Pizzaversary: New York

Collage of 15 pizzas from 14 pizza places in New York

Erin and I spent the weekend in New York celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary with 14 pizza places, 6 comedy shows, Sweeney Todd on Broadway, and an earthquake. We set out with an ambitious list of 22 pizza places for consideration. We knew that wasn’t likely in five days (which included two travel days). We ended up trying 14.

Rating Places

We created a rubric this year and rated each place based on crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings. Each criterion was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (bad, meh, good, great, exceptional; no half points). Points were totaled, then divided by four for an overall score.

The Places

Una (Overall: 4.75) - Crust: 5, Sauce: 4, Cheese: 5, Toppings: 5

Pizza with vodka sauce, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a spiral of pesto sauce

Rubirosa (Overall: 4.75) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 5, Cheese: 5, Toppings: 5

Ops (Overall: 4.25) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 5, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

Ribalta (Overall: 4.25) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 5, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

Margherita pizza with charred basil and dark crust

Razza (Overall: 4) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 4, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

Slice of pepperoni pizza topped with fresh basil and shredded cheese

L’Industrie (Overall: 4) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 4, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

White four cheese pizza with charred crust

Pizza Secret (Overall: 4) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 4, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

Bee Sting pizza with soppressata, mozzarella, and tomato sauce

Roberta’s (Overall: 3.75) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 4, Cheese: 3, Toppings: 4

Kesté (Overall: 4) - Crust: 4, Sauce: 3, Cheese: 5, Toppings: 4

Pizza with mozzarella and strips of soppressata

Song E Napule (Overall: 3.75) - Crust: 3, Sauce: 4, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

Thin crust pizza with fresh mozzarella and charred basil

Juliana’s (Overall: 3.5) - Crust: 3, Sauce: 3, Cheese: 4, Toppings: 4

Slice of cheese pizza on a paper plate on a counter

Best Pizza (Overall: 3) - Crust: 3, Sauce: 3, Cheese: 3, Toppings: 3

Slice of cheese pizza held in hand on a paper plate

Joe’s (Overall: 3) - Crust: 3, Sauce: 3, Cheese: 3, Toppings: 3

Slice of Margherita pizza in a box with a square of cupped pepperoni pizza and a square of cheese pizza

Prince (Overall: 3) - Crust: 2, Sauce: 3, Cheese: 3, Toppings: 4

The Results

In the end, I had 33.75 pieces of pizza and enjoyed 31.75 of them. If I were to visit New York and could only choose one place to eat, Una would be my pick. The crust and the craft they put into their pies are on another level. Among the New York-style pizzas we tried, the Tie-Dye pizza at Rubirosa was my favorite. I highly recommend trying any of the places with an overall rating above 3.5 if you find yourself nearby. I wouldn’t be disappointed if any of those places were my hometown pizza spot.

The Rest

The places under consideration we didn’t make it to were Lucali, Scarr’s, Don Antonio, Motorino, Totonno’s, Pasquale Jones, Salsa, and San Matteo. We went to John’s of Bleecker St. last time we were in the city, so we didn’t include it for consideration this time. We’ll have to make another trip.