Traveling is a passion of mine so finding the best pizza in New York was on my list. I asked around to my social media friends and John’s of Bleecker Street was the only one recommended. Therefore, it was the one we were going to. I asked a policeman later that day and he brought up John’s right away. It was a sign, that was the pizza to try. So obviously I am recommending it.
In the heart of Greenwich Village, which is very alive at night. This pizzeria has been serving pies since the 1920’s. Very authentic Italian food and the best part was the coal fired brick oven and they cook them right in front of you. Started by an Italian immigrant in 1929, Giovanni “John” Sasso built his legacy on Sullivan street. After losing his lease, he took apart the brick oven and moved it to Bleecker street where it still remains today. John sold his establishment in 1954 to the Vesce Brothers who have passed the Legacy on since then.
Journey to the Best Pizza in New York
On our way to the pizza place, we had an adventure getting there. We were staying at the New York Hilton Midtown which was about 2.7 miles away from John’s Pizzeria. We looked up the Subway routes and it was about 20 minutes so off we went. The subways hold some pretty interesting people, I could write an entire blog on all the different people we encountered on the train.
Anyways, off we went. We boarded the 1 train heading towards the World Trade Center. My phone told me to get off at the 4th stop. So 1 stop, 2 stop, 3 stop, and…..nope we didn’t make it. A man comes on the intercom at the 3rd stop and says, “this is this last southbound stop, the train will now be going North.” My wife and I looked at each other and quickly hopped off the train. We decided to walk the rest of the way.
The streets were crowded! It’s true what they say about New Yorker’s, they walk with haste. We had about half an hour walk ahead of us and we were going to enjoy the city life. You could tell once we started getting closer to Greenwich Village, the night life started to pick up. Bars with crowds of people over flowing out onto the sidewalks. It reminded me of the three years we spent in the U.K. If you don’t want to take the recommendation for this pizza spot, we saw many on the walk so take your pick.
John’s of Bleecker Street Best Pizza in New York
When we finally reached our destination, there was a huge line outside the door. We took this as a good sign because some of the other pizza places we saw were not busy. We were actually planning on taking pizza to go because our family was waiting for dinner in the hotel room. It got too late for that so we decided to eat in which I am so glad we did. Waiting in line gave us time to take in the surrounding atmosphere. So many happy young people enjoying drinks with friends and having a great night out. We were so hungry though, luckily the line started to move.
After about 30 minutes, we were met by a kind older gentleman. He asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside (outside was full, probably another 30 minute wait). So inside we went, and I think we got the best table in the house. It was the table right next to the coal fired brick oven and pizza making station. What an experience watching these three men making the pizza from scratch and sticking them in the coal fired brick oven, almost a 100 year recipe. The booths around us were all original wood from when it all started and you could tell from all the etching’s in it.
Getting down to what matters, “THE MENU”
A great Menu, but not huge, which is what I like. One thing I like to do is ask the waiter what is good, or what is the most popular. The other thing is look around and see what other people are eating. The pie’s looked delicious. The man next to us ordered an appetizer before his pizza and that sold me. I wanted what he was eating.
We had already narrowed it down to a few items. And sure enough, our waiter recommended the “Boom Pie” so that’s what we went with. We added mushrooms and chicken but would have been great without them too. I asked what our neighbor was eating, which was a “Meatball Dish”. Asking for one of those I added mozzarella to it. He went and put in our order. I couldn’t wait for our food.
There menu is small but has a nice variety of appetizers, a few sandwiches, of course pizza’s, drinks (no liquor), and some pasta. They have a kids menu for the little bambino’s but you probably could just share your meal with them. We ended up not being able to eat all the pizza so we took some home for the family.
The Finale
The night couldn’t have ended any better. We sat and enjoyed the best pizza in New York and meatballs. Watched as the waiters scurried around because they were so busy. We decided that we were going to take our time going back to the hotel so we could take in our last night of New York City. I asked for the check and enquired about a Military discount. The waiter said yes, they had one and thanked me for my service. He ended up talking to us for a while, asking where we were from and how we liked New York. A very nice young man and even though he was so busy, he took the time to show he cared about his customers.
By this time quite a few tables had left and it was getting empty in the joint. By my surprise it was closing time, my how time flies when you are enjoying yourself. We asked for a to-go box for our last two slices and off we went out into the night. An hour plus walk ahead of us and we didn’t care. New York was just getting started, bars still full and people everywhere having a grand old time. Off we went.
On our way back to the hotel we ran into a crowd of young people all dressed in different types of costumes/outfits. My wife and I wondered what was going on, everyone looked so happy and excited. Come to find out, they just got out of a Harry Styles Concert at the Madison Square Gardens. It was so crowded that we had to switch streets to walk up. I was so satisfied with the night, what a great experience.
New York City
Now that I have given you a taste of the Best Pizza in New York City, you might want to know more things to do in the Big Apple. Our trip was full of things to do, some tourist activities and some off the beaten path. Take a look at this page to get some ideas for your trip to the great city of New York.