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Christopher St (PATH)
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Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
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I have a leftover slice in my apartment. It sleeps here, listening to the hum of the fridge. It's thin crust dappled with sauce and cheese a dream. The toppings--black olives and green peppers, chosen from the list of options upon options--don't add much, but definitely don't detract.
Dear slice, my friend and I ate the other five members of your family pie (reasonably priced, and never by the slice), but tomorrow, you shall join them, just in time for Thanksgiving. So sleep well my saucy pet--tomorrow we feast.
P.S. The layers of carvings on the booths at the restaurant are an interesting sight as well.
Dear John,
Years ago, a out-of-town visitor(London, wow - you are worldly) took me to your place. Hard to find thin-crust pizzas in town and one of the best I had on a drunken night. I was surely impressed. Sorry It took me this many years to try you back but, I surely remembered and brought another new-to-town girl to show how New York Pizza is done.
Verdict:
We were burnt.
John, sigh..... I know you burnt my pizzas and attempted to convince me it's as good as it can get from brick ovens. But, see~ I am not stupid. The clear cowhide marks and the taste that was bitter than the medicine, can you be more lame with your excuses? You burnt both of our pies and the crusts were breaking into pieces like magic of ash-ley. I stood up at you politely. Then caught red handed, you got us a brand new pie that you promised to under-cook(?) - SPECIALLY for me. HaHaHa good one! It was indeed better but it was what it should have been to begin with. Alas~~ you need to know that post-damage control always costs more than it should be.
Two burnt small pies ($16x2=$32) add extra $2 for each toppings.
One highly un-impressive mushroom salad ($8) nothing but tasteless and ugly(?)
D-Flat Cokes
I felt ripped off....in a pizzeria, for the first time...not to mention feeling like a tourist in my own town.
If you must go, ask to under-cook(hahaha- still the good one) specially for you.
Ah, one of the better Pizzerias and, of course, no slices man.
A few locations around town ( though the one I grew up near closed - 65th Street ).
Maybe one of the few places left in the Times Square area I'd still eat at ( nice bi-level architecture ).
Too bad we don't have a John's Pizza in LA. Sniffle Sniffle.
I've been waiting 5 years to taste this heavenly pizza again and finally had my chance last week. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
I love thin crust pizza and this is probably the thinnest you will find. We ordered our favorite combo of pepperoni, sausage, garlic, and extra cheese. The pizza was nice and crunchy all the way around and I savored each bite, which seemed to only get better as the pizza cooled down a little. And yes, I finished 4 slices, thank you very much :)
My husband thinks it's a little too saucey and too much cheese.
Well, I say : TOO BAD FOR HIM!!
To be fair, on its own merits John's is a 5 out of 5, but for me it could have been a little better.
John's is a straight to the pie sort of place, and the sauce was amazing, and the thin crust was as New York as you dream of.
But waiting outside in the cold for a table was a bit, well, cold, and then you feel compelled to eat and get out, because you know others are waiting in the cold.
And the benches are a bit narrow for my wide ass.
And the salad is something you might as well skip.
And there's not a hint of tequila in the place, so no margaritas either...
Which is to say, if you're looking for a damn good slice of New York Pizza, John's is the right place, and if you want the atmosphere of a West Village pizza joint you found it, but if you want any frills at all, well then why are you looking for Pizza?
I'll admit, I like the pizza quality a lot and it's a fine $15 a person pizza place to bring a casual group of friends in Midtown. The problem is, you paid $15 a person for a pizza and a Diet Coke, and the best 99-cent pizza shack is only 4 blocks away (41st and 9th).
Also, the topping markup is insane. Slap on pepperoni and mushrooms and instead you've just found a fine $21 a person pizza joint.
Great pizza!
4 1/2, near perfect! The kid and I went here on our vacation last month for real NY thin crust pizza. We got the pepperoni with veggies and it was hands down the best pizza I've ever had. It ruined me for the craptastic pies we call pizza here on the West Coast (which we don't even call pies, but that's neither here nor there). I had some lovely beer from Philadelphia there, I forget what it was called but I got it a couple more times in New York, it was really good. I'm holding back on the last 1/2 star because this was the only pizza I had on this trip. I need to experiment a bit more before giving something 5 stars. I recommend this place though, great pizza, super service and picture of Stern in the window!!
Be prepared to wait online if you go before 10pm on a Saturday night to this Village pizza institution. They don't sell slices but you can get either a medium (6 slices) or large (8) for around $14. We had the mushroom/meatball combination and it was wonderful. The meatballs in particular were great.
