UPDATE:
#NationalPizzaDay was this past weekend and what better way to commemorate than to give a recap to the Embolden Adventures Pizza Pizzazz Tour.
We embarked on this Pizza Pizzazz Tour to crown the best cheese pizza in New York City, and therefore the world! In rating the pizza, we evaluated the cheese, crust, sauce, and then gave an overall impression.
The contenders were Di Fara’s in Brooklyn, Joe’s Pizza and Johns of Bleecker in Greenwich Village, and Lombardi’s in SoHo. Each of these places is a long-established pizzeria in the United States and is top-rated by any great standard. We skipped Juliana’s and Lunetta due to long-lines, time constraints, and a full stomach.
And..without further ado… the winner of the Embolden Adventures Pizza Pizzazz Tour is… John’s of Bleecker Street!
On the Go
Stephanie, Carl, Mike, and I embarked on the Pizza Pizzazz tour on a mission to find the best slice of cheese pizza.
Pizza Pizzazz! 🍕
Everyone knows New York pizza is the best pizza. Well…let us crown the best of the best in New York City!
We will tour the best pizzerias around in New York and Brooklyn, tasting a slice of cheese pizza and then rating them. At the end of the tour, WE will decide which pizzeria is the best in NEW YAWK CITY. And, therefore, the world.
My friends were in town from Switzerland, and we got a sneak peak of one of the best pizza places in the city: Lombardi’s. Lombardi’s is the oldest pizza place in America, and still has the old, original working oven. See our cheese pizza pie
here ⬇️
?Saturday September 29. 10:45am meet-up at Grand Central Station and start. Be There! ?
So RSVP by clicking here on the Embolden Adventures Food Tours Facebook page
Start time 10:45am and approximate end time 7:30pm. Come with cash handy as we will be sharing cheese pizza pies and orderings slices.
Our (Approximate) Schedule
We are meeting at Grand Central Station at 10:45am on Saturday September 29. Option to meet us at the first pizza stop, Juliana’s at 11:30am. You can print the schedule and directions that are found by clicking here.
Starting Place Option 1 – Grand Central:
10:45am Grand Central Station – 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, Manhattan. Meet us inside Grand Central on the top level by the gold clock. Accessible by Metro North Railroad or the 4/5/6/7 and S subways
Starting Place Option 2 and 1st Stop –
Juliana’s
11:30am Juliana’s – 19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY. Accessible by subways A/C (High Street/Brooklyn Bridge) or F (York Street)
First up, Juliana’s! Juliana’s is the creation of Pasty Grimaldi’s of the famous Grimaldi’s Pizza, located at the base of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Grimaldi’s sold the pizzeria in 2012, and then opened Juliana’s located next door to Grimaldi’s. Juliana’s is named in honor of Grimaldi’s mother, Juliana.
In 2015, TripAdvisor ranked Juliana’s as the best pizzeria in America. A TripAdvisor reviewer proclaimed:
The main reason why Patsy Grimaldi is an institution is because he does make outstanding pizza! After all these years, the perfect crust, great tomatoes, delicious mozzarella and toppings galore; try them all, you can’t go wrong.”
Next up… DiFara’s Pizza. You can thank Mike Mauti for this insert.
2nd Stop –
Di Fara Pizza
Approximately 1:30pm Di Fara Pizza – 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY. Accessible by subway Q (Avenue J)
In 1964, Domenico De Marco founded Di Fara Pizza after coming to America from Italy. All these years later, Di Fara is still known as the best pizzeria in New York City. Even now, Dom makes the pizza! Anthony Bourdain called it the best of the best. Let us see for ourselves.
I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOU GUYS TO TASTE THIS PIZZA! ~Mike Mauti
And Barstool Sports Pizza reviewed it too. “Yeeep. Really good pizza…Lived up to the hype…9.4”
That’s going to be all for the spots in Brooklyn, even though some other places like L&B Spumoni Gardens and Totonno’s Pizzeria are worth the trek. But now, it’s back to Manhattan.
3rd Stop –
Approximately 3:00pm Joe’s Pizza – 7 Carmine Street, Manhattan NY. Accessible by subway 1/2 (Houston Street or Christopher Street)
Joe’s Pizza is located in the heart of Greenwich Village and a mainstay since 1975 when Joe Pozzuoli from Naples Italy opened this beloved joint. For over 35 years, Joe, at the age of 75, still owns and operates the restaurant
Joe’s Pizza has always been a Top 10 pizzeria and a Best of New York. In 2009 GQ Magazine listed Joe’s Pizza as one the
Best 25 Pizzas on Earth.”
After we stuff our faces with pizza #3, let’s walk 5 minutes to John’s of Bleeker Street so we can eat pizza #4
4th Stop –
John’s of Bleeker Street
Approximately 3:15pm John’s of Bleeker Street – 278 Bleeker Street, Manhattan NY. Accessible by subway A/B/C/D/E (West 4th Street and Washington Square Park)
John’s of Bleeker Street is one of the older pizzerias in New York City, operating since 1929 just as the Great Depression began. In that same TripAdvisor Top Ten where Juliana’s was ranked #1, John’s of Bleeker Street made the list at the number 10 spot. A TripAdvisor reviewer believes that
There are quite a few old school pizza joints in NYC. John’s is among an elite group of the best. You don’t go here for fantastic service. You go here for amazingly delicious pizza.”
Are we full yet?? Four slices of pizza is nothing! Now it’s time to try America’s first and oldest pizzeria, Lombardi’s.
5th Stop –
Lombardi’s
Approximately 5:00pm Lombardi’s – 32 Spring Street, Manhattan NY. Accessible by subway 6 (Spring Street) B/D (Broadway/Lafayette)
Lombardi’s is America’s First Pizzeria, first established in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi from Naples Italy. Back then, he sold pizza slices for just 5 cents! Basically, Lombardi invented the American pizza as we know it. And the restaurant’s coal-fired oven is still in operation after all of these years. As a result, the pizza has a smoky taste and a perfect crust.
By this point, we would have been stuffing our faces with pizza all day long. It’s getting late. But! I want to give us a bonus stop…
Bonus Stop –
Lunetta Pizza
Approximately 7:30pm Lunetta Pizza – 1162 1st Avenue, Manhattan NY. Accessible by subway 4/5/6/N/R/Q (Lexington Ave/59th Street) or F/Q (Lexington/63rd Street)
This stop is our Bonus Stop because Lunetta is my favorite local pizzeria. So tell me I’m wrong that this pizza is really, really ridiculously good. Therefore, I wonder if Lunetta becomes the sleeper favorite and ultimately the winner of our Pizza Pizzazz tour!?
Let’s find out!
?So mark your calendar! Come one, come all, and come hungry! Saturday September 29. 10:45am meet at Grand Central Station and start. Be There! ?
RSVP by clicking here on the Embolden Adventures Food Tours Facebook page
