NYC Trounces Portland In 'Greatest Pizza City' Challenge

NEW YORK CITY – A Brooklyn pizza czar may have to eat his words after Patch readers rose to the challenge to prove New York, and not Portland, is the greatest pizza city in America.

Patch released its highly scientific pizza survey last Monday after Anthony Falco, the former maven of Bushwick's legendary pizza place Roberta's, declared Portland America's "greatest pizza city."

Readers' responses are best summed up by one concise answer to our question, "Why do you think New York is the greatest pizza city in the United States and Portland wishes they were eating our slices right now?

As one New Yorker put it, "Fuggedaboutit."

New York City was named the greatest pizza city by an overwhelming 55 percent of voters, followed by Brooklyn at 36 percent, Queens at 6 percent and Portland came in dead last at 3 percent. Perhaps you say Brooklyn and Queens are both in New York City.

Shhh.

More than 40 percent of readers said New York's Italian heritage was the reason NYC would always reign supreme in the pizza realm.

"Only The Lord makes better Pizza than what you can get in NYC," one reader opined. "It helps that the first Pizza places in the US were started by Italians in NYC and Brooklyn in the early 1900s."

Other reasons included its wide-spread availability and universal appeal.

"New York IS pizza," a reader explained. "Even the rats love it."

When it came time to name the best pizzeria in New York City, readers did not hold Falco's pro-Portland position against him. Roberta's claimed victory with 18 percent of the vote.

Di Fara's in Midwood and Grimaldi's in Brooklyn Heights came in second and third, making it a clean sweep for Brooklyn.

There were more than 30 nominees that included Patsy's, Juliana's, Scarr's, Merilu Pizza Al Metro, Lucali, Rocco's Pizza Joint, Nonna Delia's, Bocce USQ, Sam's Pizza, Louis & Ernie's, L'Imprimerie, Gino's, Rizzo's Fine Pizza, Totonno's, VIPizza, Emmy Squared, L and B Spumoni, Graziella Pizza, Bleecker Street Pizza, NY Pizza Suprema, Joe's Pizza, and Rubirosa Ristorante.

The sheer number of nominees speaks to another reason Patch readers (80 percent of whom want to go grab a slice with me later) said it's the best.

"There are hundreds of pizza places in NYC, maybe thousands," a reader wrote. "It stands to reason that we are the pizza capital of the world (outside of Sicily)."

When it came time to compare New York and Portland, almost 60 percent of readers agreed the best thing about the west coast city's pizza is "nothing."

"We're (mostly) not high when we're eating our pizza," explained a Patch reader, referring to Portland's availability of legal marijuana. "Therefore in a better position to appreciate it for its actual greatness, not enhanced greatness."

But one naysayer argued New York should not call itself the Greatest Pizza City.

"It displays a troubling insecurity; it's obvious. We know it, and that's enough - let the other small fry fight amongst themselves over the illusionary dreams."

Patch reached out to Falco to share the news, but has yet to hear back.

Photo courtesy of Matt Little/YouTube