Where to Get 99-Cent Slices (aka Dollar Pizza) in NYC

20100317-dollar-slice-excerpt.jpg

View Where to Get Dollar Pizza in NYC in a larger map. (Key: Homegrown cheapos in blue pinpoints; Papa John's in red)

If by "dollar pizza in NYC," you mean Manhattan, here are all the 99-cent and/or dollar slice joints we know of in the city. If we've missed any, set us straight in the comments. Without further ado, cheap pizza, from the top of the island to the bottom.

Z Deli (Times Square)

803 Eighth Avenue, New York NY 10019 212-315-1659

Intel: "Either way, the pizza was good enough to make the $1 price tag a total deal. My wife liked it better than 99¢ Fresh pizza, and I liked it as much as any cheap pizza. The key, of course- is geting the fresh slices. Z Deli doesn't have the turnover that 99 Cent Fresh Pizza has, so it's going to be more of a crapshoot. Don't be shy, and ask for the fresh pie (it's probably hidden under the counter). If that doesn't work, just order one slice, take some photos, and go back for a second. It worked for me." [More $1 Pizza at the Z Deli »]

99¢ Fresh Pizza (Times Square)

569 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10036 (at 41st Street) 212-268-1461

Intel: 99¢ Fresh Pizza does a nice job with the crust, browning it evenly and crisping it up fairly well. [Cheap-Slice Showdown: St. Marks 2 Bros. Pizza vs. 99 Cent Fresh Pizza »]

2 Bros. Pizza (Times Square)

542 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10018 (at 40th Street) 212-695-2642

Intel: "Overall, the 2 Bros. pizza had a better flavor than the 99¢ Fresh Pizza slice. While the 99FP slice was better balanced in terms of crust-sauce-cheese ratio, that's not necessarily a good thing here, since that balance allows you to taste the sauce. It's flavored heavily with what tastes like powdered garlic--acrid and almost metallic-tasting. When scraped away on its own, the 2 Bros. sauce is bland but at least does not assault your tongue." [Cheap-Slice Showdown: St. Marks 2 Bros. Pizza vs. 99 Cent Fresh Pizza »]

99¢ Fresh Hot Pizza (Midtown East/GCT Area)

Note: According to Midtown Lunch, this place was started by a disgruntled former employee of 99¢ Fresh Pizza near the Port Authority. What's that, you say? Don't they have the same name? No! This is 99¢ Fresh Hot Pizza. Maybe the former employee-turned-pizzaman didn't think the original served its slices hot enough?

459 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10017 (45th/46th)

Intel: "I kind of enjoyed the slice from the new joint a little better. They are pretty similar, but I think the new place might have a bit more flavor. Oregano... something? I don't know. It just was a bit better." [A New 99 Cent Pizza Battle Surfaces »]

99¢ Fresh Pizza (Midtown East/GCT Area)

151 East 43rd Street, New York NY (Lexington/Third) 212-922-0257

Intel: "It doesn't get any better than this... (unless you like your pizza great, and don't mind paying the money for it). Seriously... I only say it's not great pizza so I don't get a million comments questioning whether my taste buds still function. The truth is- I freakin' LOVE the 99¢ pizza place. Call me a cheapo, but I've never once asked for my penny back (and they've never offered it.)" [99¢ Fresh Pizza (Expands its Mini Empire!!!) »]

2 Bros. Pizza (Midtown West)

Eighth Avenue and 38th Street.
Intel: Too new at this time; none yet on the blogz

K-Food Corp. (K-Town)

18 East 33rd Street, New York NY (Fifth/Madison) 212-213-5100

Intel: "From what I could see K Food Corp. doesn't have the turnover right now to ensure the hot slices at all times. I arrived at around 2 p.m. and there was just one half a cheese pie out and it looked like it had been sitting for awhile-I've been to the other 99 cent pizza places at a similar time and scored a fresh piece. I paid my $1.09 and the guy took my slice around to the back to reheat it.... The sauce was too sweet and a little too heavy on the oregano for my liking. It was also topped with a fairly thick coating of cheese-which again is not really my thing, but for 99 cents, I was decently satisfied and happy to still have money in my pocket." [Checking Out the New 99 Cent Pizza Place in K-Town »]

