To state that New York is well known for its gastronomical affair would be an understatement as we all know about this city’s love for food. Besides the world famous Statue of Liberty, Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge, if there is one thing that New York can be proud about is its wide spread of food.
Diverse cultures, global cuisines, variety of dishes and numerous ingredients merge together in this city that has something for everyone.
From street food carts to exotic restaurants, the Big Apple cares for every pocket as it has innumerable options for all. While this city is known for its pies, cookies, waffles, bagels, rolls and hot dogs, one cannot forget about New York’s deep relationship with Pizza. Famous across the globe, ‘New York style Pizza’ has been enjoying fame and popularity for several years now.
Thin crust pizza slice that folds its way into your mouth can be a classic way to explain this well-known object of affection. While rest of the world typically enjoy their 10’’ or 12’’ size pizzas, New Yorkers look forward to their single ‘slices’.
Top these slices with a layer of tempting sauce, fresh meat or veggies and loads of easy melting cheese and you know you have got your perfect piece of heaven! Though New York style pizza is the signature style of this city, there are numerous other pizza varieties that deserve equal attention and affection.
This bond between pizza and the city can only be expressed through a comprehensive guide. If your taste buds and stomach are equally excited for this ‘pizza’ ride, hop on to know about the different New York pizza styles.
1. The classic ‘New York style’
Hand tossed thin crust with layer of tomato sauce and dry grated mozzarella cheese forms the true identity of this pizza.
Additional toppings of meat and veggies are added over this cheese to give rise to several varieties. But what sets this pizza unique and distinct from the others is the way of eating it.
As these slices are thin and long, they are folded into half for convenience. This makes it easy to have them single handed on the go.
Where: Joe’s pizza, Best Pizza, Patzeria Perfect Pizza, Patsy’s Pizza, Bleecker Street Pizza
2. Coal- fired pizzas
Coal fired pizza is the authentic Italian style brought to New York in the early 1900s. Thin crust tossed by hand coupled with fresh cheese, tomato sauce and baked inside coal fired oven give it a signature style.
Coal fire imparts a typical burnt flavor to the crust that has been attracting New Yorkers for several years now. Since coal fired ovens heat to extreme temperatures as compared to conventional ovens or wood ovens, they give a characteristic char to the crust.
Where: Juliana’s Pizza, Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano, Grimaldi’s, Lombardi’s, Verde Coal oven Pizza, John’s Pizzeria
3. Sicilian pizza
A square shaped pizza with crunchy base, Sicilian pizza originated from Sicilia, Italy. It was brought to New York by Sicilian immigrants several years in the past.
No prize for guessing, this style was loved by the local folks in the city as it is enjoyed till day. Sicilia pizza has thin crunchy crust with different types of sauces topped with an entire layer of cheese.
Where: Prince street pizza, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, Royal Pizza, New York Pizza Suprema, Pizza Palace, Ben’s Pizza.
4. The easy on pocket slices (99 cents or $1)
While New York is infamously famous for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, you do not need lots of money when it comes to the humble pizza. 99 cents or $1 pizza slice can be seen all around the city that are perfect for a quick bite on the go.
If you travel around the city, you will observe several pizza joints serving this slice for their customers.
Though the cost is low, these joints do not compromise on the taste, serving tasty pizza topped with generous amount of cheese.
Where: Di Fara, 2 Bros pizza, 99 cents fresh pizza, Champion Pizza, Joey’s Pepperoni Pizza
5. One-of-the-kind (unique ones)
St. Louis style: Inspired by Midwestern style with paper thin crust and loads of cheese. It is served at Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn and lower east side.
Detroit style pizza at Emmy Squared is distinctive because of its cheese layer below the marinara sauce. It is prepared in a well-oiled square pan.
Breakfast pizza is a new age concept that involves ingredients such as egg, bacon, spinach and veggies to set you for the day! Pizza Beach, Leuca, Gristmill, Barano are some of the spots to get this piece of morning energy.
Sea food pizza: If you love sea food but cannot part away from your crusty cheese too, seafood pizza can be your perfect option. New York Pizza pub, Lazzara’s Pizza Café can be your next destination for it.
Besides these tempting styles – bar pies, deep dish pizzas, Indian style toppings, deep fried crust pizzas are some of the other varieties to check out.
So, whether you are a New Yorker who loves the city for its pizzas or a tourist hoping to enjoy this delicacy, rest assured you have reached the right destination!
Image credits- Pixabay, Yelp