New York inspired, Manchester made
Back in 2019, our co-owner Jonny – you know, the guy from the Nell’s Instagram – went to New York City with nothing but a head full of dreams and a couple of locations pinned on his Google maps. He came back as an evangelist for a style of pizza that was nigh-on impossible to find this side of the pond. Thin crusts with a crunch. A touch of char on the base. Huge pies, served by the slice.
So, he took some time in the kitchen downstairs at Common to try to perfect his own take on things and, after plenty of iterations of tiny tweaks to the dough recipe (definitely), some tears (probably), and more pizza taste-tested than any one human should ever go through (undoubtedly), Nell’s Pizza was born. A few years later, having eaten more Nell’s than we’d care to admit, we’ve decided to retrace his steps to understand what we serve just that little bit more.
Understanding the roots of New York pizza reveals why it’s such an iconic style – and why it inspired us at Nell’s. The style itself was borne out of necessity. The thousands of people who migrated to the US east coast in the late 19th and early 20th century took their recipes for Neapolitan pizza with them. But, they had to adapt as the local flours and differing mineral composition of NYC water gave the dough a new consistency, better suited to a bigger, crispier pizza – something that the larger ovens people found when they moved to NYC helped with, too.
Located on South 2nd Street in Williamsburg, L’Industrie has fast become the gold standard for slice shops in the city – and we had to check it out. They’ve become renowned for taking the New York style of pizza making and putting an Italian spin back on things with primo ingredients you’d be more likely to see on the streets of Naples rather than Brooklyn. Some would argue it is a step back to what the original pizzaiolos of the city back in the early 1900s would’ve wanted.
Regardless of whole pies being available, this is a place meant to be experienced by the slice. Classics, like Margherita or Pepperoni were of course available, alongside the kinds of out there ‘za they’ve become renowned for: Sausage, Pepperoni & Ricotta; Fig Jam and Bacon; Sausage and fresh, house-made pesto. Otherworldly.
Across the East River in Greenwich Village, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Joe’s Pizza. Maybe the iconic purveyors of the classic New York slice, they’re celebrating their 50th birthday in 2025 with original owner Joe Pozzuoli still in charge and operating the restaurant just like he has since day one. They’ve become such an institution that Famous Joe’s has become a hotspot for, er, tourists like us – but it is still a regular hang-out for true New Yorkers of any generation.
Their menu is a masterclass in simplicity: you chose how many slices of cheese pizza you want, and if you want a topping, and that’s about it. They offer a Sicilian, plus pizzas by the whole pie, but the vast majority of what comes out of their kitchen is paper plates topped with cheese pizza
with pepperoni, meatballs, black olives, or another one of their toppings on. Why mess with perfection?
Our final stop was back in Brooklyn, at F&F Pizzeria. Taking its name from chefs and co-owner Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, they promise to provide pies that thrill while honouring the traditions that have brought the style to where it is today. Making sure every ingredient they use is of the highest quality, their aim is to elevate ‘za to another level without compromising on the street-corner slice shop principles that got them to where they are.
That said, you’d struggle to find a run-of-the-mill slice shop in NYC or anywhere else offering a pizza topped with fresh clams (just $7 a slice), which shows the level they’re operating at. We opted for the Partanna (red onion, calabrian chili, orange blossom honey, sicilian oregano, pecorino, mozzarella) and a square of Red Sicilian (castelvetrano olives, bianco dinapoli, sicilian oregano) to round things out. More than worth the hype.
Time waits for no man, and our flights home were even less likely to hang around than that, so our whistle-stop tour ended on there – though we’ll of course be back. Can’t go to New York but still want a slice of pizza in Manchester? Come visit us and let us know your personal favourites.