original NY Pie
"The result was the most elemental form of NY pizza, often called Neapolitan-American, that shares much in common with the original Neapolitan type: a thin crust, a judicious covering of tomato sauce, and a smattering of fresh mozzarella cheese. But they differ in cooking technique, size, and texture. In Naples, the pies are cooked with wood and the center of the pizza tends to be soft and amorphous. Neapolitan pies are intended for one person and a knife and fork is required. The original NY pies were larger, averaging a 14"-16" diameter, and were cooked in coal fired ovens until crisp from edge to edge."
It's not that new places opening are trying to be "fancy". That is how pizza is served in Italy and often times, the new places opening are Italian, not Italian-American. Big difference. Those places will usually import most of the ingredients directly from Italy to give the consumer the true Italian experience, which is different from Italian-American food.
And yes, what you are describing back in the day were old school Italian-American joints. You're not going to go to an Italian place and find beef patties on the menu. LOL
In any case what you have now is immigration has slowed from Italy (started years ago), and so Italian-American joints aren't as plentiful as before, esp. as demographics change, but you will find Italians coming here and opening up Italian pizzerias. That's what is happening.
"Regular Pizza Shop"
Joe's Pizza (Fulton Street, Manhattan; moved from the Village) (popular tourist attraction!)
Ljubo Pizza, Westchester Square, Bronx (laaaaaaarge slices)
Last Stop Pizza, 6 Train at Pelham Bay Park (also nice-sized slices)
I have to try.....
Gabby's, Queens (I'll let others review this one!)
Joe's Pizza is still at 7 Carmine (est 1975)
the Fulton St came later
Considered by many to be the standard NY Slice, it's good but I find it boring after having has so many good NY pizza slices over the years. I try to limit cheese pizza to a slice every two weeks, too much fat, too addictive . Sometimes I will get a cheeseless slice but can't find them anymore.
And yes, what you are describing back in the day were old school Italian-American joints. You're not going to go to an Italian place and find beef patties on the menu. LOL
creative genius, here at a 99 cent fresh spot in L.A. has a
beef patty with "mozzarella" and pepperoni, not sure if it has tomato sauce
>I wouldn't
Last edited by jonbenson; 05-18-2021 at 10:55 AM..
We're any of you around in NYC before the mid 2000s? It wasn't complicated. You had pizza shops and most of them sold pizza by the slice. It was mainly middle aged and older Italian dudes running the place with a few of their sons /nephews/sons friends working for them. Delivery wasn't that popular. The only "special" slice was pepperoni. You got fountain soda in a paper cup. Pizza shops didn't sell beef patties. Garlic knots and calzones were options too. I can't even remember if they sold anything else.
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Have lived in Queens my entire life, all 44.5 years of it and have always been able to get a Neapolitan slice.
Not debatable anymore. NJ and CT have better pizza (on average).
It's certainly debatable, but I'd definitely agree that the suburbs of NYC have better regular pizza than Manhattan (and even most of Brooklyn) does these days. New Haven vs NYC is a completely different debate.
It's certainly debatable, but I'd definitely agree that the suburbs of NYC have better regular pizza than Manhattan (and even most of Brooklyn) does these days. New Haven vs NYC is a completely different debate.
I'd agree also, since that's increasingly where the Italians stay these days. If one didn't know better, one might never know how heavily Italian a place like Bensonhurst once was.
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