New York-style pizza is beloved everywhere for its thin crust, balanced sauce, and ample cheese. On average, an NY pizza measures roughly 18 inches in diameter, making it the ideal meal for large groups of pizza lovers.

Can you say you’ve eaten a perfect pizza if you haven’t had a slice in New York?

Welcome to the home of hundreds of pizzerias serving fresh and authentic NY pies and slices. Here people wait in line to grab a slice from their favorite joints and pizzerias.

But once you try it, you know it’s worth the wait.

It all started in New York.

The first pizzeria and the first pizza were born in NY. The beginning of the 20th century was characterized by a large number of Italians immigrating to the US, and many of them came to New York.

They brought with them their hopes and dreams for a better future and the love for a delicious pie too. Italian pizzaiolos started baking Neapolitan style pizzas, which soon became reinvented with a local, NY charm.

Even though historic events always have some dose of uncertainty, it is believed that the first pizzeria in New York and in the US was opened back in 1905. Little Italy was the place where the first coal-burning oven baked the first pies.

The Italian immigrant Genaro Lombardi opened Lombardi’s pizzeria, where the first pizza was made and baked by pizzaiolo Antonio Totonno Pero. He was an Italian immigrant too, and after a few years, he opened a pizzeria on his own, Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano.

Both Lombardi’s and Totonno’s use coal-burning ovens that give the distinguished taste and flavor to the pies. You can have a slice of history since both Lombardi’s and Totonno’s are still operating.

Totonno made the first pie inspired by the Neapolitan pizza with hand-tossed meticulously prepared dough, and some simple ingredients like tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. The crust was thin and crispy at the edges, and thin but soft in the middle of the pie.

Not in New York? Don’t worry! NYC is rightfully renowned for its pies, but you can find a great New York-style pizza anywhere in the United States with the Slice app.

The Pizza Culture in the U.S.

It is not surprising that this satisfying bite soon became famous and beloved and became copied and replicated by many.

Although NY pizza is mostly eaten in New York and New Jersey, it is popular and adored in many other cities and states, countrywide.

New York-Style pizza is sold either by the slice or as a whole pie. Pies are typically around 18 to 24 inches in diameter and are usually cut into eight slices.

Slices are large and wide, with thin and crispy edges but a soft and pliable center.

This combination creates easy-to-fold slices, so you can quickly eat a slice with one hand or on the go. New Yorkers are known for folding their pizzas, and there are few reasons why they do it. It is easier to eat without creating a mess by folding the slice since the cheese and grease stay inside. Besides, you won’t burn the roof of your mouth with the hot toppings.

What Makes a NY Style Slice?

Although different pizzerias use slightly different techniques and ingredients, some characteristics are in common for every New York-style pizza:

• The dough for the NY-style pies is prepared with bread flour or any other high-gluten type of flour. It is mixed with water and yeast and is left to rise and ferment for more than 24 hours (48 hours or even more). Afterward, it is hand-tossed by savvy pizzaiolos.
• The sauce is made of cooked tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, sugar, and herbs like oregano and basil, creating a bit sweet and tangy tomato sauce. It gets spread evenly, but sparingly, because no one likes a soggy crust.
• The cheese used for NY-style pizza is grated full-fat mozzarella. However, pizzerias use low-moisture mozzarella, avoiding the risk of an unwanted soggy crust.
• The toppings traditionally used for making a New York-style pizza are mainly just tomato sauce and mozzarella. Moreover, other meats or vegetable toppings are added to create customized pies by preferences.
• The condiments typically used on pies are dried or fresh oregano and basil, chili flakes, fresh garlic or garlic powder, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Many pizza lovers will agree that New Yorkers have the best pizza. But what makes NY style pizza so unique?

Few things make New York-style pizza the best. Firstly, it is the preparation of the dough – risen, fermented, and hand-tossed.

Secondly, it is the minerals of the tap water in New York combined with the high-gluten flour who are responsible for the authentic texture and flavor of the crust.

And lastly, the coal, wood-brick, or gas ovens that bake and char the pies to perfection.

Many varieties of the New York-style pizzas are mostly eaten in their simplest form – with tomato sauce and mozzarella on top. These pies with no additional toppings are known as plain, regular, or cheese pie.

One slice of NY-style pizza can have around 200 calories.

Craving some mouthwatering NY pie right now?

Find delicious NY style pizza near you with the Slice app and order with pickup or delivery with just a tap.