Best Pizza Slices in Brooklyn: Where to Start

The best pizza slices in Brooklyn are not one thing. The borough sells a thin, foldable wedge you eat standing up, a thick Sicilian square with a crisp base, and a rectangular grandma slice that sits between the two. L&B Spumoni Gardens is named most for squares, and Di Fara is the top pick for many.

What are the best pizza slices in Brooklyn?

Start by choosing a style, because the shops are known for different ones. A classic slice is thin at the tip, sturdy at the crust and made to be folded lengthwise. A square slice is cut from a thick pan pie and carries more cheese and sauce. A grandma slice is baked in a pan too, but thinner, with a crisp bottom and chunks of tomato under the cheese.

Whichever you choose, judge it on four things. Look at the underside, which should be browned and slightly crisp. Taste the sauce, which should be bright rather than sweet. Check how the cheese behaves when you lift the slice. And ask yourself whether it tastes like it came out of the oven recently, or only like it was warmed again.

Which Brooklyn pizza neighborhoods are worth a walk?

Brooklyn pizza by neighborhood is mostly a story of old Italian American blocks and newer shops in younger neighborhoods. Midwood and the southern end of the borough are home to the long-established names. Williamsburg has newer counters that sell by the slice to a late crowd. A good plan is to pick one neighborhood, walk between two shops and eat a plain slice at each, because a plain cheese slice has nowhere to hide.

Expect the places to disagree with each other. Local lists rank the same few shops in a different order, and one writer's favorite is another writer's disappointment. That is a reason to try more than one.

Where do you find a Brooklyn square pizza?

For Brooklyn square pizza, the best-known name is L&B Spumoni Gardens, in the south of the borough. It is known for Sicilian squares with a thin layer of mozzarella under the tomato sauce and just a drizzle of olive oil, which is the opposite of a cheese-heavy slice. Opinions differ on the plain slice, which is worth remembering before you cross the borough for it.

Square pizza rewards patience. The pie is cut to order or kept warm, and the corner pieces have the crispest edge. If you like crunch, ask for a corner.

Is there a good Brooklyn grandma slice?

Yes, and Williamsburg is the place to look. Best Pizza, on the north side of the borough, is known for grandma slices that are thick and rectangular, though it also makes whole pies, so ask what is on offer. L'Industrie, nearby, is known for a thin slice that you can customize with just about any topping, which suits a group that cannot agree.

A grandma slice is a better lunch than a thin one because it stays hot longer. Eat it within a few minutes anyway, because a crisp base softens as it sits.

Do you have to visit Di Fara?

Di Fara, in Midwood, is many people's top pick in the borough. It is not a place for atmosphere or fast service. Check payment options before you go, and a slice there is a commitment of time as much as of money. If you want a long wait, a counter and a pie made by hand, go. If you want a quick fold on a lunch break, one of the other shops will suit you better.

Treat every name here as a starting point rather than a final ranking. Menus change, shops close for repairs and a recent listing is worth a look before you set out.

Timing changes the answer too. A shop that is slow at three in the afternoon can be the best slice of your week, because the pies are fresh and nobody is waiting. A shop that is packed at lunch sells slices so fast that they rarely sit, which can also mean a hotter, crisper bite. If you are flexible, visit the same counter at two different hours and notice how the slice changes. That small experiment teaches you more about a shop than a ranking can.

How to order a slice without holding up the line

Know your order before you reach the counter. Say the type and the topping together, such as "one plain, one pepperoni," and ask for them reheated if the slice has been sitting in the case. A slice that comes straight from the oven needs no reheating at all, so ask what just came out.

Bring cash when you can, since some old shops prefer it, and check that each shop is still open. Take napkins before you sit down, eat standing if there is no seat and fold a thin slice lengthwise so the tip does not droop. If you are with friends, order two squares and one thin slice to share, then trade bites.

What else should you read around Brooklyn?

If you are planning an afternoon of eating, the Williamsburg Brooklyn restaurants guide covers sit-down options beside the slice counters, and the Brooklyn food halls and markets guide is useful when a group wants variety. Parents will find the family friendly restaurants in Brooklyn page more suited to a table of children. The US guides page lists more cities.

This is one of many New York guides, and the Food in New York State page lists them all by town.

How do you rank Brooklyn pizza slices?

Brooklyn slices are fast, cheap and strongly defended. Rate each slice by the dish, add a Pizza tag and write a line on fold, crust and char. A Quick Service tag tells the next person how fast the line moved.

Follow a friend whose pizza taste you trust, and a Brooklyn slice list becomes a shortcut for both of you.

Slices are easy to forget and hard to compare from memory. Get the Mosey app, rate each slice you eat for crust, sauce and cheese, and build a Brooklyn list of your own, so that the next friend who asks gets a real answer instead of a shrug.