The best pizza in Manhattan in 2026 is Joe's Pizza on Carmine Street for the classic slice, John's of Bleecker Street and Lombardi's for coal-oven whole pies, Prince Street Pizza for its pepperoni square, Scarr's for house-milled dough, and Una Pizza Napoletana for Neapolitan pies. Patsy's in East Harlem, Rubirosa for thin vodka pies and Mama's Too! on the Upper West Side round out the list.
For the whole city, including Brooklyn and Staten Island's legends, see the best pizza in NYC.
The textbook New York slice, since 1975.
Joe's on Carmine Street makes the archetypal thin, foldable New York slice — the plain cheese is the one to judge it by.
Good to know: The original Carmine Street shop is standing-room only; eat on the sidewalk.
7 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014
Coal-oven pies in carved-up wooden booths since 1929.
John's bakes whole pies only in a coal oven, served in a room of wooden booths covered in decades of carved initials. 'No slices' is the house rule.
Good to know: Expect a line on weekend evenings; it moves fast.
278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
The spicy pepperoni square with crisp little cups.
Prince Street's Sicilian-style square slice topped with cupped pepperoni and spicy sauce is one of Manhattan's most photographed slices.
Good to know: The line is long at night; go mid-afternoon.
27 Prince St, New York, NY 10012
Slices made with flour milled in-house.
Scarr Pimentel mills his own grain for a flavorful crust, making classic-style slices and pies in a retro 1970s-style shop.
Good to know: Try the Hotboi slice with pepperoni and Calabrian chile.
35 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Anthony Mangieri's obsessive Neapolitan pies.
Anthony Mangieri's Una Pizza Napoletana makes naturally leavened Neapolitan pies and is regularly ranked among the best pizzerias in the world.
Good to know: Book ahead; it's open only a few nights a week.
175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
America's first licensed pizzeria, still firing a coal oven.
Lombardi's, on Spring Street, claims America's first pizza license (1905) and still bakes coal-oven pies with fresh mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes.
Good to know: Order a classic margherita and add the clam pie if you're adventurous.
32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
The 1933 coal-oven original — one of the few spots still selling coal-oven slices.
The original Patsy's on First Avenue has fired its coal oven since 1933 and still sells slices at the counter as well as whole pies in the dining room.
Good to know: Grab a slice at the takeout window for a taste of old New York.
2287 1st Ave, New York, NY 10035
Ultra-thin tavern pies — the vodka pie is famous.
Rubirosa serves cracker-thin Staten Island-style pies and Italian-American plates in a busy Mulberry Street dining room; the vodka-sauce pie is the one everyone orders.
Good to know: Book ahead or come at opening for a table.
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Certified Neapolitan pies on Bleecker Street.
Kesté makes traditional Neapolitan pizza in a wood-fired oven, with a long list of classic toppings and gluten-free options.
Good to know: A good choice if anyone in your group is gluten-free.
77 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
The great slice across from Madison Square Garden.
NY Pizza Suprema, open since 1964 opposite Penn Station, serves excellent classic slices — the go-to before a Garden game or a train.
Good to know: The upside-down Sicilian is a house favorite.
413 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001
Crispy, airy square slices near Columbia.
Mama's Too! on Broadway is known for its crackling Sicilian squares and creative round slices, drawing lines on the Upper West Side.
Good to know: Get the cacio e pepe square.
2750 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Lombardi's on Spring Street traces its license to 1905 and calls itself America's first pizzeria; John's of Bleecker Street opened in 1929.
Slice shops like Joe's, Prince Street, Scarr's and Mama's Too! sell by the slice. Coal-oven places like John's, Lombardi's and Patsy's sell whole pies only, at tables.