I Tried New York’s Most Popular Pizzerias

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

✉ Start Making Restaurant-Quality Pizza in Just 3 Minutes a Week charlieandersoncooking.ck.page/7a77956bb5 🍕 Discover The Dough Handling Secrets To Make Perfect Pizza EVERY Time charlie-s-site-1fe4.thinkific.com/courses/pizzadoughmastery

[@meowzord]

Dude, amen. Grandma pie, cured olives, pepperoni was my go-to order when living in NYC.

[@fatimashares]

❤

[@gautam-narula]

I’m so pumped you’re doing a series on Grandma style, I’ve been trying to master it myself so excited to see what you end up with

[@James-qt9dj]

Sip and feast channel has a great at home tutorial

[@gautam-narula]

@@James-qt9dj I’m a big fan of that channel too!

[@alexehlke707]

@@gautam-narula I wish this guy would do a grandma recipe!

[@muzaaaaak]

I think you need to do a trip to Rome and experience Roman pizza. I think it’ll help you tie this all together from where square pizza came from and how it evolved when it hit the shores of the USA, specifically, the NY metro area.

[@TurtleC0mic]

I’ve lived in NY my whole life. Square sheet pizzas have always been the #1 go to for me. Whether it’s grandma, Sicilian or normal sheets. Square slices are where it’s at. They hold more sauce, cheese and toppings while staying KRISPY.

[@sandhill9313]

What a tough assignment, eating all that exceptional pizza. Your dedication to research is admirable 😄and yes I do envy you the task. Looking forward to your instructions, thanks!

[@stevendesmond2685]

Yes so ready if you deep dive your own recipe for this style

[@fatimashares]

❤

[@JoeDonahue]

Another great video. Great production value and I appreciate the interview. You're doing an awesome job and it's a pleasure to watch you evolve as a creator. Thank you!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

[@tubited]

Thanks for all of your work Charlie. I learn something new with each video.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

I’m glad to hear it, thanks for watching!

[@jhippl]

I look forward to your series on remaking this at home

[@PeteC75]

What I found on a pizza that I thought had a pesto swirl on it actually turned out to be basil oil. Might be something else to check out. Can't wait to see the rest of this series...grandma pizza is awesome!

[@lloydramos9907]

I’m not certain if Di Fara considers their square pie a grandma style, but it absolutely rocks. Awesome video by the way.

[@DivineCornbread]

No Di Fara's square isn't grandma style but it is very very good! Had a great experience there a few months ago. Great people in a great neighborhood!

[@FerraPizza]

Love the content.. I've been waiting to see you work on the grandma/sicilian style...

[@simonsbuddy1806]

GREAT vid. I want a slice of each!! I can't recall a vid with so many good looking slices.

[@markinhifi]

Interesting that you didn't go to Louie's in Elmhurst, Queens. They're notorious here in NYC for their grandma slice.

[@magi115]

Romeo's in Ozone Park and Pizza Factory in Astoria have the best in Queens. Very similar to Umberto's and King Umberto in Nassau.

[@bruschi8148]

YES!!!! A new series

[@vs5against1]

Should have stopped at King Umberto a few minutes away while you were on LI. My favorite grandma slice. Better than Umberto’s of NHP.

[@mauditebalvenie]

You should try Luigis of NHP grandmas slice, it's a little thicker but really really good.

[@th6252]

This is the debate that’s been going on from the beginning. While I admit I do give the slight edge to King Umberto, I can definitely see why others prefer UNHP. Also, iirc, the guys at King Umberto have a slightly different story from the guys at UNHP.

[@cjaquilino]

I second that. The Umberto guy takes credit for the grandma but that story is in dispute. And King Umberto is the better grandma, IMO. And let's be clear, the grandma is called the grandma because Nonnas were making sheet pan pizza at home for who knows how long before anyone commericialized it. So we'll probably never know the true inventors.

[@vs5against1]

Yea. We will never know the real story and you can’t go wrong with either slice but the way King Umberto burns the cheese on the edges like a Detroit style pizza but paper thin. So good.

