New Park Pizza

"Coming home from a beach day at the Rockaways or traveling through JFK airport, New Park Pizza is the Queens slice you need. There are picnic tables out front when the weather’s nice, otherwise it's the kind of slice you’ll want to house in a car. In all its cheesy glory, New Park’s slice can be impossible to fold, so you’ll have to move fast." - Emma Orlow, Eater Staff

"New Park is the de facto best slice you can have after a day getting sandy in the Rockaways. But it’s still worth the trip even in the cold weather and is near JFK airport if you need to fuel up before a flight." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff

"This venerable pizzeria is a well-known pitstop for anyone heading to the Rockaways — it shines like a beacon by the side of the road, with several lines forming for its pies. Most people choose the plain slice, which is handed over right out of the oven, making it the freshest slice in town, bubbling with more cheese than is necessary, with a memorably great crust charred here and there. Down with reheated slices!" - Robert Sietsema

"Open since 1956, New Park is one of Queens’s most cherished pizzerias, as a pit stop on the way to the beach or a drop-in during Saturday errands along the commercial strip of Cross Bay Boulevard. The pizzas come out hot and fast and oozing cheese, and lines form to buy slices (the line inside moves faster). Don’t go expecting to find anything but pizza and calzones, and what a scene!" - Robert Sietsema

"Most of us touchdown after a flight hungry, annoyed, hungry, dehydrated, cranky, and hungry. We spend hours waiting in line at security, struggling to untie double knots, struggling to retie double knots, and then eating something horrible and expensive - all before cramming into a tiny, uncomfortable seat, begging for water, and eating something else horrible and expensive. It's pretty much impossible to land without wanting to punch yourself and or someone else in the face. (Sorry, I just got off a flight.) Thankfully, New Park Pizza is only a 12 minute ride from JFK. We don't have the category yet, but pencil this place in as the first (and possibly only) Perfect For On My Way To Or From JFK. New Park is not the premier pizza in the city, and Howard Beach is not the premier place to grab lunch, but when JFK is on your itinerary, it is worth considering a stop. You have to get to the airport 11 hours before your flight these days anyway, so you can afford another 20 minutes for a top-tier slice. The trick out here is to order your pies or slices well done. As in “very well done, black on the bottom, char that sh*t up right.” For some reason, you are allowed the choice of not getting your pizza well done, which is a shame, because anybody who eats a not-crispy slice at New Park probably leaves wondering what the fuss is about. Don't be one of those people. Done right, this pizza will be the best part of your day, unless you win the armrest battle with the person next to you on your flight. Then it'll be the second best part of your day. Food Rundown Pizza Well done, please. The toppings are standard, no one a standout above the others, just get what you normally get and you'll be fine. Should note that we pretty much never mess with the square slice here - it's too doughy for what it's worth, and you lose the signature char that makes this place good. Calzones These are solid, but even though they often sell out of them, not the reason to swing by. The ricotta-mozzarella mix is good, but the sauce out here is the star. So if you do get a 'zone, be sure to order a bucket of red sauce on the side for dipping. Soda Literally the only other thing on the menu." - Ben Kopelman