The Ultimate Guide To The Best Pizza Places In Brooklyn
They say you can't get a bad slice of pizza in New York City, but we beg to differ. We say that depends on your standards. And while there are a ton of veritably legendary pizzerias in New York City, you will find a crop of the best of them in the borough of Brooklyn.
There are dozens of places to get a good slice in Brooklyn, and even more, if you want a full pie. It's not just New York-style pizza, either. In Brooklyn, you can get a traditional New York pizza from one of Dumbo's established pizzerias, or you can explore the neighboring areas for amazing Detroit Style slices and wood-fired pies. It really is its own city, and as such, you can find a variety of styles and flavors of pizza from block to block.
We wanted a list that represented the best of what Brooklyn has to offer while diversifying the types and styles of pizza as much as we could. At the end of the day, we feel confident in each of these recommendations. From a Brooklyn local's perspective, these are the 13 pizza places you must try in the NYC borough.
Grimaldi's
Grimaldi's is one of the most recognizable names when it comes to New York pizza. Under the Brooklyn Bridge near the waterfront of Dumbo, you'll find two things at this NYC institution; whole pizza pies and lines out the door. Since 1990, this place has been serving up delicious pizzas fired in a 1,200-degree Fahrenheit coal oven fire, and it's still a must for NYC tourists to try the pizza the city is best known for.
While it mainly prioritizes pizzas, Grimaldi's serves calzones and salads as well, but it keeps the menu lean and traditional. Being that there aren't any frivolous additions to the menu, we strongly recommend going classic at Grimaldi's. Your best bet is the plain traditional Margherita pizza. Seriously, don't go for any toppings since this is one of the best plain pies you'll find in the city. If that just isn't speaking to you, the Quattro Formaggi white pie is another excellent option that, flavor-wise, could not be more different from a classic red pie. Either way, Grimaldi's is a perfect place to start your Brooklyn pizza tour.
Juliana's
If you want something even more authentic than a pizza from Grimaldi's, you don't have to go far. If you have room for more pizza — and you always should — do yourself a favor and go to Juliana's right next door. The pizza is just as good, if not better, and it's owned and operated by the Grimaldi family in the original Grimaldi location.
We can't talk about these places without briefly diving into the history. In 1998, the Grimaldi family sold the Grimaldi brand and franchise to Frank Ciolli. When pizza-maker Patsy Grimaldi came out of retirement in 2011, he was no longer able to open a pizza place under his name; thus, Juliana's was born the next year. The two pizza giants have a seemingly friendly rivalry to this day.
You can't go wrong with the plain Margherita pie at Juliana's, especially if you want to measure it directly against Grimaldi's. Compared to its next-door rival, Juliana's menu has the advantage of offering more toppings and a short list of specialty pies that are well worth trying out.
Emmy Squared & Emily
An offshoot of New York's popular Emily restaurants, Emmy Squared offers the best Detroit-style pizza in Brooklyn. While it claims to be more pizza-focused than Emily's, the menus are pretty much identical. This means you can eat Emily's signature Le Big Matt burger at any Emmy Squared location. This is the dish that put Emily on the map, and it's one of the best burgers in the country. Don't get us wrong — we love the burger — but we implore you not to skip on the pizza. It's what keeps us coming back.
You pretty much can't go wrong with any of the specialty pies from Emmy Squared and its sister, Emily. Some local favorites include the Colony, Emmy's take on a spicy-sweet pepperoni pizza, and the MVP, which, true to its name, is the best thing on the menu. Served with three different sauces, the sesame seed crust is what puts the MVP, or marinara, vodka, pesto, over the edge. See the VIP to add pepperoni to that. Emmy Squared even has two excellent vegan pie specialties that are better than most vegan pizzas you'll get anywhere else.
Table 87
This Brooklyn-based coal oven pizza chain may not have the national name recognition of Grimaldi's, but locally it's a phenomenon. Table 87 even sells its pizzas by the slice in New York City grocery stores, with shipping options available as well. You might be able to sample the frozen pie from wherever you live, but fresh is always leagues better than frozen, and when it comes to Table 87, it is well worth the trip to any of its three locations.