Beware, they don't take cards but they have an atm machine in house. Just go knowing there's no reservations or names at the door, you just have to wait.
Also, great service and staff. At one point, they turned off all the lights in the restaurant to bring out birthday cakes and sing to someone. very cute.
Is it the best pizza in the city, the country, the world?! I have no idea.
I do know that it's a darn good pizza pie! The first couple times I tried it, I was like, 'Meh.. really?' and then more and more and it's become an addiction. 1/2 pepperoni, 1/2 cheese, 1/2 sexual healing, lots of halves that make me whole! I think it's somewhere around $15 for a large.
The interior is tacky hippy; I'm feeling the groovy. No attitude from the guys at John's, but they aren't the friendliest either, just efficient. Lombardi's is good too, but sometimes they project attitude there- c'mon, it's just pizza! If I want pizza I'm going to head to John's and I'm going to get it steaming hot and I can take it or leave it.
I grew up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I remember being crazy jealous of their cartoon pizza. (I was a fat kid as a fat kid too.) The cheese would run off the crust with long, sticky strings and had a bright orange-ish yellow color you can only get from animation. John's pizza is the real life version of TMNT's pizza woowoo!
I was told this was THE BEST pizza in New York. I am not certain it is THE BEST, but it was pretty darn good.
I came in at 10:30 with a party of 8. We were seated immediately by a friendly server. We split two pies--mushroom (yuck!) and pepperoni (yum!) Both were served promptly. Hot, substantial cheese and a fair amount of toppings. Solid 'za. Even better, it was inexpensive!
One complaint--no garlic knots. I do love having super-garlicky options for my grease intake. Still, this is a pizza place that concentrates on pizza and does so efficiently, politely, and without a harsh surprise when the bill arrives!
After the disappointment of Lombardi's I searched the net again and John's came up so, before I gave up on NYC pizza I thought I should at least try one more place.
Well, sorry, NYC pizza is not all that. I think you NYC people need to get out more. I know you'll find this hard to be believe but the pizza in Tokyo is better than NYC.
Google for "pizza salvatore cuomo tokyo", a pretty large Italian run chain in Tokyo that totally blows away John's or Lombardi's. Now you might tell me John's is not the best but most of the other reviews here certainly seem to suggest that the best in NYC is not all that different than here so I'm just going to say that Pizza Salvatore Cuomo is in a different league. Another Tokyo one that completely blows away NY pizza is Savoy. Google "savoy pizza tokyo". Trust me, there's no comparison.
Not bad pizza, just hardly any better than a freeze dried pizza.
While they don't serve traditional Neapolitan pizza this hybrid pizza place still turns out some of the most delicious pies around.
Better than Grimaldis and Lombardi's John's puts out a delicious thin crust pizza with nice char topped by tasty fresh tomato sauce and staccato syle mozzarella. Really really good.
When I want some pizzza goodness somewhere in betweeen Company's authentic Neapolitan pizza and Joe's classic New York style street slice I'll go to John's
The pizza was good....
We ordered a large pepperoni pizza. The first bite was delicious!..but then after the 2nd and 3rd slice I came back to reality. It's definitely much better than the hundreds of other pizzerias but I compare my pizzas to Luzzos and Pizza Napoli - that benchmark is pretty high!
On another note, the manager is fantastic!! He is quiet and does his job..but very talkative once you strike up a conversation!
Definitely worth a visit if you're tasting your way through for the best pizza in NYC!
For 25 years or so I've considered the John's on Bleecker Street to be Manhattan's best, but after not being there in many years, yesterday's large pie with extra cheese was a disappointment. Tasted like the John's on East 64th Street--in other words, good, but not great. Either the guys making it were off or the place has gotten worse. Also, they did away with the jukebox, so no '50's Sinatra--big bummer! Somehow, the Beatles and an 80-year-old pizza joint don't jive.
I really enjoy the pizza here. The crust is charred perfectly with a great crunch. The sauce is amazing, topped with the right amount of quality cheese.
Don't you hate when pizza comes with crap cheese and it slides off, too oily and not much taste, with the consistency of chewing gum?
Not here.
My favorite combos: mushroom and pepperoni; anchovies, ricotta and sausage; onions and peppers.
Go to Blind Tiger across the street for their wide selection of beers on tap. So good together.
I now have muffin tops in my favorite jeans, so this was the last pizza I was allowed to have for a couple of months. It was a good choice.