[@NYCFoodGuyDotCom]

@@cjaquilinoi was looking for your comment I can’t believe it’s buried so deep in this chain. No one invented grandma pizza, a grandma prob did in the 1800s. And then more grandmas made it for their grandkids like Umberto.

[@onlymyself7225]

Now that's a pizza! nice and thin , good crisp , good ingredients , lovely .

[@npmann1993]

You really went to some off the radar spots. Brooklyn DOP and village square don’t get as much hype but are great

[@MayBlaze0]

I don't know if it's the BEST pizza in NY, but it's damn good. My personal favorite is a Upside Down Sicilian, aka the Brooklyn Style Sicilian. To this day, it's still my go-to slice when I visit NY again after moving.

[@nicholasrella6904]

Try Ozone Pizza in Ozone Park, Queens. Probably the first place to make old fashioned Sicilian in NY. For years that was the only kind of Sicilian they made. A lot of places around the city copied Ozone Sicilian. Older New Yorkers will tell you Ozone was the original. Best Sicilian since 1964.. I've heard a lot of pizzerias claim they originated the upside down pie, but none of them have been around 60 years.

[@Nn-uh2kb]

Can't we all just agree that variety is the spice of life. There is no "Best" pizza in NYC. It depends on who you ask and what they're in the mood for.

[@alexisc4922]

Good to see the Grandma up close. A few things I noticed. It's similar to the way a tomato pie is made, but in a tray; the crumb is not that airy; they're really quite thin; frico is not a thing with grandma's. Wonder if a quick pre-bake is necessary to get that golden bottom.

[@Mary-bg4kx]

I love your videos! I have been making your NY style pizza at home and it's my go to now. So crispy on the bottom. Have you tried Lazzara's Pizza? It's one of my favorites, maybe it's grandma inspired but super thin and crispy with tons of sauce.

[@mike-yx7zd]

If you go upstate, to Endicott, NY / Binghamton NY you'll find the mecca of Grandma 'sheet' pizza, but we don't do sauce on top of cheese. Lookup Nirchi's, Rossi's in Endicott.

[@NYCFoodGuyDotCom]

sheet pizza def a cousin / sibling to Grandma. Way doughier than Grandma though, Grandma thin and like Umberto says at the beginning, essentially fried in the pan. I went to Binghamton university ate ALOT of Nirchis super happy memories.

[@cjaquilino]

A slew of some of the oldest US pizzerias, older than *any* New York slice joint, do sauce on top of cheese and get browning on their cheese. Totonno (in Coney Island since 1924) does sauce on cheese and gets browning on their *fresh* mozzarella, Johnny's (Mount Vernon real establishment date more like 1929 not 1942) does the same but uses sliced low moisture mozzarella then sauce. Papa's Tomato Pies (1912) and Delorenzo's (claimed 1947 establishment but actually older) also do sauce on shredded low moisture mozzarella and get browned cheese. Same for pizzas at Sam's Restaurant (1930), John's of Bleecker (claimrd 1929 but actually dates to the 1890s) and Arturo's (claims a 1959 opening but had been John's old location and a pizzeria since the 1890s). There's an article describing how pizza was made from *1860* that say they put *cheese down first*, then sauce. There may have *never* been a standard way everyone did it. Yes, sauce first, then cheese is traditional but only to what became the standard New York slice later on not to pizza period.

[@NickAltieri]

Roccos in Chelsea Manhattan has a great grandma pie. Their whole wheat grandma is surprisingly good too

[@brijeshpenugonda5172]

Good list, Williamsburg Pizza is my go to for a grandma pie.

[@DKTD23]

I always want to pay homage and try to home bake the OG recipes. Did Umberto's happen to share which flour brand they use, and any baker's percentages? Of course a good Lloyd pad is probably what ill grab since they have a grandma pie sized one.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Yes he said they use All Trumps flour! I didn’t get any exact baker’s percentages for the recipe though

[@Scottcarp10]

Try Colangelo's pizza in Pittsburg. They have a great grandma pie.

