John’s Pizzeria Review | New York (Times Square), NY

John’s Pizzeria and their coal-fired brick oven pizza have been a staple of New York City since the late nineteen-twenties, and I could understand why as soon as I took my first bite of their legendary pizza.  The oldest John’s Pizzeria site is on Bleecker Street, and it still contains a lot of its original features.  I, however, ate at the Times Square location that was formerly a church and claims to be the largest pizzeria in the country.  This restaurant has over five hundred seats, four pizza ovens, and two kitchens.  Its size can perhaps best be described by the fact that they were able to seat us within about twenty-five minutes with no reservation during the dinner rush at the tourist-filled Times Square during spring break.  John’s Pizzeria also has locations in the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Jersey City, New Jersey.

My meal at John’s Pizzeria started with the garlic rolls pictured above which were pungent and quite tasty, but the best was yet to come in the form of my pizza.  John’s is known for their traditional pizza that is only comprised of their creamy mozzarella cheese and special tomato sauce.  I, of course, needed to try what they are famous for, but I also wanted a taste of their toppings.  Therefore, I ordered a half traditional and half sausage and garlic pizza.  The cheese and sauce went together perfectly on the traditional portion of my pizza to create exactly what I think a delicious New York-style pizza should taste like, and the crust was done nearly to perfection by being thin and slightly crispy but not charred.  The sausage and garlic on the other half of my pizza were both very flavorful and enjoyable in their own right.  However, they diminished the flavor of the sauce a little, so I would prefer the traditional when looking for that classic New York taste.  I definitely recommend John’s Pizzeria as a great option for New York-style pizza in New York City, but be sure you go there for a full whole pie and not just a slice as that is not their thing.

What I Ate: Half Traditional and Half Sausage and Garlic
Rating: 9.0/10.0

John’s Pizzeria
Menu
260 W. 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212)391-7560
JohnsPizzeriaNYC.com