New York City is known for many things: The Yankees, the Statue of Liberty, and the pizza.
Pizza, in and of itself, is a highly debated topic of interest among New York City residents and visitors alike. Websites, magazines, and independent bloggers have created numerous lists discussing which establishments have the best pizza slices. It is of insurmountable importance to pizza fans to discover where the best slice is.
The New York borough of Brooklyn is said to have the best pizza in New York City, so I decided to head there to test the theory out. After scouring the internet for weeks about the best pizza in New York, I narrowed it down to a top 5. While many places were a bit of a letdown, my final slice made it all worth it. The location will surprise you!
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The Free Garlic Knots
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Photo by Garrett Ziegler
Williamsburg Pizza Williamsburg, Brooklyn (3/5) – $3.50 for 1 slice.
Williamsburg Pizza was also listed on a few ‘Best of’ lists and I tasted their margherita slice. I found it to be average at best however I did like that free garlic knots were served with it.
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The Doughy & Packed with Flavor
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Photo by roboppy
L&B Spumoni Gardens, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (3.1/5) – $5 for 2 slices
I found L&B Spumoni Gardens listed on a number of ‘best of’ lists. I sampled both the plain cheese slice and the grandma slice. While the grandma slice was doughy and the sauce was packed with flavor, I found that the cheese slice was average and the crust was a little stiff.
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The Coal Oven Slices
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Photo by Table 87
Table 87 Coal Oven Pizza, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn (3.5/5) – $4 for 1 slice.
Table 87 was also narrowed down and selected based on its rankings on Google+ and Yelp. They are the only pizzeria in Brooklyn that serves coal-oven slices (as opposed to whole pies) which I thought was an interesting angle. I tried the margherita slice and found that although it was crisp, the flavor of the pizza was ordinary and did not leave a memorable impression.
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The Fresh Squeezed Tomatoes
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Photo by Jay Greinski
Luigi’s Pizza, Park Slope, Brooklyn (3.6/5) – $7.75 for 3 slices.
Luigi’s was chosen based on its rankings on Google+ and Yelp. I tasted three slices at Luigi’s: the mozzarella, the grandma, and the Sicilian. While the sauce on the grandma slice tasted likely freshly squeezed tomatoes and the mozzarella slice had a nice thin and soft crust, I thought that grandma slice was a little too crispy and the Sicilian slice was mediocre at best.
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The Number One
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Photo by Guian Bolisay
Di Fara Pizza, Midwood, Brooklyn (3.7/5) – $10 for 2 slices.
Di Fara is a well-known pizzeria that has been in operation for 50 years and is listed as the #1 Pizzeria in New York by Zagat. It is also known for having some of the most expensive slices in NYC but many people claim that the price is worth it. I tried both the Sicilian and the basil slices. I found the Sicilian slice to be savory and the basil added an extra kick of flavor. Unfortunately, it did lose a couple of points because it happened to be little overcooked, making the charred crust unpleasant.
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The Verdict
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Overall, I would not rate Brooklyn as necessarily having the best pizza based of the places that I visited in the world. If I had to choose my favorite Brooklyn pizza, DiFara wins hands down.