Packing for Adventure

With Chicago, we had to narrow down the top pizza contenders from 5 to 2, and with Detroit it was even less. New York City is a whole ‘nother story.

There’s a different pizza place on every corner!

The other complication came from the fact that there is SO MUCH to see and do!

So much pizza, so much to do, such limited time!

We did have 3 days in New York City, but one of those days would be spent in New Haven, CT.

There was really only one pizza restaurant on our MUST TRY list: John’s of Bleecker Street. Our strategy for selecting the remaining pizza restaurants ended up being to choose based on proximity to our sightseeing events.

On our first day in NYC we came out swinging with visits to FOUR different pizza places!

New York Pizza

Where I am from, my favorite style of pizza is Detroit style. Good New York style pizza is really hard to come by. It turns out that is not the case in New York City. They have it figured out! It’s been fine tuned over the years to perfection.

It’s an oversized pie with thin crust that is usually slightly crispy on the bottom with a chewy outer crust. You can often buy it by the slice. The slices are huge! A slice can be folded in half to make it easier to eat on the go while keeping it in one piece. The more grease the better!

John’s of Bleecker Street Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #5 | 278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

This is the place we’ve have been most excited to try. It was actually the idea of coming to this place that spawned the pizza crawl idea to begin with. I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t have to wait long for a table, and the turnaround time for our pizza was fast. We shared a cheese pizza and it was delicious! It’s light, so I don’t feel sluggish. The vibe is exactly what you’d imagine for a downtown NYC pizza restaurant and I found it charming.

Joe’s Pizza Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #6 | 7 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

This was not a planned stop, but it was located between John’s (Stop #5) and the subway station we were headed to, and the line was not long, so we grabbed a slice! It is cash only, so be prepared. I didn’t know and had to scrounge for cash. We got pepperoni slices, which are very generously sized. It was delicious and just what I was hoping for! The thin crust makes it light so we aren’t sick from our two back-to-back pizza stops!

Lazzaras Pizza Cafe Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #7 | 221 W 38th St #2, New York, NY 10018

When we got there, the line was out the door, but we ended up only waiting maybe 15-20 minutes before we were seated, though we were seated in between two other couples and we were all packed in pretty tight! But we were among pizza lovers and it was great! The atmosphere is cozy and fun.

As for the pizza itself- okay hear me out- I actually really liked it, and it reminded me of Totinos pizza, like the frozen pizza. I love Totinos pizza, and it was definitely 1000 times better than Totinos, but the sauce tasted similar to me. Plus the thin crust. The sauce is on the sweet side, which in my opinion is a good thing. The pepperoni is in sticks, not circles. It’s definitely unique!
If I ever get the chance to return, I’d want to try the lasagna as it looked amazing!

Carnegie Pizza: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #8 | 200 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036

This was not a planned stop, but it was located between Lazzara’s (Stop #7) and Time Square, and it had been recommended to us by the couple we sat next to at Lazzara’s. We got pepperoni slices, which are very generously sized, and my husband had mushrooms on his. It was super hot! The thin crust makes it light so we aren’t sick from our two back-to-back pizza stops!
There are tons of options, and they all looked so good! I wish I’d had the room in my stomach to try the upside down pizza!

Final Verdict:

Chris: John’s of Bleecker Street 8.9 | Joe’s 7.9 | Lazzara’s 8.2* | Carnegie Pizza 7.4
Rosie: All were delicious, but John’s of Bleecker Street and Joe’s were my favorites of the day.
*Chris ended up wishing he’d scored it lower, but he felt morally obligated to honor his initial impression.

John’s of Bleecker Street was the clear winner, proving the trip was worth it!

We never got around to making reservations, and again, we got lucky and didn’t have to wait to long anywhere we went. If you can, it’d probably be wise to try for reservations at John’s of Bleecker Street and Lazzara’s.

Next up: details of our first day in New York City!

If you like this post, you can subscribe for free using the Subscribe button on the bottom right corner of your screen!