[@Liface]

... Kansas?

[@CosmoSkerry]

14:14 vodka is my favorite flavor. hope you try to make that

[@axe2grind244]

My Nani and my ma still make pizza like this for me. It’s probably the only pizza in NY state thats made practically the same way. We are from Buffalo and it’s basically identical unlike the 2 cities traditional pizzas which are way different.

[@mikeymaniac9229]

You went to the wrong rosas. I grew up rosas that location is completely different than the gos. Great video btw underrated slice

[@MichaelLoda]

NY really has some wonderful pizza. So many different variations. Sure it's not original Italian stuff, and I'm not saying it's worse or better, but it's clearly delicious too and underappreciated by purists. Great video

[@Ecohen52784]

Love Grandma Pizza

[@GainingDespair]

Yeah, you could ask 10 different people the best pizza place and get 10 different answers. Every values something different on a pizza, father was all about the crust, brothers loved the cheese, where as I always loved a heavily seasoned sauce.

[@capersmith]

Bread, cheese, and sauce, the biggest difference between the kinds of pizza isn’t the ingredients, it’s how the dough is handled, is it stretched just before baking or is it allowed to rise in the pan, is it docked, is it rolled…

[@stogiebrownguy]

My Sicilian grandmother in Bloomfield NJ used to make a tray pizza starting at least in the 1960s and maybe earlier. She would buy the pizza dough from the local Italian bakery and used canned Progresso pizza sauce, low moisture mozz , and a good touch of olive oil. Back in the day there were no home pizza stones/steels and this is what people made at home. She cut it with scissors. all that home pizza making kit didn't exist 50 years ago. if you are looking for the authentic grandma slice, you need to recognize that this was home cooking before it started showing up in pizzerias.

[@gonrazortapes]

Aceite de Oliva de Jaén ❤

[@jkultra2739]

My all time favorite pizza is Cassanos pizza in ohio, it's thin crust square cut pizza, would love a video series on that style

[@bigbro973]

Im looking forward to how to get the dough to stick to the corners of the pan when it has oil on it

[@TransparentlyDuplicitous]

As a New Yorker, I grew up on the round slices since those kinds of pizza places were everywhere. I've definitely come to much prefer the grandma pie, though.

[@tubited]

Any idea about the baking temperature these places are using?

[@markm7777]

Very awesome to see grandma style getting some attention, but to be honest I think you need to go out to Long Island to *really* try grandma slice. Umbertos is good but like many 'creator' stories, I'm not sure how unique it really is.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Interesting, well maybe I’ll have to make another trip out there before this series is done!

[@th6252]

Last I checked, New Hyde Park is on Long Island. Ah, nevermind, I commented before seeing the whole video and I understand what you mean and I agree. Grandma pizza is a truly Long Island thing and you’re right, he should’ve stayed mostly on Long Island.

[@railasvuo]

Charlie's videos can't be watched hungry

[@PytoX]

What’s the address of Umberto’s ? Can’t seem to find via google 😂

[@larrykleckner9926]

Hello Charlie, not a New Yorker but trying to make a :NY Sicilian style pizza. I have a 12" x 12" Lloyds Sicilian pan. Trying to use a recipe from "Sip and Feast" on; KZbin. His recipe is for a 14" X 14" pizza. I cant figure out how to shrink the ingredients down to a 12X12" pan (I suck at math), or do you have a Sicilian recipe that will fit my pan? I use your Detroit Style dough recipe frequently. I have an electric Chefman pizza oven (like an Ooni Volt) I plan on baking at 550 degrees. Any help would be appreciated, Bill

[@sammyboykin5624]

Where is Umburto's. Not in NYC, right?

[@th6252]

Correct, it’s on Strong Island.

[@Brooksms]

Mamas Too is my favorite!

[@DH-.]

