Prince Street Pizza
27 Prince St.
New York, New York 10012
212-966-4100

Okay, “best” is pretty subjective. But that’s the beauty of a blog, right? It’s the breeding grounds for opinion pieces. Maybe you’ll agree with me, maybe you won’t. Maybe my post will incite outrageous commentary, or maybe it will spawn a revenge post on how wrong this writer (me!) is about her pizza judgements. Regardless, I’m sticking to my opinion here.

Back story: I’ve been living in Nolita for three years now with my cousin Caitlin and we’re moving out in a little over a week. My cousin and I have been living together for five years total and we’ve been best friends since we were babies. While moving out is bittersweet, it’s also cause to celebrate and incorporate what we love most about our neighborhood. For me, it would be the pizza.

If you’ve ever been to Prince Street Pizza (which is just two blocks from my apartment) you’d know it’s unique. It’s a bit more than a take-out counter, but not quite a sit down restaurant. You often must shout your order over the counter to Frank*, the manager, or one of the other workers while three people in front of you wait for their slices. If you’re lucky, you can snag a stool and smother your slice in red pepper flakes while people watching on Prince St. The ideal order? A Soho Square Spicy Spring slice with soppressata. It’s a Sicilian-style crust, perfectly crisp on the bottom to support a delicious red sauce and the scattered soppressata. To complement it, order either classic cheese or the margherita with fresh basil (my preference between the two) for your second or third slice. They have distinctly different flavors, but both happen to be excellent so you can’t really botch an order.

It’s funny. Prince Street Pizza happens to be down the street from Lombardi’s, one of the most high-demand pizza places in Nolita thanks to its history — it’s the first pizzeria in America! But first doesn’t make it best and I’d recommend Prince Street over Lombardi’s any day. There’s also not an insane wait like there is at Lombardi’s, another point for Prince Street, and the slices are typically always fresh because they go so quickly. In fact, the quality of a pie is hardly better than the fresh single slices — though there’s something to be said for getting a whole pizza pie to yourself! Slices cost about $3.75 and the Soho Square Spicy Spring Pie is $26. Well worth it.

Once I knew I’d be moving out of Nolita, suddenly things got serious and I realized as excited as I am to move to Brooklyn, there are several Nolita staples I’ll miss. Prince Street Pizza being one of them. Which is why a “moving out of Nolita” party wouldn’t have been complete without it.

As Caitlin and I’s friends crowded into our apartment this past Saturday for #cocktailswiththecousins, we toasted, we danced, we sang, we spilled, we broke shot glasses, we congratulated one another, we caught up and we had a big ‘ol pizza party with Prince Street’s finest. It was a treat to share a final weekend in Nolita with all our closest friends and share with them a slice of the neighborhood we’ve called home for three years…

And next time you see me in Nolita, I’ll likely be stopping in to my favorite neighborhood pizzeria. Because some things aren’t necessarily better on the other side.

*Special thanks to Frank for donating the pies for our event!

— Jamie Miles