Joe: I lived in New York for years, and it has some of the best food in the world. I invited my man Harry Kersh over from the UK to show him how we do things in NYC. We're visiting five of the best pizza places in the city, all in one day, to see if we can find New York's best pizza.
This is "Food Tours. " First stop of the day, Bleecker Street Pizza. Harry: So, we're at Bleecker Street Pizza.
Joe: Yes. Harry: Why are we here? Joe: OK, so Tripadvisor said this is one of the best slices of pizza in New York City.
Food Network said this is the best slice for the past three years. I mean, come on. Place is normally just packed.
We're here early, thank God, to get our slice of pizza. So I thought I had to take you here. Harry: I'm liking Bleecker Street so far.
It's a friendly vibe in here. Very cold. I can see — Harry: We need to get this on camera.
Conner: I'm rolling. Yeah, you can see it. Can you see my breath?
Bro, it's freezing in here. Harry: So, how are we categorizing the pizza places that we're hitting today? Joe: Glad you asked.
Now, obviously there's a bunch of different variations of what New Yorkers would consider pizza, all fantastic. For this, I want to make sure we're getting the authentic New York cheese thin slice, right? Not doing the square cut, not doing the grandma cut or whatever it's called, the Sicilian grandma cut or whatever that is.
We're not going to Domino's. We might do some variations depending on where we go. Joe: Yeah!
Harry: Yay! Thank you. Here we go.
New York slice. Talk me through some key components, key elements here that I should be looking out for and judging. Joe: All right, so, first of all, the crust, it's going to have this thin, yet crackery but not too brittle texture to it.
Now, the mozzarella they use here in New York, this low-moisture cheese, the way they do that is, even though it has a greasy top on it, it kind of makes it so it melts a lot more evenly and it doesn't burn as quick. This is good cheese coverage. It's full coverage when it comes to the cheese.
But you notice, OK, so it's floppy, but it's not breaking. It's not, like, it's not white, for instance. Harry: Yeah, it's still crispy on the bottom.
Yeah, yeah. But, I mean, the thing that makes it great is its taste. So you want to take a bite?
Yeah, I really, really do. Joe: Can we? Harry: Give a try.
Get in there. Mm. Mm.
Mm! Mm. It eludes the rest of the world on how to make pizza this good.
It really does, right? [Harry laughing] It's distinct. This is unlike most of the pizzas that I've had in London.
There isn't really anywhere doing pizza like this in London. I really like the crispy crust. Again, not something you find in the UK a lot, and the texture contrast you get with that is lovely.
Joe: Yeah. It's not very greasy. If you make a pizza at home or you go to some places that aren't so great, it's just grease.
Harry: Well, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of grease. Fat is flavor. I'm liking it.
Joe: And also, as you noticed, it's also portable, right? Like, you just take this on the train, take this down the street, take this to work. Which, again, in the UK, not something that we do.
I don't know if you can catch that, but Dax Shepard said this was the greatest slice of pizza he's ever had. Joe: And it's a weird way he said it. "That was the greatest slice of pizza I've ever put in my mouth.
" What's he done with the other good slices of pizza? I just recently found out you eat pizza with your mouth. Really, Dax?
Harry: Game changer. Joe: Thanks for swinging by. Harry: Real game changer.
Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, look at the steam coming off of this. Harry: OK, that's steamy.
Yeah, I don't know if the pizza is exceptionally hot or if it's just extra cold in here. Joe: Both, baby. Let's go!
Can I bite? Conner: Uh, one second. Did you get the shots, guys?
Harry: Patience, Joe, patience. No! It's New York, dammit.
I don't got time. Harry: This thing looks scaldingly hot. I'm going to wait for you to bite and see if you scald your mouth or not.
OK, got the thumbs up. Joe: Right? What'd I tell you?
What'd I tell you? The first casualty. This is delicious.
Joe: I'm going to say something that sounds kind of weird. Go on. Joe: But the sauce on this is the star of the show.
Harry: Yeah. It is so flavorful. You can see they even got the tomatoes in there.
Because it isn't a — the distribution's a bit different. Like, they put the cheese on there first and then ladled the sauce on there. Harry: Yeah.
