There are many things that we need to know before visiting New York City. We have to figure out the sometimes complicated subway system. We want to know which Broadway and off-Broadway shows to see. And we want to know where we should be eating (arguably the most crucial part of any vacation).
We think of Italy when we think of good pasta and pizza is a must-try food in that beautiful country, too. But New York City is also a hub for incredible pizza, and there are some places that locals visit all the time because they can't get enough.
Read on for a guide to the best pizza in NYC.
New Yorkers Adore Grabbing Slices At Di Fara
When it comes to cities that are known for good food, Chicago and NYC are often in competition, and NYC is known for epic pizza.
Tons of New Yorkers love eating pizza at Di Fara and it's said to be the city's "best pizza." It's located in Midwood, Brooklyn, and Business Insider says that Domenico DeMarco is the one person in the restaurant who actually cooks the pizza. DeMarco has devoted his life to this restaurant since 1965 and he was quoted saying, "I do this as an art. I don't look to make big money." It's a super sweet story and he even has his children work in the restaurant instead of hiring employees. He said that he orders parmesan from Italy that costs $12 a pound and tomatoes from Salerno, Italy that cost $8 a pound. A cheese pie is $30 and that's why it costs that much. You can also get a Chaos Pie for $42 and it has "sausage, meatballs, cherry tomatoes, wild onions & fresh garlic" according to the website.
According to a post from a New Yorker on Reddit, many people in the city love this pizza: "Di Fara is the best pizza I've had in NYC. Just go when it first opens on a weekday and the wait shouldn't be too long." Even just looking at photos of this pizza, we totally think that it's worth the price.
Louie And Ernie's Pizza Is A Classic Institution
According to Eater.com, Louie, and Ernie's Pizza, which is located in the Bronx, is an awesome place to grab a slice or a pie. According to Amny.com, two brothers own and run the place. When Ernie Ottuso had to sell the restaurant because he got sick, Cosmo and John Tiso bought it. It was a very special place for them as they had been working there at a very young age. It's cool to learn that they bought Louie and Ernie's when Cosmo was 16 and John was 20 years old. How sweet is that?!
The prices are a bit cheaper here: you can get a slice for $3.50 and a large cheese pizza pie is $18. Eater.com says that the restaurant opened in 1959 and people love the sausage pizza and also the white pizza.
A regular customer posted a review on Trip Advisor that they've been going for 20 years and someone else wrote, "My go-to place for pizza in NYC. No longer live in the Bronx, but make the trip back often just for Louie and Ernie's." Another regular said, "This pizza is the definition of what pizza should be" which is definitely a glowing review.
Now that we know about the two best places to get pizza in NYC, we only have one more question: should we grab a slice... or go for the whole pie?