Im lazy the other day i had a big piece of lavish bread. i made half with red sauce, cheese,pepperon,i olives jalapeno. Second butter base , cheese, cooked Golden brown mushrooms, dollops of ricotta and splashes of pesto

[@JNJ1014]

Grandma baked hard w/Pepperoni, Hot Peppers & Parmesan, ridiculous. I can't eat it often bc gluten ruins my life but when I'm in the mood to abuse myself nothing is better 👌

[@RaymondParker-h2p]

You can only compare coal ovens , even dinners, subs taste better in a coal oven, Modern on, State st. and First and Last in Hartford Ct.

[@RaymondParker-h2p]

My Father was doing back flips when Zuppardi's Apizza West Haven Ct started charging 30 cents for garlic, it was free

[@Alex-ye1br]

Luigis grandma is so good.

[@cjaquilino]

I know you're limited in time, but you definitely should've gone to King Umberto's near Umberto's, it's thin like the Village Square one. They not only dispute Umberto's origin story of the grandma pie, but it's arguably better than Umberto's. Though, honestly, the true origin of the grandma slice are Italian grandma's.

[@webnutmark6973]

In the US, you can pick up Graza oils today at most Target stores. Highly recommend.

[@PSMProjectVids]

There's just something about the standard Joe's slice that gets me every time.

[@DKTD23]

Joe's uses GM All Trump unbromated flour. It tastes great with his balanced cheese portion.

[@user-ey9bt7fs6n]

Grandma pie is my favorite

[@Liface]

Ace's in Williamsburg is the best Detroit style in NYC. And best pizza period

[@anthonygrasso1168]

“Kinda” really like this video

[@JoshGeorgeReel]

When he says rest for a day, is it in the fridge or at room temp?

[@AProfilename]

What do you think is the perfect hydration for a Sicilian Style

[@ryangies4798]

New Yorker here... Wondering how you chose these joints as your sample base? Luigi's in Park Slope is legit for their regular slice, haven't heard anyone rave about their Grandma. I respect what Best Pizza is doing but again... seems like you picked it off a list. Literally none of the other spots would rank. Joints like Prince Street are for the instagram influencers. That crust looked like Wonder Bread. If you had done just a bit of research this video could've had some credibility. The truly mind blowing examples of the Grandma Slice can be found inside of old Italian bakeries. I've got 3-4 of these joints in a 5 mile radius.

[@RobMyself]

Agreed. But being a New Yorker, we know those places. I guess when you're from out of town, you go is I everything you see on social media. But you're spot on where to go with Grandma slices. I too respect Best Pizza. One of my top 10. Bleecker Street is way overrated. Of course, it's just an opinion..

[@DKTD23]

Which ones would you recommend to people visiting the city?

[@DivineCornbread]

Carmela's in Long Island (Franklin Square) has a stellar grandma!

[@andrewb8235]

​​@@DivineCornbreadNo one's making a pilgrimage to Franklin Square in Nassau County, LI for a grandma slice, man. If you're visiting NYC, please don't take this advice. You'd be traveling almost 2 hours by train from midtown to an unremarkable suburb of Queens for a slightly above average slice. Just go to Brooklyn. There's great pizza there and other stuff to do besides gawking at 4th generation suburban Italian-Americans on Long Island.

[@JFreshInEffect]

@@andrewb8235 My friend. The Grandma slice is Long Islands gift to NY pizza as per this video. This actually clarified a few things for me regarding the history. The best examples of it will be found in Nassau and Suffolk. If you drive then a lot of places are shorter time than many subway rides in between the boroughs. And the owner of Umburto’s is still alive as are many other old timers. And many are still making pizza to this day. Your comment is lazy and disrespectful.

[@HolisticPatriots]

Love NYC Pizza but Detroit Style is still my favorite choice.

[@morschgaming]

Corner slice grandmother's pizza is the best slice!

[@brandonperlow9091]

No L'Industrie? They are taking NY pizza to new levels and maybe the best shop there.

[@Daywalker222]

Pro Tip: Ask for the Corner!

[@TurrettiniPizza]

I cut my teeth making grandma style pies before I got a baking steel

[@JeffO-]

Ouch. :)

[@thedevollsadvocate]

Detroit Pizza is the best

[@trevorman9350]

pizza time!