Oh, it's so good, though. I want the sauce to almost be the star of the show. I think obviously in the ideal world, everything is good, everything works together.
But a really flavorful sauce where you actually taste the tomato is, yeah, crucial. Love the basil in here as well. But yeah, this is a really good slice.
Damn. Joe: I know. Harry: Is this the same cheese?
Because this feels way stringier. We're getting cheese pulls here. Joe: So, they're doing two different types of cheese.
The sauce is different, but they use the regular cheese and then a second cheese. Harry: You can kind of see, because it's bubbled up a lot more. You get those caramelized bits.
Joe: They really cheese it up on this one. No. Yeah, this one you gotta take a seat for.
This one you take the Dax Shepard booth. Harry: Just Dax's usual spot, please. Yeah, which just this one, the chair facing the wall.
All right. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. We're going to, like, seven other places.
Calm your ass down. True. But also I'm really hungry, so — Joe: All right, well, you'll still be hungry at the next place.
Harry: All right, this was really good. As far as starting points go, pretty excellent benchmark. Yeah.
Joe: Literally just across the street, our next stop, John's of Bleecker Street. Now. I want to talk about something very interesting.
Harry: Please do. Pizza ovens. I love pizza ovens.
Let's go. When pizza first started popping off in New York City, they were using almost primarily coal ovens. Then the gas ovens got introduced sometime I think in the '40s or '50s.
A coal oven cooks way hotter. Now, this is important for pizza. Pay attention now.
As you're aware, Italians are really up their butt about how pizza should be, and more importantly, should not be made. It's all nonsense. But they cook it at 850 degrees Fahrenheit, way hotter than a standard gas oven can get.
So imagine it like this is a New York-style slice cooked the traditional Neapolitan Italian way. So it's like the best of both pizza worlds. Fusion cuisine.
It's like how when The Cheesecake Factory has Southwest egg rolls. This is the Southwest egg roll of pizza. Yeah, thank you.
Harry: Coal-fired ovens aren't much of a thing in the UK. If you're going to a pizza place, it's generally wood-fired ovens. Joe: Yeah, which is weird, because you guys are the land of chimney sweeps.
You guys know soot real well, it seems like. Tiny Tim just clearing it out for our course. Joe: Dick Van Dyke's going to come out here in a top hat and a face full of soot to bring us our pizza, so.
What also sets this place apart is they don't do pizza by the slice. Can't get it by the slice here, so we're getting a full pie. Harry: Nice.
Yeah, I mean, traditional definitely seems like the vibe of this place. Sit down. These tables and chairs that have been here basically since they opened as well.
Oh! I forgot. No, this place wasn't vandalized.
Apparently, the thing to do here is to take out a really sharp knife and carve your initials, your name, something you want to do somewhere in the wood. Recognize this right here? Harry: Ah, yeah, I think pepper?
Pepper flakes? Joe: No. Harry: No?
Red chili pepper flakes. You know the Chili Peppers, the band, this is them in flake form. Harry: Ah, got it.
I have seen it occasionally, whereas it's pretty much everywhere here? Joe: So much so when you get pizza delivered, they'll have little packets of this and little packets of Parmesan as well. Harry: The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Joe: Yeah, they suck. Harry: You just love — really? Joe: They suck.
Their guitar, like, everyone else in the band is legit an amazing musician and can play. And they write these really well, intricate songs. And this dumbass comes in, he's like, "Yubba-dubba-goo, batta-boo, California.
" Someone has to step in and stop this band. This has to stop. Harry: There we go.
Joe: Oh, wow. You want to put in the bag? Is this?
No, this, I think this is good. I want to call your attention to how much harder-cooked the crust is. Harry: Yeah, man.
Old-school Insider cheese pull. Joe: Why don't you get a plate ready? Harry: There we go.
Already just by looks, what are you thinking? Not maybe as homogenous in terms of the classic New York slices where the mozzarella and the sauce kind of blend together. I like the fact that the mozzarella here as well has got a bit of that caramelization on top, looking like bubbling.
I quite like this. Because generally speaking, when you get the patches, you get a bit more flavor contrast. You get a nice sort of crispy burned bit and then a normal bit.
