Sunnyside Pizza Joint Named One Of The Best In New York

SUNNYSIDE, QUEENS — A Sunnyside pizza joint was listed in a collection of the best pizzerias in New York State, according to a new ranking from Food & Wine Magazine.

Although New York slipped to the third-best state for pizza in the magazine’s national ranking published on Wednesday, Philomena's, at 4116 Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, was among the pizzerias in the state that reporter David Landsel deemed the very best.

Instead of a numbered list of the best pizza places, Landsel wrote several paragraphs for each state, each containing descriptions of a handful of outstanding pizzerias — including Philomena’s, which he said makes “seriously underrated cheese slices prepared with love and care.”

The joint's owner and pizza maker, Dave Acocella got his pizza-making start at Paulie Gee's Slice Shop in Brooklyn — another best pizza joint on the list — before opening Philomena's in 2018, according to an interview with a pizza blog.

In that same interview, Acocella said the secret to his crust is a starter that he's been nourishing for nearly a decade. He also ferments each pie's dough for 3 days, and serves 12-inch Neapolitan slices, 18-inch New York Style slices, and square slices, too.

Other pizzerias in Manhattan and Brooklyn also received glowing recommendations.

Here are the other eateries Food & Wine named as the best pizza makers in New York:

• John's of Bleecker Street in the West Village
• Lucali in Carrol Gardens
• Roberta's in Bushwick
• Joe's Pizza in Greenwich Village
• Scarr's Pizza on the Lower East Side
• Mama's Too! on the Upper West Side
• Paulie Gee's Slice Shop in Greenpoint
• Corner Slice in Hell's Kitchen
• Perecca's Bakery in Schenectady
• O'Scugnizzo's in Utica
• Twin Trees in Syracuse
• Bocce Club in Buffalo

You can check out the complete pizza rankings here.