[@rustyschackleford5800]

Based on the origin story, shouldn't it be called Grandpa Pie? Ohhh! I'm just bustin' ya bawls, pops.

[@shaundavies7563]

all pizza slices must contain crust. All pizzas should be cut in triangles for this reason. Minus the exception rectangle pizzas that have no middle pieces.

[@kstarler]

Once again, we find that the best cook in the world is grandma. Sorry Charlie, you'll have to settle for second best.

[@bengoerzen712]

Deep dive your own recipe for this style!

[@NineteenEightyFive]

because grandma pizza is elite

[@happybullpizza]

You missed King Umberto

[@Tom-ts5qd]

New Haven / Roman style!!!

[@gregn2909]

Yes! I'm so waiting for someone to do a deep dive on New Haven style.

[@some-nerd]

No Paulie Gee’s?

[@jeff__w]

Ah, KZbin’s “Thumbnail Test & Compare” kicks in and the thumbnail changes! Something to get used to. (I happened to like the original one more, not that it matters.)

[@AverageIowaGuyLiveStreams]

First! Love your pizza vids.

[@johnsantoro6788]

Umbertos is the best

[@breakingsilence7428]

I'm getting hungry

[@K1rkles]

Is that polly-o string cheese?

[@VikasPatel-pb3rv]

best grandma is at gino's of manhasset

[@mdeighty]

Does he only cover pizza now?

[@polymatheace]

Graza olive oil is very low quality if you know anything about good quality olive oil.

[@DoctorGorbon]

Umbertos is technically considered Long Island since it’s just outside of the 5 boroughs but has been around forever. Long Island pizza is the best and considered better than Brooklyn pizzerias. Manhattan pizza is not native NYer. If you want authentic NY pizza go to Brooklyn and Long Island. The NY accent synonymous with NY is a Brooklyn/Queens/Long Island accent.

[@nateb2715]

so its Detroit style pizza

[@RaymondParker-h2p]

Lombardi's is good, it's not original, and it's not Pepe's The Spot New Haven

[@XRPKINGS]

Don’t be fooled people this guy is claiming to invent a Trenton, NJ Tomato Pie. Mic DROPPED!

[@Goinggreenagain]

Nice oil. But it's in plastic. So sad.

[@Acidicheartburn]

Nothing beats a classic NY slice. Sauce on top of cheese leads to unbrowned cheese and square slices aren't nearly as satisfying as traditional wedge slices.

[@eliyahusvocalcoaching]

The cheese looks pretty browned to me 😅

[@BeersAndBeatsPDX]

Square slices are only good if you get a crust piece. I comment imagine actually wanting a middle piece with no crust on it.

[@cjaquilino]

A slew of some of the oldest US pizzerias, older than *any* New York slice joint, do sauce on top of cheese and get browning on their cheese. Totonno (in Coney Island since 1924) does sauce on cheese and gets browning on their *fresh* mozzarella, Johnny's (Mount Vernon real establishment date 1929) does the same but uses sliced low moisture mozzarella then sauce, Papa's (1912) and Delorenzo's (1947) also do sauce on shredded low moisture mozzarella and get browned cheese, same for Sam's (1930), John's of Bleecker (1929 but dates to the 1890s) and Arturo's (which also dates to the 1890s). There's an article describing how pizza was made from *1860* that say they put cheese down first, then sauce. Sauce first, then cheese is traditional but just to what became the standard New York slice.

[@JeffO-]

@@BeersAndBeatsPDX I must be an outlier not liking outside crust. I make basically a crustless Roman/Personal Pan pizza with cheese to the edge, and don't brown the cheese by par baking the crust. It's my favorite pizza.

[@BeersAndBeatsPDX]

@@JeffO- the beautiful thing about pizza is that it's infinitely customizable. Truly Mama greatest invention

[@YoushouldntSeethis]

ok

[@hoffy1955]

Taste is subjective. There is no ACTUAL "best" pizza in NYC. There's just pizza. You're entitled to your opinion.....1 of 8 billion. 😑