Joe: You're learning. Harry: I'm getting there. Yeah, it's like this guy's hosting it.
The sauce isn't as flavorful as the other place's, but the cheese, the gooeyness is incredible. I agree. The cheese sets this apart.
There you go. Joe: Now let's spice it up, huh? Harry: Hit me up.
Maybe not quite that many for my weak British palate. Joe: A little Anthony Kiedis for you. Let's go.
The other pepper. Oh. Ooh.
And, you know what, a little salt. This is why British food tastes bland to you guys, because you've put about eight different seasonings on every mouthful. Yeah, that's why.
I think it's your wimpy palates. All that tea you're drinking. The slices are — obviously we got a full pie, so slices are smaller.
So even though we did get a whole pie, I feel like this is equivalent of, like, three New York City slices. Harry: Yeah, I'd say so. Joe: Even though that's a full pizza, this is our medium.
What? Joe: Yep. We go at least one bigger over here.
Harry: That in the UK is comfortably a large. This is a big pizza. I think you could happily feed two people off of this on its own.
Do you notice the effect of the coal oven when you eat this? How is this different from what we've eaten? Joe: I do.
My theory on that is this. One, because it was cooked so much faster, the cheese is gooier. It hasn't mixed so much with the sauce.
And I feel that the dough, you can only see — on the crust, you can see where it's a little burnt here. It's a lot crispier, right? You can see the dustiness of the coal here.
Harry: Yeah. Joe: It's got Dick Van Dyke all over it, buddy. I could break off this slice and, like, write on the concrete with it.
That's how charcoaled it is. Everyone's got these annoying pizza rules that come from who cares, what can and can't be on a pizza, how you're supposed to cook it. It's pizza.
Just eat it. I can't stand all these BS rules. You're only saying that because you're from Chicago and everyone hates Chicago style.
Joe: Yeah, maybe. But pizza can be so many wonderful things if you just kind of ease up on the made-up parameters. It's funny.
I mentioned that because the next place we're going to is a very specific, outside-the-box sort of slice of pizza. I don't know any other place that makes it, either in New York or in the world in general, so. About to find something that's breaking all the pizza rules, baby.
OK. The rule book's going out the window right now. Right out the window.
Harry: Let's do it. Joe: All right. All right.
All right, all right, all right, all right, all right. Now, I think some people watching this might give me a little bit of attitude about this, but this is a really special slice that I think that everyone who comes to New York should try. Yeah, I'm mixing my Red Bull and my Coke, all right?
What is going on here? Is this an American thing? No, this is me.
New York place. Artichoke pizza. Started here.
Almost all of it is right here. This slice deviates a little bit from what we said before about trying the classic cheese, tomato sauce. But, like, I have to take you here because this slice is so ridiculous and so delicious.
I think it is important for anyone who visits New York to try this slice. And as you can see, no tomato sauce, it's a white sauce, cheese, and of course artichoke. Harry: Yeah.
I mean, this doesn't look like anything that we've tried today. It's also way thicker. Harry: It feels like it's got depth to it as well.
Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is a lot thicker. Harry: This is a thick slice, maybe the biggest slice we've had today.
Joe: This thing is ridiculous. Cheers, buddy. Oh, my God.
Creamy, right? It's got a really savory flavor from the artichoke. Have you ever tasted anything like this?
Right? That's crazy. Joe: Isn't it crazy how good this is?
Man, that is so, like, buttery. Yeah, buttery. Harry: Decadent.
Like, rich. Yeah. Harry: I'm already kind of full.
Joe: Yeah, man. One slice will put you to sleep. Harry: That's, that is, that's wild.
I don't know what I was expecting, but that's fantastic. Joe: That's really great, right? Harry: Yeah.
Joe: Definitely a must when you come to New York. Harry: Yeah. Joe: And it's weird because, you know, by all accounts of the pizza purists, so I'm just projecting all this negative attention towards, I don't even know who I'm talking about specifically.
Harry: These guys. Joe: I mean, yeah, no tomato sauce, artichoke is obviously not a common topping. It's a lot bigger than your New York City slice.
So I can see a lot of people being like, "Oh, it doesn't count. " But then they taste it, it's like, yeah. But it's .
