The 13 Best Places To Grab Your Late-Night Pizza Slice In NYC
As Italian immigrants arrived in New York City more than a century ago, so did pizza (via PBS). Not long after, in the 1930s, the gas-fueled deck oven was invented, allowing pizzas to be prepared even faster, and enabling slices to be reheated. In the '60s and '70s, the number of shops exploded, with the era known as The Golden Age of the Slice, per Classic New York History. Then in 2008, the financial crisis helped to popularize the dollar slice even further. Today, slices remain a key part of New York life — especially nightlife.
Bars and clubs in the city that never sleeps are allowed to remain open until 4 a.m. Add to that the 24-hour subway service and you end up with a lot of people leaving NYC establishments at all hours of the night. In all likelihood, most will be pretty hungry. This is where pizza slices come in really handy.
Not all of the best pizza shops in New York are open late enough to help, with the likes of John's of Bleecker Street, Roberta's, Louie and Ernie's, Joe and Pat's, and Rubirosa (apparently the best pizza in the whole of New York) all closed late at night. But no need to fear, here are some of the best places where you can grab a late-night pizza slice in NYC.
1. Prince Street Pizza
Prince Street Pizza is a renowned New York City pizza shop located in the borough of Manhattan, in the neighborhood of Nolita. For those unfamiliar with the neighborhood's name, it means North of Little Italy. But even though this Italian food joint which turns out some of the best pizza in America isn't located directly in Little Italy, its food is held in high regard. New York Magazine gave the restaurant a rating of 86 out of 100, highlighting Prince Street Pizza's coveted Sicilian-style square slices (which it dubs Soho Squares).
Although the slices may look heavy, the dough and enlarged crusts are incredibly light, making them perfect after a night out, when your eyes may be bigger than your stomach. Luckily, Prince Street Pizza stays open until 3 a.m. most evenings, allowing Nolita revelers to fulfill their cravings.
The only night you're out of luck is Wednesday, when Prince Street Pizza closes at midnight. When you arrive, expect to be met with a long line of people. Many think this place is worth the wait. On the pizza review website One Bite, a Prince Street Pizza patron applauded the Spicy Spring, the shop's beloved pepperoni slice: "Spicy pepperoni square slice is a true 9.0. One of the best slices in NY," they said.
2. Williamsburg Pizza
Williamsburg Pizza is a New York City-based slice chain. It operates multiple locations in different boroughs and neighborhoods, including Bushwick, the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, the Upper East Side, and Crown Heights. On the weekends, all locations — aside from the Crown Heights one — are open late. By our definition, that means until at least 1 a.m. But Williamsburg Pizza knows better. They know about the nightlife-to-pizza-slice pipeline, and keep some locations open as late as 3 a.m. on the weekends.
This local chain offers both traditional triangular slices and square Grandma-style slices. There are staple offerings like a margherita slice, white pizza slice, or pepperoni slice (aka the Cup & Char Grandma). The slices themselves prove to be a satisfying nighttime snack, according to customers. "It was a perfect way to end the night! Pizza slices are a bit on the pricier side but I'd say it's worth it," wrote one person on Yelp.
3. Joe's Pizza
There are five locations of Joe's Pizza in New York City. The majority are in Manhattan, but there is one in Brooklyn, too. The Manhattan locations are nestled in bustling tourist neighborhoods: Times Square (sometimes called the Theater District), the Financial District, Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Williamsburg. In addition to being conveniently dispersed through high-traffic areas, these places are also open late. All five New York City locations of Joe's Pizza are open until at least 2 a.m., every night of the week.
Joe's Pizza is not just a tourist destination for its location placement and hours: It's also historic. The original West Village shop opened in 1975. Its many years of slice-slinging have allowed Joe's to garner a reputation for greatness. You'll usually find Joe's Pizza on many lists of the top places to get an authentic New York City-style slice. Not everyone gives it the stamp of approval, but late at night, it's going to taste seriously great. And for some, it's divine. "Best pizza we have ever had," wrote a happy customer on Tripadvisor.
4. Two Boots
Two Boots is a New York chain with five locations across West Village, East Village, Williamsburg, the Upper East Side, and Park Slope. Only three have hours that qualify them as late-night spots by our standards, with the East Village, West Village, and Williamsburg locations open until at least 1 a.m.
