Best pizza slice in Alphabet City (EV, LES)?

[jugrote]

First time poster, recent transplant to Alphabet City wants to know where to get a slice in this area. I have two major criteria: price (CHEAP) and taste (good). Selection not a huge deal - I can manage with just a few choices; I just don't want to pay $4 and get something mediocre. I could venture a neighborhood over if need be but would rather stick hyper-local for when friends visit, I have a MAJOR crave, etc. Who knows yo?

[WestIndianArchie]

For 5 bucks, the Margherita @ Totale is pretty good.

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Totale
36 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

[sugartoof]

Add South Brooklyn Pizza on 1st Ave. It's some of the best tasting pizza in the city. Such a shame it's so pricey, and the layout of the shop is disorienting the first time you go. It's hard to justify spending $8 for 2 slices but they are great tasting, and the ingredients are fresh, all around you as you eat.

Artichoke's lines, and tendency to overcook or drastically undercook their pizzas have taken them off my list. The operation is still chaotic too. Warm slices sit while they're futzing around, and the line is stagnant. Also, $4.50.

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South Brooklyn Pizza
122 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009

[guttergourmet]

Couldn't agree more.

[guttergourmet]

Muzzarella on Ave A, Vinny Vincenz, Veloce, South Brooklyn (my new favorite), Artichoke, Gruppo on Ave B , Two Boots for a bayou beast slice

[Wilfrid]

Veloce is horrible. It's important to tell people that it's not a regular pizza but a pizza-style topping on soggy foccaccia. Two Boots... How can all these be the best anyway?

[guttergourmet]

Veloce's porchetta sausage pizza courtesy of Sarah Jenkins is top notch.

[catfell]

Vinny Vincenz has gone from very good to horrible.

I believe Vinny sold the place, and since then the food is not nearly as good as it was. And the service has gone downhill as well.

If anyone knows where Vinny is, please let us know. I miss his food.

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Vinny Vincenz
231 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

[Pedr0]

I feel like Gruppo slices are a bit dried out usually. Not bad for $2 or so dollars but a plain 9" pie there is only $6.50 so I'd just opt for that.

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Gruppo
186 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

[Wilfrid]

As far as Alphabet City is concerned, Muzzarella is the correct answer.

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Muzzarella
221 Ave A, New York, NY 10009

[daffyduck]

i love the lassagna slice at muzzarella

[sugartoof]

San Marzano is a bargain at lunch...it's on Clinton

Rocket Joe's East on Delancey has some fans. It's a pretty polarizing place. When it's bad, I guess it's real bad. Sesame seed crust isn't for everyone, either.

Rosario's Pizza on Orchard - It's a notch up from the average crappy slice place, and the "rollinis" (pizza roll) have a cult following. It's the standard spot for a convenient fix in the neighborhood for LES long time residents, and has been for years now. Don't expect a gourmet fresh basil affair here, it's of the greasy slice family tree.

Pizza Junkie on Stanton, the Two Boots Tavern on Grand

Up in the EV your options are almost too many to name, and your best bet is to wander, peek in and see if it looks good to you.

Your options for full pies are probably better.

Consider the $4 slice at Artichoke, to the full $9 Margherita pizza from Totale Pizza on St. Marks.

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Rosario's Pizza
173 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

San Marzano
71 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002

Totale
36 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

[small h]

For your future reference, the Grand Street Two Boots is no more.

[jugrote]

Thanks! You and everyone else here have given me a lot to try. (And Totale is on my list of places to try soon, for sure.)

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Totale
36 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

[fooder]

The square slice at Artichoke is one of my favorite slices in the city

[Blumie]

Agreed.

[hcbk0702]

Agreed. As far as square slices go it's only second to Di Fara's, and it's also much less of a hassle to get.

[bookhound]

But it's a $4 slice...

[hcbk0702]

We're bad at reading comprehension. But at least it's not mediocre (assuming you stick with the Sicilian).

[bookhound]

I like the square slice at Artichoke too. Last time I was there I overheard the cashier ask the pizza maker "how much do you think it cost to make a pie?" They went on to discuss how little it cost and I felt like a sucker handing over my $4.

[Blumie]

The cost of the ingredients of any meal is dramatically less than what you pay. But the cost of the ingredients doesn't take into account the costs of rent, labor, insurance, advertising, taxes, utilities, etc., not to mention the fact that investors are entitled to a return on their investment. If you really want to feel like a sucker, try doing the math on what the ingredients cost when you pay $35 (or more) for an entree at an upscale restaurant, .

[kathryn]

How gauche to discuss this in front of paying customers, though!

[Blumie]

Most people don't go to Artichoke for the sophisticated service. (Although I enjoy the theater of the folks behind the counter, music blaring, making such delicious pizzas!)

[bookhound]

There is a difference between unsophisticated and stupid and talking about how cheap pizza is to make when you're selling pizza is stupid.

[Blumie]

Sorry, you can't be stupid and make a pizza that good.

Getting excited about the employees at Artichoke musing over the cost of their product is about as silly as arguing over whether bagels-and-lox should be eaten open face or sandwich style.

[bigjeff]

hahahaha

[sugartoof]

Pizza making is an art, but not exactly a skill requiring a PHD

[sugartoof]

I think the square is a little cheaper than the artichoke slice, and closer to $3.50, isn't it? This is the problem with Artichoke, they raise their prices on whim, in the middle of service, for no rhyme or reason. Their attitude towards pricing overshadows the quality of the food at all the places in their mini empire. When they had a soft open for Led Zeppolli and handed them out free, I overheard a couple asking how much they would sell for, and the owner sounded as if he hadn't even considered it. First he asked how much they wanted to pay, then cut them off and said "$1's reasonable, right?" and he rationalized that they were selling a cookie at the corner for $1.50, so that makes his Zeppoli reasonable for $1. Lost on him, apparently, was how much Zeppoles typically go for. They're now priced at 3 for $2.50, which means 75 cents a piece. I'd bet dollars to donuts they jack them up to $3 to get their dollar a Zep, before long.

[bookhound]

It's $4 for a square slice when ever I go and $4 a slice according to the web site.

[Blumie]

I never realized that commodity pricing applied to zeppoles. Of course the nice thing about the way all this works is that if you're unhappy with the pricing, or the product, or anything else about the experience, you're not forced to pay it. I, for one, have never been disappointed paying $4 for a square slice at Artichoke. What a square slice "typically goes for" may be a lot less, but a typical square slice typically is a lot more typical (i.e., a lot less good).

[jugrote]

I am OK with spending $4 as long as it's fairly consistent with each visit. But I do love (and need) the sub-$3 options. I've felt the ultimately disappointing temptation of the dollar slice places in other parts of the city and therefore am trying to be realistic about the cost/quality balance.

[Bko]

Another vote for Artichoke Sicilian.

PS- Sorry, didn't realize this was an old post, just saw it as a new topic and forgot to check the OP date

[bookhound]

Muzzarella on A is good if you just want to stick around the neighborhood.

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Muzzarella
221 Ave A, New York, NY 10009

[MWinston]

Yep, Muzzarella is my go-to. $2.25 for a regular slice.

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Muzzarella
221 Ave A, New York, NY 10009