Pizza

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Bella Napoli [150 W. 49th St. (bet. 6th and 7th Aves.) 212-719-2819]
An excellent lunch-time option for those who work in Midtown. Many others know about this place as well however, so expect a long line. It is a little pricey, but get two fresh mozzarella slices and you will feel good about your purchase.

Brick Oven Pizza 33 [489 Third Ave. (at 33rd St.) 212-545-9191]
The perfect end to a night in Murray Hill, this pizza is delicious. Again, the fresh mozzarella is probably the best slice, but they are all excellent (albeit expensive).

Giorgio's Pizza [1343 Second Ave. (bet. 70th and 71st Sts.) 212-628-8419]
At Giorgio's you can find an extremely unique (and pretty tasty) type of pizza. The shape of the slices is the same, but instead of the traditional method of the cheese covering all of the sauce, there are small spots (maybe an inch wide, four per slice) of sauce that are exposed. Definitely good for a change of pace, but I personally could not eat here all the time.

Joe's Pizza [7 Carmine St. (at 6th Ave.) 212-255-3946]
This is the famous Joe's Pizza seen on the big screen in Spiderman. Those of you like me who would thus assume that the pizza must be overrated would be pleasantly surprised to find out that it is actually very good. I usually go for the fresh mozzarella slice, although the traditional plain is solid as well. A good, quick, cheap dinner or late-night snack.

John's Pizzeria Eastside [408 E. 64th St. (bet. 1st and York Aves.) 212-935-2895]
This is the Upper East Side outpost of the chain of pizzerias spawned by the original John's of Bleecker Street. No slices is the rallying cry here, and it makes sense because the pizza is so good that you will want a whole pie. Sadly I have not yet been to the original, but I plan on making a pilgrimage there in the not-too-distant future.

Lombardi's [32 Spring St. (at Mott St.) 212-941-7994]
The oldest pizza joint in New York (and America), Lombardi's is an institution worth visiting for that fact alone. Luckily, they actually make very good pizza too. Apparently I missed out by not having the clam pie, but I did try two other excellent options. The first was a basic Margherita pizza, which featured a very flavorful tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. The second had toppings of pancetta, mushrooms, and roasted peppers, which was about as much as you should pack onto a pie. Each pizza I ate was cooked wonderfully, although I hear that sometimes they can get a little burnt, so watch out for that. Now as far as value goes, Lombardi's is a little overpriced and if you factor in the (usually long) waiting time, it's not somewhere that you would want to go on a regular basis (especially in a city like New York, with so much good pizza available). It is, however, somewhere that everyone should visit at least once, and it is definitely somewhere that I would go back to.

Roma's Pizza [1568 Third Ave. (at 88th St.) 212-369-3455]
Formerly La Mia, this place will always be near and dear to my heart for the countless slices I ate here during and after school for many years. The slices here are always reliable and tasty and the prices are reasonable as well. For some reason, the delivery is not quite up to the same standards, but it has been awhile since I ordered from here so maybe times have changed.

Pintaile's [26 E. 91st St. (bet. 5th and Madison Aves.) 212-722-1967]
An extremely thin crust pizza with a totally original taste, Pintaile's is not for everyone. I would recommend it personally, and I think that is a slice that all New Yorkers (and even tourists) should try. If you don't like it, eat no more. If you do like it, you have discovered a whole new world of pizza.

Slice, The Perfect Food [1413 Second Ave. (bet. 73rd and 74th Sts.) 212-249-4353]
Pizza that's good for you? And Vegan? And Kosher? That's right...and it's only at Slice. All these things might sound scary to pizza lovers, myself included, but I have to say that the pizza here tastes very good. It may be overpriced and the pieces may be too small for my liking, but you cannot complain about the taste. And the taste isn't just good, it's different and unique. So I encourage anyone and everyone to give it a try and find something new that you just might like better than that something old.