Jeff O.
Yelp
Upside is a newish pizza purveyor that has four locations around town and is very much in the vanguard of NYC's slice-joint renaissance, which is flourishing to such a degree that it's getting hard to keep track of all the spots serving up impressive versions of our city's most famous and essential comestible.
This location in Nolita is, as you'd expect, ridiculously stylish for a pizza parlor, with contemporary wood paneling, mosaic and checkerboard tiles, and an overall aesthetic that possibly drew inspiration from a Scandinavian interior designer. And for such a pretty place in Nolita it is also, as you'd expect, not inexpensive -- most slices are $5, i.e., roughly the same as an entire medium pizza at some chain like Domino's or Little Caesar's, or five times what you'll pay if you can find an increasingly rare dollar slice anywhere in 2024.
Aside from the location and decor, the steep price point probably reflects quality ingredients, e.g., parmigiano reggiano and good olive oil, which really do result in slices that are lip-smackingly tasty.
Also, the crust is technically impressive; regular slices are foldable without being floppy, and Sicilian squares are unusually puffy and light, reminiscent of the delicate oblong wonders at the dearly departed Corner Slice inside Gotham West Market.
So, overall, Upside is among the spendier slices in town, but you do get what you pay for.