Traditional NY pizza in Manhattan?

[scrdchao]

My partner and I are going to Manhattan for the day . She's never been and wants to try traditional thin crust NY Pizza. Either slices or pies- doesn't matter. I don't think we'll have time to get to Brooklyn, though I agree Grimaldi's is spectacular. I lived in the West Village from 1991-1997, used to frequent Two Boots - but that doesn't qualify as traditional. We will probably be coming from a Broadway show on a Sunday afternoon. Any thoughts?

[rschwim]

I've always liked the Ray's on Prince St

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Ray's Pizza
27 Prince St, New York, NY 10012

[scrdchao]

For the purposes of introducing my partner to the wonders of Manhattan and also trying to fulfill her stated desire , I'll define traditional as thin-crust , coal-fired. That's not what I would look for, if I had my druthers but I'm tour-guiding here . Other stops include B&H for the best egg cream in the city , Shimmel's for a knish, maybe Pearl's or Mary's Fish Camp for a lobster roll., possibly Smorgasberg or "The Lot" at the end of the High Line ... We're staying at a cheap hotel on William Street , only one subway stop away fro the original Grimaldi's.. We love to eat , if you can't tell. I've seen the Trump/pizza video. Hysterical. People don't seem to remember the " Times fold" either, which I thought accompanied the pizza fold in some mystical sense.

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Yonah Schimmel's Knishes
137 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

Mary's Fish Camp
64 Charles St, New York, NY 10014

B&H
127 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

The Lot on Tap
10th Ave W 30th St, New York, NY 10001

[woodburner]

cool. but skip the knish and go over to Katz;s for pastrami

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Katz's Delicatessen
205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

[secondbecky]

Eddie's Pizza truck - the best thin crust ever. Long Islanders know what I'm talking about (the restaurant is in New Hyde Park). Vince on Entourage even had it delivered to LA the first season of the show.
You can find them on twitter @eddiespizzatruck to find location.

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Eddie's Pizza Truck
New York, New York, NY 10001

[small h]

Eddie's was one of the trucks at The Lot when I was there recently (along with Korilla), so scrdchao can kill two birds with one stone. I didn't eat it 'cause I wasn't hungry - but is it really "the best thin crust ever"? I am mightily skeptical.

[secondbecky]

best ever. thin as cardboard. tasty as hell. i get it with cherry peppers,
best. thats a secondbecky guarantee.

[small h]

The reviews I've seen are middling. But if I get over my unwillingness to pay $10 for truck food, I'll give it a try. I do like matzoh-pizza very much.

[iluvcookies]

For coal oven pie, I'd go to Arturo's.
For slices, Ray's on 6th ave and 11th st.
I don't think anything in the Time Square area is nearly as good as either of these places.

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Arturo's
106 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

Famous Ray's
465 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[thew]

i agree about arturo's, but not ray's. they rely too much on having a lot of cheese, which to me is almost always a sign they know something is lacking in either the crust or the sauce.....

[iluvcookies]

DH and I call Ray's "Cheesy Pizza"... we happen to really like it, as far as slice joints go. So many other places skimp on the cheese, so I'd rather have it "cheesy".

[thew]

YMMV. i think too much cheese hides the taste of the sauce, and is detrimental to the texture of the crust - both of which are more important, to me, than the cheese

[iluvcookies]

On coal oven pizza, too much cheese is a detriment.

[thew]

on any pizza of quality, coal oven, or slice joint, too much cheese is a detriment

[thew]

define traditional - for me traditional NY pizza is NOT coal oven, NOT wood oven, NOT pies only. To me traditional NYC pizza is what you get at a slice joint. Others here disagree with me vehemently on this.

[kathryn]

Coal oven/pies only and gas oven/slice joint can BOTH be traditional NY pizza, IMO.

[grangie angie]

Oh no,Thew.....I am so totally in agreement with you on this....the 'slice joints'
make the best pie!

[woodburner]

If you want to talk about NY pizza: where to go, what to do, and what not to do, check this Jon Stewart Daily Show link, on Donald Trump and pizza. Funniest thing ever. Seriously.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed...

[tex.s.toast]

[did not see the accidental double-posting, and i seem to have commented on the other thread without seeing kathryns reply above, so heres my post from that thread]

if by traditional you mean old, then id suggest John's of Bleecker in the west village (very close to W4th for subway access) i like it better than some of the other older coal fired places (Lombardi's, Arturos) although plenty of people will tell you they like those as much or more (well, arturo's anyway, not sure if any locals have a lot of lombardi's love).

that said, i tried Totonno's for the first time recently and i think i can now say definitievely that coal-fired old-school ny pizza is just not my favorite type at all. i think of myself as a traditionalist generally, but i like the more neopolitan, trendy, style thats all the rage at places like Motorino (my top pick) Co. Keste and Paulie Gees (or Roberta's or Toby's Public house in brooklyn)

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Arturo's
106 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

John's Pizzeria
278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

Lombardi's
32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Co.
230 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Keste Pizza & Vino
271 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

[kathryn]

Totonno's on Coney Island? If so, then your hunch is probably right as I've done Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, Totonno's Coney Island, Arturo's, John's, Patsy's East Harlem, etc. and found that Totonno's crust to be the best in terms of char, crispiness, plus internal bounciness of the crust. If if was a Manhattan Totonno's, I think the pies are definitely mediocre.

But like you, Motorino is my overall favorite. Although I did really like the pies I had from Roberta's recently, and Franny's, less recently. Co. and Keste are good too. I need to get to Paulie Gee's!

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Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

Grimaldi's
47 W 20th St, New York, NY 10010

[tex.s.toast]

yes, totonno's in coney island. internal bounciness was somewhat less pronounced than i'd expected based on hearing reports and seeing pictures, what impressed me the most was the really great sauce and super fresh cheese, and overall balance of the three components in the pie.

[gutsofsteel]

Kathryn, you must try San Matteo.

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San Matteo
1739 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10128

[kathryn]

I know! I just don't find myself on the UES all that often. My husband gets a nosebleed :)

[kathryn]

Since you used to live in the West Village, maybe take her to John's on Bleecker? Then take a stroll afterwards, maybe get some gelato, sit in the park (if the weather is nice)?

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John's Pizzeria
278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014