Table 87 has perfected the art of coal oven crusts, and even better, all its pizzas come in either a small 12-inch or a regular-sized 20-inch pie. With as many great options as there are, the small pies end up being a great way to try new things.
We have to say that of all the pizzas we've tried at Table 87, the Wild Mushroom & Truffle Oil still reigns supreme. Even if you are not partial to mushrooms on pizza, they are perfectly cooked, and the truffle oil is added in just the right amount. You also can't go wrong with Table 87's House Made Sausage & Peppers, which is amazing.
Roberta's
If you've lived in Brooklyn for any amount of time, you've heard of Roberta's. The Bushwick staple is a neighborhood spot for pizza and beers packed since its opening in 2008.
Getting down to the brass tacks of the thing, we must first shout out the Bee Sting. This pie, topped with soppressata, chili, and honey, is one of the original hot honey and pork combinations now popular at craft pizza places. However, the most unique pizza on the menu has got to be the Porchettaboutit, which comes topped with taleggio cheese and slow-cooked porchetta. Do not worry if you don't partake in pork; plenty of vegetarian-friendly items are on the menu, too.
Roberta's has expanded to many cities and even the frozen pizza business. While this is all well and good, we recommend you make time to stop by the original Roberta's in Bushwick. If this guide takes you to the best places to get pizza, Roberta's is one of the best spots to take in the Brooklyn vibes.
Lucali
If you are looking for pure quality pizza and don't care much about price or a long wait, then Lucali is for you. The pizzeria was opened by Brooklyn-born Mark Iacono in 2006, prior to which he had no professional cooking experience. That didn't stop him from buying an old candy store and turning it into one of the biggest success stories in Brooklyn pizza making.
The cash-only establishment is sit-down or carry-out only, and no delivery, but it's worth it to be served that large pizza overloaded with fresh basil. You can add toppings to it as well – like pepperonis, mushrooms, or artichoke hearts – but this is another place where we recommend starting with the traditional basic pie. It's one of the best you can get.
The downside of visiting Lucali's, and the reason a lot of tourists don't get to try it, is just how much hassle it is to get a table or place a delivery order. If you are going to Lucali, you have to plan your whole day around it. Luckily, in 2021, Iacono opened up Baby Luc's just a couple blocks down and around the corner. Here, you can buy the very same famous pizza by the slice and to-go.
Di Fara
Speaking of Lucali, one of Mark Iacono's idols when it came to pizza making was Di Fara's pizza master, Dom Demarco. Known as the godfather of Brooklyn pizza, DeMarco, who passed away in March 2022, first came to America from Italy in 1959. Immediately, he got to work, and by 1965, Di Fara was open on Avenue J in Brooklyn. For decades, it reigned supreme as the best pizzeria in Brooklyn. Some would say that it still is the best pizza you can get.
Now also available at a new location in Manhattan's Financial District as well, the basic pizza at Di Fara is a classic. Pies are made to order with any toppings of your choice, and slices come in either regular or square. Both options are great, but consider the fact that you can't get a square pie at every pizzeria — at least not ones of this quality.
While the Di Fara menu is generally sparse and on the traditional side, there is one specialty pie that draws the eye toward the bottom of the menu, the Chaos Pie. Topped with sausage, meatballs, cherry tomatoes, onions, and garlic, this pizza's flavor is infinitely more harmonious and way less chaotic than the name implies.
L&B Spumoni Gardens
A local favorite of New York based "Iron Chef" Alex Guarnaschelli, L&B Spumoni Gardens has been serving Sicilian pies since the 1950s. Beginning as an ice and spumoni stand in 1939, the space quickly evolved into one of Brooklyn's top pizza spots and then again into a premiere Italian restaurant. For a certain generation of Brooklynites, Spumoni Gardens is a cornerstone of Italian American cuisine.
Ignore the expansive menu of Italian comfort dishes. If you go to L&B Spumoni Gardens for the first time, you must try the pizza. Whether you just spring for a slice or the whole pie, you will get the best Sicilian square in New York City. While most pizza places treat the Sicilian as an afterthought, Spumoni Gardens specializes in them. Sure, you can get a round pie if you ask for it, but that's like going to the waterpark and trying to stay dry.