My dining friends let me pick the toppings for half the pizza, so I did: sliced meatballs (hells yes), green peppers, and ricotta (to give me that extra muffin-toppy allure). It was friggin delicious.
I tried a plain cheese slice so I could get a taste for the bare-bones of the pizza, and it was aight. My fatty fatterson half was much better.
The booths are really awkward in there, but nothing a pitcher of beer couldn't allay. And the service was really fast and friendly, so I'll give it four star props.
To me this is one of the best pizzas I have ever tried. Very tasty pizza with a great thin crust. Made fresh to order.
Expect a loooong wait.
Definitely not "the best,"
But it ain't the worst.
(Part of Best NY PIzza: The Haiku Series)
I'm from NY and have eaten a lot of pizza. Many moons ago while at NYU, I had my all time best pizza ever from John's. It was 5 stars all the way and no doubt made John's one of the best pizzerias in NYC.
Over the years, it's just not the same. Perhaps it's the new "pizzaiolo" (guy who makes the pizza) overworking the dough? I still come back from time to time hoping the pizza will be great again. Sadly, it has not. On a recent visit, it's become a 3 star place for me.
Cheers!
N
The best pizza I have had in the city. Everything is great, including the ambience. Wait in line...its worth it.
The pizza is reasonably priced, and delicious. No slices though. I guess that bothers some people.
a suggestion from a local who states, "hands down best pizza - a benchmark for all other pizza"
sure, it was a benchmark............
the service was fine. the bathroom door didn't shut/lock. the "thin crust" pizza was not very thin or crispy, but still tasty. they did have yuengling though! mmmmm beeeeer. no slices, no credit cards, ok price. and they would give you the eye if you lagged with finishing up.
it was not bad, but it was not grand. i wouldn't go out of my way for it on the next trip, but i would go back if i happened to be craving pizza while in the neighborhood.
My parents raved about this place, but its been 20-someodd years since they last went, and John's definitely isn't what it used to be. It didn't take long to be seated, but tourists annoy me and this place is full of them.
We got 2 pies, one big one with sausage and peppers, and the other one small with pepperoni. The pepperoni one had too much olive oil on it, the pepperoni was nothing special, and the sauce didn't have much flavor. My pie was much better, but was definitely not the amazing thing that my parents and so many others describe. Even the crust, baked in its old school coal oven, wasn't perfectly charred.
Overall it was very enjoyable however, so I will go against my better judgement for now and give it 3 stars. However I was disappointed as this is not even close to the best in NY.
Thin crust pizza is the best kind of pizza, (besides pizza hut's pan pizza) . My parents had come to town and looked up this place saying that it had rave reviews and we should try it since I love being down on Bleecker street anyways.
We ordered one pie, half plain and half pepperoni. One of the best pizzas that I had had here in nY and for a pretty cheap price too. It had that fresh oven taste I wish that this place sold their pizza by the slice so I could get that then just rush over to yogurt land across the street.
Overall the food was good but I feel that the staff could be a little more friendly. Oh well, no place can be perfect I suppose!
Just from the outside I don't know if I would have tried it. I went here, hearing about it's reputation. Their thin crust pizza was really good, I don't know about "best in NYC" but I liked it a lot. It tasted really fresh and I really liked their pizza sauce. The prices were good here as well.
I walked past here the other day, after eating here a few weeks ago and couldn't believe the line to get in this place on the weekends. Wow.
True story:
My dad was leaving John's pizza with a few extra slices and he saw a cold, frail looking homeless man sitting outside a few blocks down the street. He offered the guy a slice, to which the man replied, "Where's it from?". My dad tells him it's from John's Pizzeria, at which point the bum says, "No thanks, I don't like John's" and refuses the free meal. Really.
Now, don't let that be some kind of testament to the pizza here. I highly doubt this vagrant had a palette reserved for Michelin Star food critics, but I always found it amusing someone would turn down a slice of free pizza. Personally, I think John's has a damn good slice, but I can find better, cheaper, around the city anytime of the day. That being said, the place is steeped in history and definitely worthy of a stop when you're cruising around the city.
For starters, who the hell serves RC cola in the 21st century?
This has got to be the most overhyped pizza in all of NYC, and not just Manhattan, I'm talking all 5 boroughs. I was expecting SO much given all the accolades I've heard about this place. I wasnt expecting it to stack up to Lombardis, but I was expecting it to be at least somewhat close. It wasnt.
My science background led me to form a hypothesis about how this place could have possibly become so outrageously overhyped. It goes a little something like this.
