Hot List: Chef Paul's Top New York Pizza Spots
My Top New York Pizza Spots
By Chef Paul Kasten
No list of great New York pizzerias will ever be perfect or complete. There are just too many places to choose from and so much more variation than most people realize within what we call NY style pizza. Let’s also not forget that while the city has its own famous style, there is fantastic pizza made there in every style from Napoletana to Roman, Sicilian, Detroit, and even deep dish.
These nine establishments are among the best examples of what NY pizza can be. From Scarr's milling his own grain to Una Pizza Napoletana's world-renowned Neapolitan perfection, each spot taught me something crucial about dough, technique, and the relentless pursuit of the perfect pie.
From the coal-fired bricks of John's to Di Fara's iconic gas oven pies, these are the pizzerias that influenced not just the kinds of pizza we serve at Deep End, but the dedication to craft we work to instill in our team.
Scarr's Pizza
35 Orchard Street, Lower East Side (Founded 2016)
Photo Credit: @bonappetit co. Emma Fisherman
"Retro pies with modern ingredients"
Founded by Scarr Pimentel in 2016, this Lower East Side gem does something almost unheard of in modern pizza: they mill their own flour daily in the basement. The result is an airy, slightly tangy crust that can hold up to toppings yet is pliable enough to be folded for a slice on the go. What Scarr taught me is that if you want to control your pizza's flavor from the ground up, you start with the flour itself.
It's a lesson that changed how I think about dough at Deep End, and informed our decision to use top quality single-varietal flours direct from small family farms. We blend flours for each of our four doughs with specific results in mind. We also do things like mixing a wholewheat version of one of these flours - more than the wholemeal you can get anywhere, this stuff contains the germ, brand and endosperm and needs to be kept refrigerated - to create our own “integrale” flour. This is added to the flour blend for each of our doughs, providing a richer, nuttier, more complete flavor. I can’t say for sure we’d have ever made it so far down that rabbit hole if not for Scarr’s influence.
L'Industrie Pizzeria
104 Christopher Street West Village (Brooklyn Original: 289 S 2nd Street, Founded 2017)
Photo Credit: @lindustriebk
"Classic old-world pies, inventive flavor combos"
L'industrie Pizzeria first came on the scene in March 2017 when Laveglia took over the business from a previous owner.
This Williamsburg pizza place is known for an impressively thin and crispy crust with great quality toppings often imported from Italy. Each bite of blistered crust puffs, then crunches, tasting more like bread from a bakery than a happy dough triangle from a pizzeria.
Massimo Laveglia, a native of Tuscany, showed me how long fermentation isn't just about building flavor - it's about creating those perfect air pockets that give each bite its textural complexity. Their approach represents another facet of what we strive for at Deep End.
Paulie Gee's Slice Shop
110 Franklin Street, Greenpoint (Founded 2018)
Photo Credit: @livekindly
"Old school slice shop vibe meets innovation & quality"
Paulie Gee's Slice Shop may have only opened in August 2018 but the decor is a total throwback to the 1960s and 1970s slice shops Paulie and Mary Ann grew up with.
Paul Giannone taught me that great pizza isn't about reinventing the wheel - it's about perfecting traditional techniques while having the courage to experiment with toppings.
They use a variety of quality flours, each with its own purpose.
His flour selection philosophy - matching the right flour to the right style - is something we apply when crafting our four very different doughs at Deep End.
Una Pizza Napoletana
175 Orchard Street, Lower East Side (Originally founded 1996 in New Jersey, NYC location opened 2004)
Photo Credit: @dailymail
"Some of the very best pizza Napoletana anywhere in the world"
Anthony Mangieri is a pioneer of Neapolitan-style pizza in the United States.
In 1996, at age 25, Mangieri established the Una Pizza Napoletana name in New Jersey, later moving operations to Manhattan's East Village.
Anthony's obsession with perfection taught me that true craft requires sacrifice. "At Una, what makes us different is our dough is naturally leavened and highly hydrated, never refrigerated, made with a mixture of many different Italian flours, and I make the dough every day we're open," Mangieri told CNN Travel.
You can't shortcut excellence.
John's of Bleecker Street
278 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village (Originally founded turn of the 20th century, moved to current location from Sullivan Street)
Photo Credit: @monaghansrvc
"Coal oven pies with deliciously crisp crusts"
John's of Bleecker Street was founded by Italian immigrant Giovanni John Sasso in 1929.