8th Avenue Gourmet (Chelsea/MSG Area)

403 Eighth Avenue, New York NY 10001 (at 30th Street)

Intel: Moderate turnover; you're just as likely to get a hot-oven slice as you are a reheat. Lackluster cheese but good balance of sauce and cheese. People looking to fill up will say they skimp on the cheese. Note: Actually costs a dollar. (I suppose I could have asked for my penny back, like you can do at 99¢ Fresh Pizza, but I forgot to. [AK]

2 Bros. Pizza (Greenwich Village)

601 Sixth Avenue, New York NY 10011 (Waverly/West 8th) 212-206-8656

Intel: "The pizza is reminiscent of something you'd get in a high school cafeteria or an airport: a dimpled, doughy crust; pre-made sauce; and greasy, flavorless cheese. The only thing they've got going for them is that the slices are super fresh. At peak hours, they're slinging pies at such a fast clip, the slices don't have time to sit under heat lamps or get reheated. Slices go straight from the oven to your paper plate. Cheap and filling, it tastes oddly soulless and corporate." [Pizza for $1 at St. Marks 2 Brothers Pizza Plus »]

99¢ Fresh Pizza (Greenwich Village)

388 Sixth Avenue, New York NY (17th/18th) 212-780-0020

Intel: "How's the slice? Well, it tastes something like frozen pizza--the crust is distinctively un-yeasty, the cheese modest in volume, and the sauce nondescript. So what? The diners around me copping their slices were estatic. "Thank you so much," one woman exclaimed, "I love you 99ȼ Pizza." Indeed, if you don't expect it to taste like your favorite slice, it's totally OK." [The Cheese Slice at 99ȼ Fresh Pizza in Greenwich Village »]

2 Bros Pizza (East Village/St. Marks Place)

32 Saint Marks Place, New York NY 10003 (Second/Third avenues) 212-777-0600

Intel: "The pizza wasn't the greatest, but it was a dollar. I'd rate it as not quite as good as 99 Cent Fresh Pizza, but better than Prince Deli 99 cent pizza [Now closed. —The Mgmt.]. If you're a starving NYU student or a hungry person wandering around the village I give it two thumbs up." [More $1 Pizza »]

Mamani (East Village)

151 Avenue A, New York NY 10009 (9th/10th) 212-420-8574

Intel: "Mamani's pizza has the same thin, airy crust. It's less filling, but still has a nice crispness and flavor. The cheese and sauce are similarly fine, but nothing to go crazy over. Mamani has a much smaller crowd, which is great if you're in a hurry, but also means the pizzas aren't as fresh and hot as they are down the road. The verdict: if you don't mind a bit of a line, 2 Bros has the edge. But if you like eating in the park, Mamani's location can't be beat." [Another Slice, Another Dollar »]

99¢ Slices at Papa John's

20100311-papa-johns-99-cent-slice-signage.jpg

We're not super into chains on Slice, but I knew Papa John's had 99-cent slices in some locations, so I called every PJ's in Manhattan. Only two do "99¢" slices. That's in quotes because with tax they're $1.08.

Trivia: Two more PJ's in Manhattan do sell by the slice, but for $1.50 ($1.62 with tax). They're at 37th b/n Fifth and Madison and at Second Avenue and 90th Street.

More trivia: The PJ's at 179th and Broadway in Washington heights sells by the slice but for $2! Who do they think they are, real pizza?

Papa John's (Kips Bay)

432 Second Avenue, New York NY 10010 212-481-7272

Papa John's (Chelsea)

213 West 28th Street, New York NY 10001 212-563-7272

Special thanks to: myinnerfatty for the nudge and Midtown Lunch for the great intel on cheap pizza.