This is another historical pizza chain, which has been around since 1987. The founders chose the name from the geographic shapes formed by Italy and the state of Louisiana — they both resemble boots. Southern food doesn't play an overwhelmingly prominent role in the restaurant, but at the time, the founders had a passion for Cajun food. You can still see a hint of Louisiana cuisine on the menu, in Two Boots pies like The Bayou Beast, made with crawfish, spiced shrimp, andouille sausage, jalapeños, and mozzarella.
That's not the only unique slice you'll find at Two Boots. This type of pie is their specialty. Out-of-the-box names accompany surprising toppings, with many inspired by music and movies, like The CBGB, The Newman, and The Dude. It's a fun place to grab a great slice after your night out. "They say NY has the world's best pizza — and this place is proof. Quirky little place, with pizza slices named after pop culture characters," wrote one customer on Tripadvisor.
5. Artichoke Basille's Pizza
Artichoke Basille's is a pizza chain with locations in a handful of states, and a whopping 10 locations in NYC. There, it mostly caters to the late-night crowd, with the East Village, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Bushwick, Times Square, and Park Slope locations of Artichoke Basille's all open until at least 4 a.m.
Although not confined to New York City, we think of Artichoke Basille's — sometimes referred to as simply Artichoke Pizza, or Artichoke — as an NYC chain. That's because it was founded in Manhattan in 2008. Its pizza mostly comes in classic triangular slices in the typical New York fashion. However, the slices are usually thicker than the classic thin crust-style, and there are a couple of square pan slices available, too.
Artichoke Pizza's most famous slice is a little unusual: Artichoke, is a white pie slice made with cream sauce, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, spinach, and pecorino romano. The thick, cheesy slices are beloved by many night owls. "Great late-night pizza place. Came here with some friends after a night of drinking," said one person on Yelp.
6. Famous Original Ray's Pizza
When you bring up Ray's Pizza, it's bound to elicit a few groans from New Yorkers. That's because of the frustrating controversies surrounding its name, explains Business Insider. There are so many places called Ray's, each claiming to be the first, that it's hard to tell which one really was. We're not here to address that business. Instead, we're focusing on which one is open late, and we recommend Famous Original Ray's Pizza.
This New York chain has a few outposts in Manhattan. According to the Instagram of Famous Original Ray's Pizza, the chain maintains three locations, in the Upper West Side, Midtown West, and Times Square. When you're out and about after a night out, head to 462 Columbus Ave., 831 7th Ave., or 736 7th Ave., where you'll find a Famous Original Ray's Pizza open until at least 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. One reviewer on Google said, "This is New York style pizza at its finest." In terms of slices, you can get hold of a regular cheese slice, Sicilian square slice, a special slice, or add any combo of toppings you want.
7. Bleecker Street Pizza
Bleecker Street Pizza is a New York slice shop located in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, at 69 7th Ave. Night owls can head to Bleecker Street most nights of the week because the earliest it closes is midnight. On Thursday nights, the business closes at 4 a.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays, it stays open until 5 a.m. If these hours don't suit your late-night pizza needs, we don't know what will.
Since 2004, this beloved business has been known for being more than a late-night pizza place. Per Bleecker Street, one of its most popular slices is its Nona Maria. This margherita-style slice is made with fresh mounds of mozzarella, puddles of homemade New York-style pizza sauce, and basil cut into thin strips for equal distribution. People genuinely hold Bleecker Street's slices in high regard. On Tripadvisor, it's currently the sixth best restaurant in the whole of New York, and one reviewer on Yelp said, "Wow ... this has got to be one of the best pizza places in town ... the CRUST is second to none ... Will definitely be coming back."
8. 2 Bros. Pizza
2 Bros. Pizza is an NYC pizza chain best known for pioneering the dollar slice during the 2008 recession (via New York Times). Even though prices have gone up at many slice shops since this time — including at 2 Bros. itself — the chain is still going strong. The business has seven locations in the NYC area, located in the East Village, Midtown, Flatiron, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Port Authority, and Times Square. All of them are open until 2 a.m.
Menu offerings at 2 Bros. include slice shop standbys like cheese, pepperoni, and white pizzas. But there's much more, with Hawaiian, black olive, mushroom, and sausage slices on offer, too. Customers seem to leave pleased. "Perfect to grab a slice after a night out and walk back to your hotel/home," said one Tripadvisor user. "How can you lose? It's $1 cheese pizza slices. Open late for late-night carb fillings. The line and service is quick," said someone on Yelp.