. . as far as taste goes, absolutely fantastic.
Some people seem to just innovate for the sake of it, whereas this, I think there's a purpose to it. I think, yeah, buttery is my adjective. Genuinely just so velvety and rich.
That's kind of wild. Joe: This is a slice that if you love it, nothing else, I can't think of anything else you can get, any other pizza. I don't know any other place doing pizza like this.
[dance music plays] Harry: Was that, like, a Cher . . .
? Joe: Corniest song possible. Harry: You have those moods where you're craving a specific food.
If you're craving a slice of cheese pizza, a lot of places that you could get it from. Whereas I guess, yeah, if you're craving an artichoke pizza, they've got you cornered. Joe: I used to live by the one in Bushwick, and it was a problem.
Harry: That's dangerous. Joe: Yeah. So, I mean, obviously it's a slice of pizza.
Joe: Yes, and we're in New York. We're in New York. Some people might say this isn't a New York slice.
Would you say this is a New York slice? Yes, I would, Harry. But, you know, I'm not really into following a specific set of rules just for the sake of rules, so.
That seems to be your vibe. You're the bad boy. Kind of don't play by the rules.
Joe: That's right. If this jacket had a collar, straight up. All right, enough of this.
We got more pizza to eat. I got more Red Bull and Cokes to make. Harry: I hate that so much.
Ready to go? Come on, let's go. That Red Bull's kicking in, baby.
Harry: All right. Joe: Our next stop might be the favorite for the tourists. It's Joe's.
All right, buddy. So I got, of course, slice of the classic cheese. Then I got their fresh mozzarella slice.
And then the reason I'm holding this like this is for two reasons. One, I only have two hands. Two, you see how it's dangling down over there?
You see the dangle? The tongue? The pizza tongue?
Big slices. I don't want to put this on the table. Harry: No.
Joe: That has never been cleaned because it's New York City. Here, you go this one. And then you take the top one, maybe.
OK. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My only concern with this situation is that this happens, and now I've got pizza on my hands, but that's fine.
New York City, baby. That's New York. Joe: The reason I'm taking you to Joe's is Joe's is arguably the most famous in New York.
Harry: Yes. Joe: It's very good. But this one, it's almost pop-culture famous.
It was in "Spider-Man. " Harry: I'm trying to remember which "Spider-Man" film it was in. I feel like there's a lot of pizza in "Spider-Man," but.
Is it the Tobey Maguire one? Ah! A bit of trivia about Joe's that is not really food-related is that it's so famous in this city that pizza places will open up with Joe's in the name, like Little Joe's, Joe Jr.
's. So Joe's is always having to sue places. Pizza place, they'll be like, Original Joe's.
It's like, "Nah, it ain't happening. " Harry: Cease and desist. Joe: Joe himself hops on the horn and is like, "Nah, man.
" So, notice how this slice, a little bit flimsier, but they didn't cut it in half. A lot of color on the bottom there. This is quite a good char going on.
It looks a little more saucy. Harry: Yeah, it does. Which is good.
But this slice, I mean, this is a tourist destination. There's a good reason why. I mean, other people are shooting videos in here.
So you know it's the spot. Harry: He's dressed a lot more smartly than we are. Joe: Were we supposed to dress up for this?
I'm feeling underdressed now. Joe: Yeah. Dig in, buddy.
Harry: OK, here we go. Joe: Good enough for one of the Spider-Mans. Harry: Tobey Maguire, the best one.
Mm. Sauce, right? The sauce.
Right? Harry: Mm! It's thin, and it's floppy, so it deceitfully looks like it's going to be a simple slice.
Nothing simple about this. No. The flavors of the sauce, it's perfect.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm into this. Joe: This is perfect.
This is really good. Well seasoned. Nice and salty.
Satisfying, savory. So you can imagine why just pizza places open up all over the city that's like, "Yeah, we're also Joe's. " Harry: Mm-hmm.
I want to call everyone's attention to, like, it's pretty well cooked, right? It's pretty crispy here, but it isn't breaking. It isn't falling over.
It's a really weird mix of, like, crispy but also kind of soggy. Joe: Now, while you're working on that, I want to tell you about this next slice. This is the fresh mozzarella.
