It's on 2 of my lists. Each entry below is what I wrote about it there, with my verdict on that list, the fullest first.
- Cost$
- Address7 Carmine Street
- From my guide, updated September 2026.
I know. Recommending Joe’s feels like recommending water. It’s the slice that shows up in every guidebook, the one with the Spider-Man plaque, the one with a line out the door at 2am. And I spent a genuinely embarrassing amount of energy over the years trying to find a slice that would let me stop recommending it. Something cooler. Something with a story only I knew.
I failed. Every time.
The plain slice at Joe’s, the one at 7 Carmine Street, is an uncomplicated masterpiece. Thin, foldable, a little grease pooling in the cheese, sauce that actually tastes like tomato instead of sugar. It comes out of the case fast and you eat it standing up at the counter because there’s nowhere to sit, and that is part of the point. The whole pie runs about twenty-eight bucks if you want one, but nobody comes here for a whole pie. You come for one slice, maybe two, folded and inhaled on the sidewalk.
A slice costs a few dollars, and yes, the price has crept up over the years like everything else in this city. But it’s still the most honest four-ish dollars you’ll spend downtown. If there’s a better plain slice within a ten-block radius, I’ve yet to find it, and believe me I’ve tried to.
A couple of caveats. Cash makes your life easier here, the line at peak hours is real, and there is no romance to the room. It’s a counter. That’s the whole experience. If you want to sit down with a glass of wine and a candle, keep reading, because Greenwich Village has that too, and those are the spots people skip.
Joe’s dishes out the most iconic pizza slice in New York City. Fresh, hot and consistently delicious every hour of the day, Joe’s is on constant rotation in most local’s weekly arsenal.
The crust is nicely charred and the sauce-to-topping ratio is ideal. A bit unusual for me, I. It’s simple, it hits the spot, and it won’t break that bank. Plus, most locations are open until 4am, making this a go-to spot for a late night bite after a show or event (this a cash-only establishment, ATM onsite).
Joe’s holds a special place in my heart. My wife and I celebrate the first day of spring by enjoying a whole pie from Joe’s in Washington Square Park. We’re adding a new member to the family in September and are excited to share the tradition with them.