New York Pizza Tour

“This ‘pizza pie’ style isn’t part of my culture, but I have seen this style everywhere and consider it is very New Yorkese. Compared to its competitors, Ray’s at least tries to make the pizza look appealing with its distribution of toppings. I wouldn’t put the dough into the pizza category at all. I can taste the dairy and sugar in the dough and this for me is not pizza. That said, Ray’s doesn’t serve the worst pizza in this category.” rayspizza.com

“Quality pizza made with quality ingredients has a relatively brief history in New York, a city in which pizza has been made for over a hundred years. Lombardi’s might be considered one of the best and most historic pizzerias by some, but I didn’t like this pizza, especially the sliced fresh tomato topping. They didn’t have the quality, sweetness or character I have found on other New York City pizzas. The dough seemed like it was leavened for a very short time and it was not very digestible.” firstpizza.com

“The most beautiful surprise I had in New York was at My Pie. No one in New York has been able to succeed at Roman-style pizza by the slice until the two Turkish owners opened My Pie. The pizza is crispy on the bottom and the crust is fragrant. The ingredients are fantastic and organic. They choose a more expensive path so their customers eat well. It’s amazing. If you want to try a slice of Rome, go to My Pie. Even the way they sell the pizza in large pans and lay the toppings reminds me of Rome.” facebook.com/MyPiePizzeriaRomana

“It’s a technically flawless pizza. Maybe it’s missing heart, but it’s been made by the book. The dough melts in your mouth and has been leavened properly. Forcella’s pizza was the best in spite of what I call the defect of Neapolitan pizza: Because it is cooked at an extremely high temperature, the crust and base can’t both be cooked perfectly.” forcellaparkavenue.com

“The pizza at Paulie Gee’s is fantastic and could easily be brought to Italy and served there. It would compete with the country’s great pizzerias.” pauliegee.com

“Roberta’s is fantastic! It’s the pizza your uncle makes for you. It’s comforting and reminds me, in a way, of my own pizza in that it is made with feeling and not bogged down by the coldness of technique. It’s clear the pizzaioli are having fun and even with its tiny defects, I really, really liked it.” robertaspizza.com