New York Pizza

I was able to experience New York pizza on my recent visit to NYC. They know what they’re doing with pizza there.

Experience

The cultural experience of pizza in New York is great and unique. It’s fast food because the pizza is pre-made and quickly served. They have a team in the back that’s set up like an assembly line to churn out pizzas. They have a guy for every role:

• spinning out dough constantly and topping the pizzas
• tending to the oven
• taking orders and reheating slices
• cashier

It’s fast-paced but orderly. To a beginner, it can be a bit much. You’re not given enough time to see the wares and menu before you’re expected to put in an order. If it’s your first time, I’d suggest sticking with a cheese slice to play it safe. If they can masterfully handle the dough, maintain the balance between cheese and sauce, and hit the correct oven temperature, then you’re golden.

Lingo

You order by slices or pies. e.g. “two slices of pepperoni” or “a pepperoni pie”.

For cheese pizza, the the terminology is “plain slice”, “regular slice”, or simply “slice”.

Dollar Pizza

There are dollar pizza joints everywhere. They haven’t raised the prices in 20 years. These apply only to cheese slices and are high-volume, low margin products. I don’t know how they manage to make it work, I think it’s a loss leader at this point.

Every other pizza place follows the price of the subway, which is currently $2.75.

The great thing about dollar slice is their high turnover means you can easily get a fresh slice. There’s no need to reheat in the oven. It’s a great serving temperature, where the slice has cooled enough to immediately eat but not enough to be unpleasantly cold (unless you like that).