1) John's of Bleeker Street is in Greenwich Village
2) Greenwich Villiage is where everyone from Ohio, California, Idaho, and New Hampshire "have" to move to when they come to Manhattan.
3) People from Ohio, California, Idaho, and New Hampshire dont know the first thing about great pizza, because they dont have great pizza there.
4) John's is one of the better pizza places in Greenwich Village, hence to these people it becomes one of the "best in New York City."
I cant really test my hypothesis, but I think it's quite logical.
Oh, about that RC Cola conversation:
ME: Do you guys have Coke or Pepsi?
WAITER: Neither, it's RC cola.
(ME thinking) he must be doing the "funny waiter guy" thing and pulling my leg
ME: (fakes polite laugh at lame joke) No seriously, do you guys have Coke or Pepsi?
WAITER: Neither, it really is RC
Really?
update!! I have gone back and they have delivered on flavor. The sauce was back, the texture was back, that original unique John's taste. Thank god!
Johns, Johns...what HAPPENED???" i have eaten here since 1990 & always had the best pizza ever, and… Read more »
No pizza by the slice. Whole pizzas only. And the line starts outside so no covertly peeking around to see what's on everyone else's tables. You have to commit yourself for the ride and fall headlong in.
Upon entering and heading towards the side dining area, it was amazing how much of the decor and furniture was not only wood, but wood completely covered with etchings and carvings of various love letters, names, and whatever else could possibly fit. There was not a blank space in sight. Just this side of disconcerting, but then again I went during the daytime. Dim the lights a little more, make the carvings a bit deeper, and we could've made our own rendition of "The Number 23", "Dark City", or some other crazy horror/suspense movie where a crazy guy goes ape-wall on a room.
"Pizzas are thin crust and the oven coal-fired. We ordered a pizza with fresh garlic and tomato. Nice pulpy bits of half-cooked tomato alongside the tomato sauce. Fresh garlic didn't end up raw by the time it hit our table. Tasted a bit bland but adding all the extra shredded parm, chili pepper flakes, S&P balanced it out. Service was nice. The lightly charred crust had an interesting nostalgia linked to it of hot summer days and good ol' BBQ. Then the California-side of me came out and wondered what some nice BBQ sauce could do for this straightforward little slice.
Ah but one can only dream. It could be a solid 4 stars if another nearby pizza option didn't steal my heart away.
Good pizza, but not quite as good as the one I had in it's Theater District location recently. I don't know if the great pizza everyone talks about has become a thing of the past or not. I just ate here this week.
PIZZA - My pie came as a whole...no slices. No small available either. So I had to get a medium. The mix of sauce, cheese, toppings were very carelessly thrown on the crust. I had noticeable spots of just sauce...ick. But the crust was a great thin-crust dough. Overall pizza tasted very good.
SERVICE - I wasn't the only female sitting alone ordering a pie to eat. But the gross service guys kept walking next to my table staring/leering at me while I was eating... Double ick. Can't a girl grab a bite to eat after a long day at work? Argh! Otherwise, the guy who seemed like the owner was pretty "NY friendly"...curt, frank, direct, but attentive. Bad water-refilling...especially since all those guys kept walking so near to my table...obviously not looking at the table to see what they can "waiter/service". That one glass of water was all I got from them.
Recommendation: Yes...although I'd prefer take-out if going to this location again. Come here or to the Theatre District locations to get good pizza if craving. Depending on what's closer, I think either place would satisfy a craving for good thin-crust pizza.
in one of our many giant circular walks around Manhattan we walked down bleeker
the next day we decided to come here for lunch
it was fantastic
fresh and FAST
really fast
like I didn't know a pizza could cook so fast
we had meatballs on half, pepperoni and olives on half
we split a simple salad with a light tasty vinegar for dressing
a couple of the servers were pretty hot too
one star because although the server was fast he was forgetful
we never got our sodas
def come here
Johns Pizza, the "supermodel" of Pizzerias if you will.
This place is like having a date with Gisele Bundchen and not the girl next store. Pizza that is top of the line, bar none.
Slices? Puleeze. Gisele isn't putting out so easy. If you want to take her out, you need to spend the big dollars. No credit cards here, only green papers baby.
You can order a larger pie with a group but if you want to be intimate, the smaller 6 slice will do just fine.
The problem with any supermodel is, they're high maintenance and my wallet can't handle the pricey lunch date every day.
So, I leave Gisele and all of the famous people that were there before me. I'll humbly go back to Pizza Supreme on 8th Ave and get a $3 slice. Shes my everyday girl, my Marsia Tomei. When I feel like steppin' out, I'll go downtown and have a beer with Gisele....
