Jennifer H.
Yelp
9.2/10 Had to try the famous Joe's Pizza while visiting from Orange County. With five locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, it's great for an old-school slice. It's the best by-the-slice New York-style pizza. So good my boyfriend and I got it twice during our trip from Orange County, but really we should have gotten it every day. We got: Cheese $4 | Pepperoni $4.75 | White $4.75 | Supreme $5.50. Everything was so good, hard to pick a favorite.
Not sure how I managed to come to the East Coast so many times as a kid and as a young adult yet I had never tried New York-style pizza from the place itself, until now. Ultrathin and crisp, yet chewy, it's flexible enough to fold without cracking and making a mess. The perfect balance among crust, sauce, cheese and toppings, but not so much as to overwhelm things. Thank the lord that flat pepperoni is used here unlike a lot of the new trendy spots that are using cupped pepperoni, not bad but personally I prefer them flat, at least on NY pizza. New York-style pizza is one of the best American foods. I love dipping my pizza and cornicione in good ol' ranch but sadly ranch is not a thing in the East Coast.
I was in NY for less than a week so I could only fit in so much pizza but I did also get a chance to try John's of Bleecker Street and they make dang good pizza. Joe's and John's are very closely tied, however, they both have their own unique taste. John's is a little more fancy, only sold by the whole pie and is a sit down. But for me, when you want a quick, solid slice, Joe's comes out on top. It's objectively better than Secret Pizza but subjectively I still love Secret Pizza. Still searching in LA OC for NY pizza as good as this one. One slice is a snack, two is a meal, for me.
I didn't see anything on their website regarding eco-packaging or sustainability efforts, bummer. They're located on a busy main street in East Village although they market it as Union Square since it's quite close by. I walked here but it seems to also have metered parking and paid parking garage options, not sure how convenient it is though. The inside is cute, casual and old-school style with a vintage letter menu board which I love. I believe this location accepts credit cards as well as cash compared to the original location in West Village which doesn't accept cards. I can't remember if there was a minimum spend for card use.
There's some hightop seating inside as well as outside, though limited. I came on a Wednesday around 7:30 PM and again on a Saturday around 1 PM and didn't wait long. There was a small line but I was able to order within 5-10 minutes of getting in line and our pizza was ready shortly after. Service is minimal since you're in and out quick. They're also open late which makes for the perfect late-night snack, a plus. For the quality and quantity, I'd say the price is right. Man, I wish they would come to SoCal.