After losing his lease on Sullivan Street, John Sasso dismantled his original coal fired brick oven and moved to 278 Bleecker Street where he continued to run and grow his business and refine his pizza recipe to perfection.
The history of dismantling and rebuilding that coal-fired oven speaks to a dedication that's almost mythical.
John's taught me about the importance of oven management and how coal fire creates a very different bake to wood or gas. That distinctive crispy-thin crust with those beautiful leopard spots? That's pure coal-fired technique, and it's something I constantly reference when perfecting the charred elements in our New York style at Deep End.
Bellucci's Pizzeria
37-08 30th Avenue, Astoria (Founded by Andrew Bellucci)
Photo Credit: @nyeater
"The Don of Dough"
Andrew Bellucci earned his reputation through decades of dough mastery.
His nickname "The Don of Dough" isn't just marketing - it's recognition from his peers that he's achieved something special in dough handling and fermentation.
The way he works his dough, the timing of his folds, the intuitive understanding of gluten development - these are skills that can only come from decades of daily practice.
Every time I shape dough at Deep End, I think about the lessons Andrew shared about respecting the dough's natural rhythm.
Wheated Brooklyn
905 Church Avenue, Flatbush (Founded 2013)
Photo Credit: @pizzacityusa
"Great sourdough NY style"
Founded in 2013, it quickly earned critical acclaim amid comparisons to local pizza icons like Tottono's, Grimaldi's, and Di Farra.
Wheated was founded by David Sheridan at 905 Church Ave. in Flatbush, Brooklyn in 2013.
David Sheridan's approach combines the best of old school technique with modern equipment and a constant desire to learn and grow as a pizza maker, creating something uniquely Brooklyn.
Labeled a, “pizza genius,” by that guy on youtube, his beautifully baked, naturally leavened NY style pies are a great example of how traditional fermentation methods and electric ovens can create modern pizza magic. His crafty DIY approach and never ending tinkering and development truly resonate with how we do things at Deep End.
Lucali
575 Henry Street, Carrol Gardens (Founded 2006)
Photo Credit:@christianandtyler
"Carefully curated oldness"
Lucali was founded by Mark Iacono in 2006 in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn.
He had no experience making pizza prior to opening the restaurant. He learned from watching other New York pizzaiolos, like the way Dom DeMarco of Di Fara Pizza adds a scissoring of fresh basil to his pies.
Mark's story proves that passion can overcome experience when coupled with relentless study of the masters.
The New York Times called it "a luxury restaurant disguised as a pizza joint", decorated with "carefully curated oldness".
His minimalist approach - focusing on perfect crust, quality cheese, and beautiful simplicity - taught me that sometimes the best pizza is about what you don't put on it.
Di Fara
1424 Avenue J, Midwood (Founded 1965)
Photo Credit: @uproxx
"The Original Corner Pizza Place"
Domenico DeMarco (1936–2022) emigrated from the Province of Caserta, Italy, in 1959 and opened Di Fara Pizza in 1965.
For much of the last 50 years, DeMarco was directly involved in the creation of each pizza pie. The pies were all topped with fresh basil (cut with scissors by DeMarco) and a signature drizzle of olive oil.
His famous scissor-cut basil, his precise olive oil drizzle, his ingredient philosophy - these weren't just techniques, they were expressions of love for the craft.
Dom taught us that every pizza is a personal statement, and we should always strive to make that statement worth listening to.
Photo Credit: Hayden Dib
The Culmination
These nine pizzerias represent more than just great food - they're the foundation of my pizza education.
Memories starting in early childhood of these pies or others like them, studying these techniques and learning from these masters has shaped many of the decisions I make in the Deep End kitchen.
The New York style pizza we serve at Deep End isn't just our interpretation - it's a love letter to pizza legends past and present who have shown so many of us what American pizza can be.
Each slice carries DNA from these temples of dough, sauce, and cheese. This is why we do what we do: to honor the tradition while pushing it forward, striving to bring that same level of craft and obsession to Australia that these masters brought to New York.
These aren't just pizzerias - they're graduate schools for anyone serious about the craft. And every day at Deep End Pizza, I'm still learning from them.