9. Champion Pizza
Champion Pizza is a local chain with five slice shops in the New York metropolitan area. The Astoria, Soho, Lower East Side, and 5th Ave. locations are all open late (4 a.m. or 5 a.m. at weekends). Champion specializes in Grandma pies in iconic square slices. But these are not your typical Grandma slices. Champion's slices are extra crispy and made with unique flavor combinations. This is a place to get your fix on indulgent slices. The menu features items like Chicken Parm pizza, Hawaiian Bacon pizza, Mac and Cheese pizza, Buffalo Chicken pizza, and Lasagna pizza (a pie made with sausage and ricotta).
With late hours, Champion Pizza's many locations get the share of late-night patrons. On Restaurantji, one customer said, "We've really enjoyed late-night NY pizza and we've gotten pizza from Champion a few times now. Very good, piping hot, fresh, and tasty." On Yelp, another person said, "This place is a decent late-night eat at 2 a.m. when everything is closed. The pizza was good and tasted fresh even though it was so late. I ordered four Sicilian slices for $16. Will definitely visit again after a night of drinking."
10. East Village Pizza
East Village Pizza is a New York City slice shop located at 145 First Avenue, on the corner of East 9th Street. It is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. That means, if you end up going out on a Tuesday night in the East Village, your late-night pizza craving is covered. It's been open since 1997, with the menu featuring both Sicilian-style square slices and traditional New York-slice triangle slices. You can even get a Baked Ziti slice made with pasta noodles, ricotta cheese, and tomato sauce.
On Restaurant Guru, past patrons celebrated East Village Pizza as a late-night slice spot. "Vibes there are immaculate! We came late Friday night to grab a slice before ending our night. Pretty pricey for an NYC slice but it was damn good!" said one person. "Solid slice of pizza, and they stay open extremely late. They have the classics (cheese, pepperoni, white pie, margherita, etc.)," wrote another East Village Pizza visitor.
11. Rosa's Pizza
Rosa's Pizza presents a similar conundrum as Ray's Pizza. Both names are common in the New York Pizza world, causing confusion. We can definitively recommend the Rosa's Pizza located at 374 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This place is open late every night of the week. Rosa's explains its original location is in Maspeth, Queens, and this spot is also open late. There are additional Rosa's in Ridgewood, Middle Village, Great Neck, and Huntington (in Long Island).
As for the Williamsburg location of Rosa's Pizza, this business has a strong track record with late-night patrons. "It's officially become my go-to late-night pizza spot in Brooklyn. Price point is very fair, ranging from $3-5 depending on what slice you get. I got the classic marinara and buffalo chicken — both amazing and huge," wrote one person on Yelp. "The flavors and texture fit together nicely and make for a satisfying slice whether it's lunch or late-night," said another person.
12. Stromboli Pizza
Stromboli Pizza is a New York slice shop located at 83 Saint Marks Place, in East Village. It's open from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. for pickup every night of the week, and until 4 a.m. for delivery every night of the week. If you're hungry for a pizza slice late at night, Stromboli Pizza has got you covered.
The list of available slices includes classic cheese, Sicilian, two topping, or a build your own, with everything from anchovies to pineapple. But because there's "stromboli” in the title, you can of course get some stuffed treats as well, with various stromboli rolls and calzones on the menu.
"I love this place! They make an amazing bacon pizza...I highly recommend this place and it's good for late-night too!" said someone on the One Bite website. "Solid late-night pizza!" said someone on Facebook. "A late-night favorite in the heart of the East Village / Lower East Side. Great pizza!! They even take credit cards," shared another Stromboli Pizza fan on Tripadvisor.
13. 99 Cents Fresh Pizza
99 Cents Fresh Pizza is another New York City slice chain. According to its website, it has eight locations in Manhattan, and there's at least one slice that costs a dollar: the plain cheese slice. But you can also get other individual slices — like pepperoni, black olive, mushroom, pineapple, sausage, or ham — for less than two dollars each. It may not be exactly 99 cents, but it's still pretty affordable. Of course, it wouldn't be included in our roundup if it didn't also have extended hours, which all locations of 99 Cents Fresh Pizza do. Every location is open until 5 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and until 4.30 a.m. on Sunday (well, Monday morning by that point).
You might not be getting a five-star, restaurant-level slice from here, but for the price, it's good value for money, and should satisfy that late-night pizza slice craving. Reviewers on Tripadvisor say, "The crunch from the bottom of the crust was amazing," and say the quality of the slices has improved over the years: "I just needed a quick snack and I swear that I have not eaten at this place in a long time and the pizza has gotten much better."