New York City Pizza Timeline

You think about New York City’s oldest pizzerias and Lombardi’s comes to mind for its place in history as the birthplace of pizza in America. But pizza obsessives know that while Lombardi’s tugs at mozzarella heartstrings, it’s technically not the oldest pizzeria (the original location closed in 1984 and it reopened nearby in 1994). And there’s even been new evidence to suggest that Gennaro Lombardi was carrying on a tradition brought to America from Naples by pizza man Filippo Milone. After a decade of research, statistician Peter Regas has concluded that Lombardi’s was not the country’s first place to sell pizza.

Regardless of who was actually first, anyone seeking out New York City’s best pizza eventually seeks out other classics. And for all the attention paid to the city for pizza, it’s surprising that many of New York City’s oldest pizzerias fly under the radar. So for reference, here’s a list of about 100 of its oldest, most noteworthy joints.

Many places on this list have well-publicized birthdays. Some, not so much. The founding years below were gathered from phone calls, books, the pizzerias’ websites, articles, databases, photos of menus—even pizza boxes.

If you believe a date is incorrect, or if there’s a joint that deserves to be on a timeline of the city’s significant pizzerias that’s been omitted, please reach out.