Fresh "moozarell" slice. As you can see, a little more generous with the sauce, not so much with the cheese. What I like about this slice is it's exactly what we were talking about before.
This is, like, almost all sauce. Harry: Yes. Saucy boy, right here.
Talk to me about the pronunciation of "moozarell. " Oh, that's how they call it in "The Sopranos. " I'm excited about the amount of sauce on this.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is going to be floppier. Harry: This is going to be, like, a full fold.
All right, ready? Go. Harry: I'm actually going to say, I think I just prefer the classic cheese.
Joe: Wow, really? Harry: Yeah. I wasn't expecting myself to, because I think — It's crazy, man.
I figured you for a saucehead. I thought you were going to be like, give me the sauce. I kind of am, but for some reason, the combination of the cheese and sauce on this one is working better for me.
Me personally, I'm going to say that as much as I love the flavor of this slice, when you talk about a New York slice, it isn't just eating it, it's how you're eating it. Joe's, I could eat this one-handed, you know, while surfing on the internet on my phone. This one requires a little more attention, so.
Harry: Yeah, it's this one. No contest. Joe: Wow.
Stick to the classics if you're coming to Joe's. Joe: It has to be regular. It has to be Joe's Pizza, not Little Joe's, not Duke of Joe's.
Harry: No. Joe: Not Classic Joe's, Famous Joe's, Original Joe's — Harry: [laughing] "Duke of Joe's. " Yeah, right.
When are we going to Harry's Pizza? Is that the next stop? I never heard of it, so have fun.
Any of that dump. Harry: So, I mean, this is a wildly popular tourist spot. Joe: Yeah.
Harry: But honestly, I'm kind of into it. I was worried it would be a complete tourist trap. Really bad quality.
Cheap. I feel like you can't get complacent, just with the sheer amount of competition. You know, if you got even a little bit complacent, someone else is zooming in and stealing it.
You still want to have some more pizza? I know we've eaten a lot. Harry: I can always eat pizza.
All right. Yeah, me too. OK, let's go to the next spot.
Come on. Eh, just leave it there. Harry: Leave it there.
That's fine. The pigeons can have it. I don't know where Harry went.
He's on his own. He's from London. He can figure out the train system.
I want some of that pizza. We're right by the Brooklyn Bridge, as you saw. We're in the town of Dumbo, named after the elephant.
It's one of the biggest chains. They have, like, 43 locations of this chain, so they're doing pretty well. Speaking of.
Ooh! Joe: Oh, man. Oh, man.
Thank you. Look at these! I forget if I mentioned this, but here in New York, people think that one of the reasons why New York City pizza's so good is the water.
Harry: Yeah, I've heard this. Joe: I've heard this too. I've heard various, some people say yes, some people say no.
But in 2010, they got a bunch of scientists together to actually examine the water. And then all their other locations, apparently they have this machine, this proprietary machine or process where they can remake New York City water at their location. So when they make the dough, it's with the special water.
That's pretty cool. Joe: Now, I personally think that's nonsense, but good on them for doing it. I mean, it's cool.
I mean, the pizza's been pretty good today. Maybe it is the water that's making a difference. Who's to say?
So, these look amazing. What have we got here? So, we've got the classic, like, cheese, margherita.
Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The signature, the Brooklyn Bridge. This has sausage, ricotta, tomatoes.
Mm. Joe: Fantastic. Oh, wow.
That's very good. Very good. Look at this guy.
Man, you got a cheesy slice. Harry: Cheers, my man. Few sips missing from mine.
I don't know where they went. The sauce is the star of the show. Reminiscent to me, the flavor, a lot like John's.
Harry: Yeah. Joe: Looks like they'd really scorched this pizza at high heat. It's gooey and kind of melted.
So it's another coal-fired one like John's? Joe: Yeah, it's another coal-fired. So you can see the burnt top, but also how the stuff kind of melted together but stayed separate.
I think when it cooks so fast, they don't blend right away. Harry: I like it. It's almost a stronger cheese taste than some of the places today.
Joe: Yeah. The cheese itself has a bit more of a flavor. I mean, I'm curious about the Brooklyn Bridge one.
