Arturo's Pizza (UES)

Address: York Avenue at E 85th Street
Purchase: One Plain Slice, One Peppers and Olive Slice, Ice Tea and a Water
Cost: $6.75
Pizza Rating:


Tonight Michelle treated me to pizza and ice cream after a tough afternoon of IKEA assembling. Arturo's was a nearby and well-reviewed place on menupages.com, so we decided to check it out. (I was of course attracted to it for its namesake.) The pizza wasn't too fresh, but then again it was a little late for pizza by the slice. The sauce had a nice flavor and I was pretty happy with the overall taste. Crust was a little flimsy though. I wouldn't mind trying Arturo's again in the future, but on the walk to Baskin Robins I noticed lots of competition.

Pizza Mercato

Address: 11 Waverly Place
Purchase: Two Slices, 12 oz Soda
Cost: $3.50
Pizza Rating:


Pizza Mercato is just as close to Washington Square Park as Ben's and probably even worse. They serve pizza plus other Italian dishes, spaghetti, lasagna, etc. It reminded me very much of a Sbarro's. The only reason I went there is that I had seen an advertisement for their specials. For $3.50 I got two slices and a soda. What a deal. I haven't seen anywhere in Manhattan with such good prices. But even if they started giving away the slices I don't think I would go back. The crust was thin and tasted like drywall and the sauce was sweet and from a can. The only reason they get such a high rating is due to the extremely cheap combination specials they offer.

Ben's Pizzeria

Address: 123 West 3rd Street
Purchase: Two Plain
Cost: $4
Pizza Rating:


Ben's is probably the closest pizzeria to Washington Square Park. This is the only reason that I would go back. Convenience, not quality, is Ben's only selling point. The slices are super greasy, chewy, and irregularly sized. The worst part is that half the times I've been there they either don't heat up the slices or only put them in the oven for about 30 seconds. Maybe the slices would be decent if they heated them up all the way, but I don't think that I'll be back to find out.

Don Filippo Pizza, Upper East Side

Address: Lexington Avenue at 78th Street
Purchase: One plain
Cost: $2.20 (I still don't get why some places don't include tax.)
Pizza Rating:


The closest *quality* slice to my school (that I've found so far, that is). A self-proclaimed "trattoria," this hole-in-the-wall pizza place offers a wide range of other Italian specialities, and even table service, although you wouldn't know it from the line of business men pushing and shoving to get a slice to go during the lunch rush. The place is a little dirty, and you can get a little clostrophobic while ordering, but it's pretty good for being right off Museum Mile, and there's almost always a place to sit once you get past the counter. The cheese slice is tasty, although the crust is a little thin and floppy. Definitely the place to go if you are starving after a visit to the Met. Anything closer to 5th Ave is a rip-off.

Famous Ray's of Greenwich Village

Address: 465 6th Ave (Corner of 11th St)
Purchase: Two plain, One Water
Cost: $5.60
Payment: Cash Only
Pizza Rating:


A friend of ours, Christi, told us that this was THE original Famous Ray's Pizza. The other original Famous Ray's Pizzas (NOT affiliated) have a lot to live up to, because the pizza here is quality. They were efficient, serving us plain slices straight out of the oven with no reheating wait. There was lots of cheese (maybe too much?) and the crust was tasty and bready, (a little thick?)--both of which made folding this slice in half to eat in the true New Yorker style a little difficult. All in all, the pizza here was tasty and fresh, and it's a convenient walk west of NYU on busy Greenwich 6th Avenue. At $2.25 a slice,* however, we really want it to wow us.




Mmm, cheesy!

* 3/8/08 UPDATE: Slices at Ray's are now an utterly out of control $2.75!

Driggs Pizza

Address: 558 Driggs Street at N 7th Street, Williamsburg
Purchase: One Plain Slice, One Grandma Slice, One Grandpa Slice, One Iced Tea, One Cream Soda
Cost: $9.75
Payment: Cash, Visa/MC ($10 minimum)
Pizza Rating:


Originally recommended to us by the girl at Built by Wendy, this was actually our third trip to Driggs, and certainly won't be our last. Driggs is an all around great shop, with good atmosphere, service, and most importantly, pizza. We tried three different slices on our visit. The plain slice was excellent. The cheese was fresh and gooey. There was minimal sauce but it was very tasty. In addition to a great plain slice, Driggs offers some delicious specialty slices. Instead of the usual dried out ricotta and ziti slice Driggs has the Grandma and Grandpa slices. Both are Sicilian style square slices with a medium thick crust. The Grandpa has a base of red sauce and cheese topped with fresh, extra garlicky, bruschetta. The Grandma is topped with a mixture of pesto, fresh mozzarella, and finely diced tomatoes. Both of these specialty slices were very good and much better than what you normally find for the price. Combined with the great plain slice and the cozy dining area, this is an overall excellent pizzeria.

New Roma Pizza, Lower East Side

Address: Essex Street at Delancey (LES)
Purchase: Three Plain Slices, Two Waters
Cost: $8.00
Payment: Cash only
Pizza Rating:


What attracted us to this particular place was, first, hunger, then, the humongous pizza slice towering over its bright red store front at corner of Delancey and Essex. While the customer service was quite friendly, the plain slices we had didn't make this any place to write home about. The crust was not a good texture, the sauce did not taste homemade, and the cheese was a little chewy and had that cheap reheated quality that becomes the deciding factor between a bad and a good slice. However, conveniently located at the Delancey Street Station on the F, J, M, and Z, New Roma served its purpose.


Photograph courtesy Lincoln Michel.