Barboncino
If you want to try a modern take on the traditional brick oven pizza, look no further than Barboncino in Crown Heights. The pizzeria has been receiving rave reviews ever since it opened in 2011, and we don't see any sign of that stopping. In fact, the last time we checked, Barboncino was still as delicious as the day it opened.
Barboncino's best pizza might be its unusual take on a pepperoni pie. The white sauce-based Four Cheese and Pepperoni is absurdly good, and the Cherry Stone Clams pie is an excellent choice for those missing New England. On the red sauce side, Barboncino has the best Neapolitan Meatballs pizza in Brooklyn.
If you want to try these pies, it's well worth stopping in the snazzy Crown Heights restaurant for a drink with your pizza. Or better yet, stop by for Barboncino brunch, where you can try several specialty brunch pizzas, including the Pancetta, Egg & Cheese.
Speedy Romeo
Bed-Stuy's Speedy Romeo is one of the top pizza places in Brooklyn, despite serving up St. Louis-style cuisine. Speedy Romeo's pizza is inspired by the style of St. Louis, defined by its wafer-thin crust and the use of provel cheese, a staple in St. Louis food.
If it wasn't already clear, you go to Speedy Romeo to try something new. You can dive headfirst into the deep end with the St. Louie, a provel-topped pie with Italian sausage, soppressata, and pickled chilis. For vegetarians, we suggest the Kind Brother, a white pizza with a béchamel sauce topped with mushrooms and a runny egg. The most extreme has got to be Paul's Boutique, served with a sauce of dijon béchamel, and topped with pastrami and sauerkraut on an everything bagel crust. It is truly the most imaginative NYC pizza, and it comes from a St. Louis-style restaurant.
L'Industrie
Serving only 18-inch pies and pizza by the slice, L'industrie specializes in rich, decadent flavors overflowing with soft cheeses. The square slice and sandwich flavors change daily, but the menu staples can be found at the Brooklyn pizza shop every day. We can't emphasize enough that if a pizza topped with massive dollops of burrata sounds delicious, you need to get to Williamsburg for L'industrie immediately.
Whether you get the Burrata pizza or the Parma — which comes with ricotta, prosciutto, and truffle oil — your slice will be topped with the best Italian cheeses Brooklyn has to offer. Don't forget about the oft-overlooked white pizza menu too. The Fig Jam, bacon, and ricotta pizza at L'industrie hits that sweet and savory balance you would want from an upscale flatbread, but better because it's actually pizza.
Paulie Gee's
Located in Greenpoint, Paulie Gee's is home to the most massive pizza shop menu in Brooklyn. Equipped with the largest selection of specialty vegan pies you can find in the city, Paulie Gee's isn't just known for quantity. Since opening in 2010, the restaurant has been a leader in the wood-fired pizza revolution that took Brooklyn by storm over the last 13 years.
There are over 30 pizzas on Paulie Gee's menu, and you can't go wrong with any of them. That's just an excuse to get a big group together to try them all. Just know that until recently, you were only able to dine on these delectable pies by dining at the restaurant. You weren't even allowed to get them to go because the pizza was just that hot and fresh out of the oven. In 2018, all that changed when Paulie Gee's Slice Shop opened up. This expansion has a separate slice shop down the block where you can get your to-go needs filled and take something better than Domino's pizza home for movie night.
Two Boots
This is a little bit of cheating since Two Boots is technically a transplant from the East Village in Manhattan. The first boot of the two boots the name is referring to is the shape of the country Italy, where most, but not all, pizzas originated. The second comes from the shape of the state of Louisiana. That's because Two Boots puts a New Orleans-style new spin on the traditional New York slice. The result? Some of the best pizza names you've heard in your life.
You can get more traditional slices at Two Boots, but why not go for the Bayou Beast, a pie topped with spiced shrimp, crawfish, andouille sausage and jalapeños. In addition to the already wild list to select from, each Two Boots location has a home pie. This means both the Williamsburg and Park Slope locations in Brooklyn have a pizza you can only get there. While Park Slope is home to the barbecue chicken-inspired Hogwallop, you can go to Williamsburg for the Pork Store pizza special, which is topped with hot cherry peppers and locally made sausage from Emily's Pork Store.