I might just jump into this right now. Want a slice of this? Harry: Yeah, absolutely.
Why not? I touched it. I'm sorry.
Mm. That's so cheesy, man. Joe: Surprise.
Oh, speaking of. Even more cheese to your cheese. It's maybe not as strong a kind of coal-finish, charred flavor.
I personally, I think, want more of that. Joe: Me too. I want to feel like they literally just took it off the coals.
Like I'm just biting into a piece of charcoal. Joe: Yeah, yeah. Look at this.
I've noticed the bubbles here. Oh, wow. Harry: See, yeah, I really — Joe: That's all that flavor.
Harry: I love the charred bits. They're so tasty. Joe: We oughtta put charcoal in it.
That's really popular with, like, soaps and toothpaste and stuff. Is that a scam, or is that, does that actually do anything? I'm certain it does nothing.
My wife, she used the charcoal toothpaste. And all it did was turn our sink black. Instead of the white foam, it's black foam, and it's like, please stop doing this.
That's just how it looks when the average British person brushes their teeth anyway, so it's fine. Have that cup of tea. Why is it all just?
Ah, well, you do it only on Sundays. Harry: I do. I brush my teeth once a week, whether it needs it or not.
Joe: "Whether it needs it or not. " These are the best pizza places I felt like taking you today in New York City. What are some of your vibes?
What do you like? Harry: I mean, overall I think we've had some fantastic slices. I think we've covered quite a few vibes as well.
I like the vibe in here. It's a bit more of a old-school, red-and-white tablecloth, family joint. And then obviously we've hit the slice shop, where you just grab, go, very authentic New York experience, so, I think between all of these, we've covered what feels like a lot.
Joe: I didn't want to take you to just the top ones. I wanted to get a good sense of what New York City has to offer. Pizza consumption just in general for a lot of people is how much meat you can put on it or how many different varieties of things, and eating a lot of it, and, but I what I love about the places we went here, most part it was just sauce, cheese, bread.
Main elements. Harry: I think that's a great point. Just given how few ingredients there are, the small differences are really noticeable.
Little differences in the crust or the type of cheese or how you're cooking it really can make a very, very different experience. I think in terms of the best individual slice we've had today, the nonna slice at Bleecker Street is probably my favorite. Joe: OK.
But. Harry: However. Joe: However.
But wait, there's more. Harry: I wasn't blown away by their cheese slice. I think if I were to come back to New York or if a friend of mine were visiting and wanted a pizza recommendation, I think I'd actually go with John's of Bleecker Street.
I think that coal-fired pie was fantastic. Joe: You think better than this coal-fired pie. Harry: I think better than this one.
I think the sauce and the cheese tasted better and you got more of the kind of coal-fired, smoky flavor. The char on it was lovely. I just like the vibe in there as well.
I think this is the best slice we've had today. This is — Harry: Really? Because before, I thought John's was going to win it.
I've strangely become smitten with this sauce. It has a flavor to it that I absolutely love. And even though we've been eating pizza all day, I'm struggling to not grab this slice and shove it in my face.
I feel like often as we go through the day and we get more full and more sick of eating pizza — Joe: Yeah. I know. The later places might struggle, but you've had the opposite.
Yeah. Now, I want to point out that our two favorites were from the coal-fire oven. You know what?
I'm kind of not surprised by that. Maybe because it gave it a distinct flavor you don't get normally. But I would argue that a coal-fire oven just produces better pizza.
I just really like these little charred bits. I think for me, that's almost the highlight of the pizza. By the way, that slice is yours.
You keep touching it. Just fiddling around with the little burned bit. Joe: All right, we get it.
It's yours, it's fine. Harry: We've also given our favorite slots to whole-pizza places rather than a pick-up-and-go slice spot. Is grabbing a slice and walking around actually not the move?
I didn't even think about that thing. You're right. But maybe it's just sitting down.
Maybe we just like that because we got to sit. Harry: I do love sitting down. How about for next time I'm in town, we'll try and find a place that does coal-fired pizza by the slice?
All right, you can do that research. I don't want to. That's fine.
I'll do it. I'll see for part two. Joe: OK.
