This Philadelphia Pizzeria Has Great NY Style Slices
These days if you are looking for a great New York pizza slice, you don’t actually have to be in Manhattan. Bon Appetit detailed a few restaurants across the country outside of New York City that specifically make this NY style and it turns out that a Philadelphia Pizzeria is among the best.
It’s common practice for pizzerias across the country to brand themselves as “New York Style,” however, how many of them are truly cooking that up?
“New York-style pizza has slices that are large and wide with a thin crust that is foldable yet crispy,” Spruce Eats explains. What important to highlight here is that there is also a certain crust-to-sauce-to-cheese ratio that needs to be considered when constructing the perfect New York slice. The proportion of sauce to cheese is an art unto itself. In addition, there needs to be just enough crust uncovered.
Let’s be clear, with a great New York slice of pizza you do not leave the crust. In fact, in some cases it’s so good that you take bites of the crust upon first eating it. In other words, it’s not the last bite or saved for the very end.
“The thin, crispy pies served here are on par with the ones served at the best New York pizzerias, cut into large slices whose tips flop a bit when you fold them in half,” Bon Appetit states. This, too, is an important point. The “flop” should not be the entire slice. You need that crunch sound upon the first bite.
Lastly, a true test of tasty New York slice is that it passes the “cheese only” test. That is, you don’t need any toppings on it. You can savor all the flavor of all the basics of a pizza. Sure, you can sprinkle a little parmesan cheese, oregano, or red pepper flakes on top, but a signature NY pizza does not need a topping to be the star of the show.
The great pizzerias noted by Bon Appetit are actually all over the country. The inspiration has found its way into major markets like San Francisco and Miami.
Pizza Shackamaxon Is The Philadelphia Pizzeria Cooking Up Great NY Slices
Located at 115 E Girard Ave, Pizza Shackamaxon describes themselves as, “Pizza by the people, of the people, for the people.” In fact, their homepage features a giant NY slice as the featured image.
“Plain” is the first option on their menu, highlighting their traditional approach. Their signature touch to the cheese slice is adding a bit of olive oil. After that, peperoni, tomato pie, and a special round out this concise menu of pizza done right. To emphasize this, Bon Appetit says, “When Pizza Shackamaxon opened in 2018, it was simply called PIZZA.”
