Think You Know Who Makes New York City's Best Pizza? Whatsamattayou? Vote Already!
UPDATE: The private voting by our panel has concluded. While we've seen some terrific voting by American pizza lovers, we'd love to hear some more opinions before closing the public survey. So we'll be keeping the survey open until noon, Friday August 14. Until then, vote away!
Ah, New York City. Pizza heaven, right? Like it or not, when we think of the metropolis most associated with the country's best pizza, it's typically the birthplace of the American pizza pie: New York City. So while determining the country's best pizza is a worthwhile pursuit — one we've tackled for four years — the only list New Yorkers trust is one featuring their favorite pizza joints. As we set out once again on our annual search for the 101 Best Pizzas in America, for the first time, we're calling on New Yorkers to show their city pride (and expertise) by weighing in. You heard me right, New Yawk. Wherever you hail from, be it Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, or the city's two least heralded pizza havens, Staten Island and the Bronx, for the first time, we want you to vote.
It won't be easy. This year's list of nominees includes 93 places across the five boroughs. And this is complicated subject matter. After all, in the Big Apple, various styles vie for supremacy: Neapolitan, neo-Neapolitan, New York-Neapolitan, Sicilian, Grandma, and, dare anyone say it, the $1 slice. Then there's the matter of the ovens they're cooked in (gas, coal, or wood?), and whether you approve of slices versus whole pies.
There are the places New Yorkers go when we want a great pie; places we go out of our way for for a slice; places where we settle for a grab-and-fold reheat; places we take our friends; places we roll our eyes about when out-of-town friends, who lived in the city for two seconds, suggest is great because it was on their corner; and places we take Italians.
Given these many considerations, what qualifies anyone to vote? Have you been eating New York City pizza since birth? Do you use subways and ferries to seek out the city's best pies? Regard an hour-long trip to an out-of-the-way place as time well spent? Are you picky about places that serve you a reheated slice? Great. You're qualified. Of course, maybe you just believe you know better than anyone else. That works too.[pullquote:left]
Last year's list of the best pizzas in New York? Brooklyn's Di Fara, Roberta's, Totonno's, Lucali, and Paulie Gee's took five of the top 10 spots, with Dom DeMarco's legendary Midwood pizzeria ranking numero uno. They were joined by Joe's, Motorino, and Rubirosa in Manhattan, and Queens' own New Park Pizza.
You can review all of last year's winners by checking out the 50 best pizzas in New York, or go straight to voting. Stalwarts like Louie & Ernie's, Joe & Pat's, Grimaldi's, and L&B are all nominated. So too new spots like Adoro Lei, Margot's (Adam Kuban's pop-up in Brooklyn pizzeria Emily), and Rocky Slims. This year's nominees include 12 spots from Staten Island, seven from the Bronx, 13 from Queens, 35 from Manhattan, and 26 from Brooklyn.
Like you, we love tradition, but we're also open to constructive criticism (at least a little). So while, without bragging too much, we think it's hard to believe anyone has curated a more contemporary and thorough list of the best pizzas for consideration, we're open to the question we'd ask if we were reading this elsewhere: "Did they miss any spots?"
The answer (from someone who ate 43 of last year's 50 New York pies) is "probably." Whatever your opinion on the Neapolitan craze or whether New York City tap water factors into its delicious pies, one thing we all must agree upon is that there's too much great pizza in New York City for anyone to do this alone (unless you're the Slice Harvester). Which is why, in addition to asking you to vote, we're hoping you'll write in any spots you think we missed. And if you think you have the bona fides to be on our expert panel, there's a section to tell us why. You may be invited on as an expert.
We just ask that you vote with roof-of-your-mouth-scalding honesty, and that you do so before noon on Friday, August 14, when the survey will close. You'll notice that there are other regions in the survey to vote on as well. It's all part of our annual search for the 101 Best Pizzas in America. If you're so generously inclined to vote on great pizzas outside New York City (that's assuming you believe there's such a thing), you're welcome to jump in there as well.
Tell your friends. Tell the pizzerias. Spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, or with big clouds of smoke created by waving 12-inch-wide rounds of stretched-out dough.
So here's to a perfect crust, a tangy sauce, the appropriate amount of cheese, and toppings done right. What's your take on the best pizzas in the Big Apple, New Yorkers?
VOTE: New York City's Best Pizzas 2015
The original survey closure deadline of midnight Thursday, July 9 was extended to Friday, August 14 on July 15.