There is something about Bleecker Street where all the best restaurants are the ones that are the most unassuming. John's is just one of those places. If you're a tourist and want a pizza with figs and gruyere cheese, don't go to John's - instead, visit a CPK. John's serves what can best be described as traditional New York style thin-crust pizza.
John's also has a location in midtown. However after eating there, I didn't like the food as much as the location on Bleecker Street. The sauce seemed to be sweeter in midtown, and the pie just didn't seem to have all of the same great qualities that the location on Bleecker Street seems to be able to regularly produce.
I brought my friends here Sunday afternoon after a morning of kayaking at Pier 40. Tried and true, their Brick Oven never fails. We ordered two large pies: Sausage & Mushroom and Meatball and Onion. The Meatball and Onion was the tastiest simply because it was pretty meaty.
With tax and tip, two large pies and a pitcher of diet coke came to be $56, $9 for 6 people. For two to three slices each, it's a little expensive. Still very yummy so my gripe would honestly have to be the cost... and the fact that there's only 1 toilet each for the men's and women's room. The restaurant could seriously use a structural upgrade/ update.
Oh the mediocrity of a good pie hyped up the wazoo. From all the slobbering, you'd think we were talking about Luzzo's, or even Grimaldes. You know -- a place that takes care to season the sauce perfectly and melt only the finest cheese onto carefully prepared dough.
John's don't play that. John's takes that college slice you ate at 2:00 am, does it better, and doesn't charge you much for a beer. Good for them. But since it seems they're trying to play in the majors, they're getting three stars.
I had anything but a four star experience when I came to this place. I came with a friend right around 6:00 today and got seated right away, but it was all downhill from there.
We ordered a large (16", rather unconventional...) plain pizza to split between the two of us. It took the waiter a little while to take our order, but I suppose that's to be expected -- I figured he didn't want to rush us. I remember the pizza taking quite a while to come out of the oven (around 15 minutes or so), but maybe that's because I was really hungry at the time.
The pizza should really be the focus of the review. I would probably agree that HALF of our pizza could have gotten a four-star rating, but the majority of it was utterly burnt -- half of the crust was literally inedible, and I had the taste of burnt pizza in my mouth for at least an hour after I left. I must say the sauce on this pizza was pretty good -- nice and tangy -- but the burnt crust really killed it for me. It's definitely a New York style pizza, but doesn't stand up to a lot of the other big names in my opinion (largely because of the burning...)
After that mediocre-at-best experience with the pizza, after having our drinks taken away from us, we must have waited at least 15 minutes to get the one-liner bill for the pizza. I almost never give a tip less than 15%, but I had no qualms about leaving $16 on a $15.25 bill at this place. I'll never be back here again, and wouldn't recommend eating here either (especially if you have to wait in the absurd line out front).
One word: Pizzagasm.
My friend can eat a whole pie. It's disgusting/beautiful.
Went here on a date last night... it was small and cozy inside, though the booths were a bit uncomfortable. I'm not too picky though, so it didn't bother me much. Pitcher of beer + pizza = wonderful date, especially when the pizza is served whilst still steaming hot with generous gooey cheese all over it. We did 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 onion and mushroom- delish!!
What can I say?
It it the best pizza in NYC ? No.
Is it noisy? - Can be.
Are there tourists? Of course there are, its NY. Where are there none?
Is it expensive? Not really.
Is it NY style pizza? Don't we all have different expectations?
The salad? Iceberg, onions, tomato's.
There is a line. Yeppers.
The service is variable-but then so are the clients.
Why do I come back?
I still think back to my first visit some 40 years ago - YES - 40.
Visiting with my parents from out of state - talking to John - YES there was a John.
Looking up at the murals on the walls (lol)
and getting to eat "Italian style" pizza.
It has great memories for me which not too many restaurants can give. How many have been around this long?
If you think it of it as a historical experience in NY pizza lore and let that be it, you will do just fine here.
If you are expecting a gourmet pizza, please eat elsewhere.
Despite the normal looking signage and boring name, John's is part of Pizza royalty and history in NY (and in the country). They don't do slices but you wouldn't want just one or two slices anyway. The pizza is quite good and the wait times are never too bad. The only real issue I had with the place is the room they put us in (along the street but not the same room where you first walk in) was full of little fruit flies. They were practically covering part of the wall and were constantly flying around our food/drinks. This was pretty gross and I really should give Johns 3 stars but the pizza was quite good and I respect their history and pizza quality too much to drop them down a star.
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