NYC West Village Pizza: John’s Of Bleecker Satisfies In That Perfectly Greasy Bar Pizza Way You Want (And Goes Great With Cheap Beer)
November 13, 2013
I’m not much for food and wine pairings. I like to save my space for food and then drink after. But sometimes I get really sophisticated and have an epiphany, like at John’s of Bleecker last week. I realized that this may be the perfect pizza to pair with cheap beer. It’s super crispy because of the coal oven, super cheesy because the cheese is laid down onto the dough under the sauce and baked right in, and perfectly greasy from the milky little squares of fresh mozzarella and puddles of oily tomato sauce. Would I wait on line at this place for a seat inside? No. Is it the best old school pizza in Manhattan? No, that’s Totonno’s in Coney Island or Patsy’s up in Harlem. It has history on its side as it was born in 1920 and was one of the first pizza restaurants in NYC after Lombardi’s (the first in the US), where the original John of Bleecker, John Sasso, used to work. And it’s also one of the few remaining coal oven pizza restaurants in Manhattan. But that’s not why I wrote about it. I wrote about it for two reasons: First off, because I ate it and took a picture. And second, because you’re sitting at your desk at work and you want to pass the time reading about pizza and imagining the the moment when the steam whistle blows and you can leave the factory and eat pizza and drink beer. Now this blog post seems pretty inventive, doesn’t it?
John’s of Bleecker 278 Bleecker St (b/t 6th and 7th) New York, NY 10014 212.243.1680
No Reservations, Cash Only
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Posted in John's of Bleecker Street, MANHATTAN, WEST VILLAGE
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November 13th, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Looks tasty… just one question, does this spot serve cheap beer?
November 13th, 2013 at 5:19 pm
@Ashley,
Great question. My guess is no, but every time I’ve eaten there the last few times I’ve taken it out and picked up cheap beer from the bodega.
November 14th, 2013 at 9:22 am
Looks really good!! How does it compare to Roberta’s though??
November 14th, 2013 at 11:26 am
@Martin,
I like Roberta’s better personally. The crust at Roberta’s is a totally different animal complements of the wood fired oven. John’s is thinner, chewier and crispier all at once. It’s much closer to bar pizza. Plus the toppings at Roberta’s are much more inspired than John’s which really just offers the classic gamut. That being said, you should probably eat a pizza like John’s before you eat Roberta’s if you haven’t had both because there may not be any Roberta’s if not for John’s.
Is Roberta’s your favorite pizza in NYC? What are some of your top choices?
Thanks for the comment.
November 14th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
I’ve had Roberta’s twice, and I would definitely rank it #1 as my favorite in NYC. I do have to go up to Johns though to try it out, as I appreciate a good wood fired pizza. However, being from Long Island, most of my top choices are from around my area. Though, a really good spot on Long Island for a good bar pie, is Eddie’s in New Hyde Park.
November 14th, 2013 at 1:16 pm
@Martin,
John’s is actually coal oven. Roberta’s is wood fired. I’m from Queens and LI too, Eddie’s is def up there as a quality super thin crust bar pie but my top LI pizza has to be Umberto’s. Thoughts?
November 14th, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Without a doubt Umbertos is one of the best if not #1 on LI, however Mama Theresa’s in Garden City South make a really good slice as well.
November 14th, 2013 at 6:50 pm
@Martinm
That’s my 2nd choice after Umberto’s. Mama Ts has great everything, especially love the Buffalo Chicken Slice, the chicken parmesan platter, the salad with shredded carrots, and they have exmeplary Grandma and Siclian pizza as well. Long Island slice joints definitely beats Manhattan.