10 Brooklyn Pizza Spots Rank Among The Best 101 In Country

BROOKLYN, NY ­— There are more than a few prominent institutions than pizza in New York City, but 10 Brooklyn pizzerias have found their way onto a prestigious list of the best in the country, including one that cracked the Top 10.

While John’s of Bleecker Street came in as the city’s top entry at No. 3 on The Daily Meal’s 2020 list of America’s 101 Best Pizzas, Lucali, located at 575 Henry Street in Brooklyn, came in at No. 8 in the final rankings and as the top spot in Brooklyn for diners to scratch their pizza itch.

In addition to its legion of local regulars. The Daily Eater reports that Lucali has become a pizza hotspot for celebrities with sightings including John Legend, Kylie Jenner and Ed Sheeran.

The Daily Meal, a well-respected food blog and website, considered nearly 1,000 pizzas and looked for such qualities as a nuanced sauce, well-distributed cheese, a flavorful crust, and an overall balance of ingredients.

The "101 Best Pizzas in America" list is culled from what The Daily Meal calls "internal expertise" as well as other sources who scoured Yelp and other review sites, looked at news coverage and gathered feedback from readers.

According to Lucali's website, "Accidental" pizzaiolo Mark Iacono opened the spot as a labor of love as a way to save the candy store of his youth from an "uncertain, generic fate". Zagat rated Lucali as a 4.6 for its ethereal pizzas and "league of their own" calzones. The Carroll Gardens cash-only pizza stop is worth the way which, Zagat warns, long lines that part of the experience and which makes Lucali a neighborhood favorite.

Here are all the Brooklyn pizza places to earn a spot on the rankings and what the Daily Eater had to say about each. For what it's worth, pizza spots from New Haven, Conn., and Chicago topped the list.

81. Cuts and Slices, 93 Howard —The Daily Eater characterized the pizza here as “far from ordinary” and says Cuts and Slices goes beyond pepperoni and cheese and offers unique slices like the chicken and waffles pie that includes a drizzle of maple syrup.

66. Emmy Squared, 364 Grand St. — It may be a bit odd-sounding for a Detroit-style pizza joint to have Brooklyn roots, but with locations around the country, Emmy Squared indeed calls Brooklyn home. In addition to more traditional toppings, come of Emmy Square’s pies go a trendier route, The Daily Eater says, including the Angel Pie, which boasts ricotta, mushrooms and a truffle-mushroom cream.

44. Julianna’s Pizza, 19 Old Fulton St. — Named after the mother of Patsy Grimaldi, this stop offers coal-fired thin crust slices topped with ingredients that are made in-house and that are sourced both locally and internationally, The Daily Eater says. The favorites here, the site says, include the can’t-miss Margherita pizza and white pie.

38.L&B Spumoni Gardens, 2725 86th St. — Started as a food truck in 1918, this Brooklyn tradition includes both round pies, but is known more for its Sicilian squares, the Daily Eater reports. The stop sells by the slice, but according to the Daily Eater, allows customers to “unlock” toppings if they buy the entire pie.

32. L’industrie Pizzeria, 254 S. Second Ave. — Sure, diners will find traditional New York style pizza here boasting the usual suspects of toppings, but where this stop separates itself is creating a hit for what the Daily Eater calls “cheese connoisseurs”, which the reviewers will find a friend in the shop’s signature burrata pizza.

30. Di Fara, 1424 Avenue J — Owner Domenico De Marco is still the star of the show here, The Daily Eater says, and still is making the pie after 53 years in the pizza business. Much of the ingredients are imported directly from Italy and customers are given the freedom to create their own pizzas, including squares, regular or white pies. According to reviewers, the Chaos Pie ranks highly with sausage, meatballs, cherry peppers and onions and garlic.

26. Roberta’s, 261 Moore St. — Pizza is the wave here, according to Daily Eater reviewers, who raved over the Bee Sting pie with mozzarella, tomato, soppressata, chili, basil and honey and the Lil’ Stinker with tomato, mozzarella, parmigiana, pecorino, double garlic, onion and pepperoncini.

24. ZuirLee, 755 Flatbush Ave. — There are plenty of traditional offerings here, but where ZuriLee creates its own space is in its Caribbean-inspired pies that include the jerk chicken pizza with fresh corn and The Oxtail that the Daily Meal says finds its rhythm with a blend of mozzarella, grana padano and oxtail ragu.

15. Paulie Gee’s, 60 Greenpoint Ave. — If wood-fired pizza is your thing, this may be the spot for you. With 30 wood-fired pizzas (including eight vegan options), The Daily Meal says diners can’t go wrong with the Hellboy, which cranks up the heat with fresh mozzarella, Italian tomatoes, Berkshire soppressata piccante, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Mike’s Hot Honey. Paulie Gee’s also has a slice shop two blocks away.

8. Lucali —This popular Brooklyn spot has become a haven for celebrities, The Daily Eater reports with sightings including John Legend, Kylie Jenner and Ed Sheeran who have found their way to Lucali, where, according to reviewers, the Margherita pizza reigns supreme.