The 20 Absolute Best Pizza Shops In Brooklyn

New York City is known for having some of the best pizza outside of Italy, some of it even giving the pies from the old world a run for their money (although Chicago, a long-time archrival of New York in the pizza department, might have something to say about that). Within New York, there are several pockets where the pizza is especially good, and Brooklyn is one such place. So much so, in fact, that in 2006, Domino's claimed there was such a thing as a Brooklyn-style pizza, made with a thinner crust than the one that defines a typical New York-style pizza. Although many Brooklyn residents categorically refute this notion, as reported by The New York Times, there seems to be a general recognition that locals prefer to eat their pizzas in larger slices that can be folded over. This doesn't preclude a Manhattanite from doing so, nor does it mean that Brooklyn can't also sell very good Sicilian-style pizza, which comes in thick squares and would require a great deal of awkward contortion to be folded.

All debates aside, this list is concerned with quality, first and foremost. So let us take a look at the top pizza shops in all of Brooklyn, leaving the questions of style, nomenclature, and other lofty analytical matters to another day, dedicating ourselves instead to the pure and simple pleasures of good pizza.

One of the main draws of pizza is that it's quick, or express, if you will. That seems to be one of the driving forces behind Espresso Pizzeria. But what not all such pizza joints can claim, is to also have good pizza, and in that department, this restaurant really stands out. The crust is at once soft and crunchy, while the tomato and cheese add flavor without dominating the slice. 

Everything about this pizza embodies the concept of back-to-basics is best. On top of that, Espresso Pizzeria offers delicious garlic knots, which are locally famous and which use fresh dough made especially for this purpose, rather than scrap pizza dough. This yields a delightful fluffy snack served with garlic butter, parsley, and Parmesan.

For a true, original Italian pizza, as in, from Naples, the birthplace of pizza, head to Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitana in Coney Island, a veritable Brooklyn pizza institution. The place opened way back in 1921, long before a law was passed in New York City banning the use of coal ovens. As such, this is one of the few places in the city where you can still try that gritty crust only a coal oven can provide. 

Not only that, but you'll be treated to ingredients like pure tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and homemade dough prepared the same day it's baked, as reported by The New York Times. But if Coney Island seems like too much of a trek, you can always order Totonno's pizzas through Gold Belly, which ships nationwide.

A simple cheese or margherita pizza is always a good choice, but it's also okay to be in the mood for something a bit wilder once in a while. Enter Cuts and Slices, which provides some of the wackiest toppings you'll find on a Brooklyn pizza. 

Chicken and waffle pizza is really a thing here, and so is the shrimp and lobster black truffle Alfredo. You might even consider trying your very first oxtail here, in the form of the delicious sweet chili oxtail pizza or the more dubious-sounding but delightful brown stew oxtail pizza. But whatever you choose, don't limit yourself to one crazy concoction. Order a number of different slices and see which outlandish combination works best for your tastebuds.

With two locations in Brooklyn –- in Bushwick and Williamsburg, at Domino Park –- Roberta's has made itself indispensable to the local pizza scene. Although it may seem like a casual location at first glance, this establishment is frequented by celebrity heavyweights such as the Clintons, and supported by culinary titans like Alice Waters, who helped create an on-site garden that supplies some of the ingredients used in the pizzas. 

But it's not all just sound and fury. The pizzas are elegant, tasty, and fully satisfying with every bite. They're also funny: With the tongue-in-cheek Porchettaboutit pizza, you can enjoy a delightful combination of porchetta, taleggio, red onion, garlic, basil, fennel seed, olive oil, and lemon, all while discussing whether anyone has figured out what the original phrase actually means.

The Sicilian-style pizza at this joint has consistently been rated one of the best of its kind in all of New York, never mind Brooklyn. The original owner, Ludovico Barbati, initially sold his pizzas out of a cart drawn by a horse named Babe before opening his first brick-and-mortar establishment in 1938. Since then, his descendants have been running L&B Spumoni Gardens for generations, and this slice of family history can almost be tasted in the pizza. 

The pizza menu is small and the topping selection short, but who needs pomp and circumstance when you already have a great thing going? Sample these crispy, chewy pizza slices at the restaurant in Bensonhurst, or wait for the grand opening at the Dumbo location.

At a restaurant named Farina, which is Italian for flour, you're bound to find good pizza, a recipe that simply could not come together without the all-important flour-based dough. But this Farina doesn't just use any old farina. It goes all out, employing sustainably grown new and old-world grains to create a bespoke blend of seven different types of flour. The mixture is designed to lead to the best possible pizza dough, and once you try it, you will immediately see that the bet has paid off. 

Although the oven itself is of Irish origin, the pizzas are very much Southern Italian in ingredients, texture, and composition. Even the shape, which the restaurant calls "irregolare," has its own form shape inspired by old Italian traditions.

There was a time when New York City, including Brooklyn, was able to offer $1 slices of pizza, some of which were actually good. But now, all over the city, it's possible to see pizza parlor awnings with that 1 painted over, crossed out, or otherwise obscured. Between inflation and other financial woes, gone are the days of that $1 pizza. 

With Fini, we have now officially entered the era of the $5 pizza slice, which, all considered, doesn't seem so bad, especially since this particular spot — run by a co-owner of the famed and celebrated Williamsburg restaurant Lilia — makes it worth your while. In particular, the basic cheese pizza is made with San Marzano tomatoes -– royalty among nightshades. Meanwhile, the white pizza elevates the whole experience with a dash of lemon juice over the already delicious cheese blend.

We couldn't leave Best Pizza out of a list of the best pizza places in Brooklyn, especially since it firmly deserves a spot. Owner Frank Pinello has a strong pedigree in the pizza department, having grown up in Bensonhurst, a big Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and cut his teeth at pizza institutions like Roberta's. 

Drawing from his Sicilian roots and a real live wood-burning oven, Pinello delivers high-quality pizza pies, including a gluten-free version that actually tastes like pizza rather than the typical chalky stuff celiacs and other gluten-intolerant people must endure. The toppings list –- which includes caramelized onion and Calabrian chili -– is short but sweet, but you'll hardly notice, since quality is the defining factor of these pizzas, not quantity.

Emily's motto is that pizza loves Emily, but it feels equally right to say that we love Emily's pizza. These lovely round pies come with a delightful crust, but you might not notice that as much as the toppings, which practically spill over the sides in their zeal to please. Indeed, the toppings take center stage on Emily's pizzas. Take, for example, the Colony, which includes pepperoni, honey, and pickled chili. 

Another great option is the Quinn, a white pizza made entirely with different cheeses, including ones you've probably never heard of. All this should be plenty to keep your pizza craving at bay, but if what you really yearn for is a square pizza, you can always head to Emmy Squared in Williamsburg, Emily's sister restaurant, which serves similarly outlandish toppings on their pizzas, but in square form.

This pop-up pizza joint is currently located inside a bakery in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, but blink and you might miss it. That would be a shame, because Wizard Hat Pizza fully embodies the spirit of the Brooklyn pizza: its thinner-than-average crust can easily be folded, the quality of the ingredients is top-notch, and the whole operation is always on the go, or at least it feels that way. 

In fact, instead of using a wood-burning oven or other large, unwieldy appliance, chefs here use an electric countertop oven to achieve what Pete Wells of the New York Times calls "the crunchiest crust I've eaten on a pop-up pizza." See for yourself by ordering a classic cheese pizza, or try their version of a Hawaiian, made with provolone, pecorino, chili, pineapple, and Speck instead of boring old ham.