r/nycpizza

As a Neapolitan myself, I get asked all the time by Italians visiting NYC where to go when they want food that tastes like home. This is my honest list.

1. Donna Margherita on the Upper East Side. This is the closest I've found to eating in Napoli. Products imported from Italy, and the pizza comes out soft and light the way it should. The kitchen is the real reason I go. Their genovese is so good, and the Sunday ragù tastes like my family's table. They run it like a family place and you feel that the second you walk in. Gambero Rosso recognized.
2. Song' e Napule in SoHo. My runner up for pizza. The whole place feels like the Quartieri Spagnoli, with Maradona everywhere and Amalfi Coast colors on the walls. Ciro is great, and so are his vongole and his margherita. Always a fun night. Also Gambero Rosso recognized.
3. Kesté in the Financial District. Roberto Caporuscio is one of the big names in Neapolitan pizza here. Very traditional dough and the pizza is really good.
4. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele in the West Village. The NYC outpost of the famous one in Napoli. Keep it simple and get the margherita.
5. San Matteo on the Upper East Side. Good pizza, and the panuozzo is worth ordering.
6. Caffè Napoli in Little Italy. Great hospitality, right in the heart of the neighborhood.
7. Ribalta near Union Square. The pasta al pomodoro is a classic done right. Simple, but really good. Best for big groups.
8. Una Pizza Napoletana on the Lower East Side. The famous one. Very good pizza, but more of a New York take on Neapolitan than what I grew up with.

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and one thing my family will do is take me on an outign of my choice.
Last year I wanted everyone to experience L&B’s /Spumoni Garden. only my wife and i had been there before but it was literally like two decades ago.
Good pizza, good memories and then we hung out on the beach in Coney Island b/c it was a nice october day.
This year we’re considering making the trek to Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint.

No one had in my family’s ever been there before, but I’ve heard good things about it in terms of being great tasting New York City pizza. The other recommendation I’ve gotten from friends is scars, but I heard that that’s gone downhill.

I’ve been to Grimaldi’s by the Brooklyn Bridge before as well

What is everyone think is Paulie Gee’s as good or better than L&B? Is it in the same neighborhood in terms of delicious quality?

There was a decent line and they advertise it as a popular spot. Pizza is just pizza to me but it felt decent for the price and convenience. Like $5 for a slice and sit in the middle of Times Square? I'm not complaining. I just don't know how great its considered.