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New Yorkers hardly need an official excuse to eat pizza, but we’re getting one anyway: the inaugural NYC Pizza Week will arrive this fall, sending hungry locals across the city in search of limited-edition slices from some of its best independent pizzerias.
Running September 20 through October 4, the first-time event will feature more than 20 participating locations across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Each shop will create its own NYC Pizza Week Signature Slice, available only during the celebration. No tickets, reservations or special apps are required; just walk in, order the featured slice and pay for your food.
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The lineup includes beloved local favorites like Paulie Gee’s, Stretch Pizza, Slicehaus, Unregular Pizza and Diamond Slice, plus neighborhood spots in the East Village, Lower East Side, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Clinton Hill, Ridgewood and Long Island City.
This is no parade of plain cheese slices, either. Stretch Pizza’s Domino Park location will serve the Al Pastor, topped with braised pork, salsa verde, pineapple ricotta and cilantro. Paulie Gee’s Greenpoint Slice Shop is making the Red, White & Greenpoint Square with provolone, sausage, spinach and hot cherry peppers, while Slicehaus is bringing smoked mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and black garlic to the party.
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Other contenders include Diamond Slice's mortadella, pesto and stracciatella pairing, while Hots Pizza is preparing a pickle pie with crème fraîche, mozzarella, dill, Calabrian ranch and parmesan. Traze Pizza’s Dolly combines ground beef in cream of mushroom with tater tots and extra-sharp cheddar. Pizza Loves Sauce will contribute a chicken shawarma slice, while Rome to Brooklyn is topping its entry with blackberry, ricotta, basil and hot honey.
Visitors can find participating businesses and their specials using an online Slice Map. After eating, they can text a score from 1 to 5. The shop with the highest-rated creation at the end of the event will be crowned Pizza Week's winner.
Founder Andrew Young developed the event after organizing monthly pizza crawls around New York for two years. The focus extends beyond fierce topping debates: Pizza Week is designed to celebrate the independent shops, families and neighborhood institutions behind the city’s enduring slice culture.