The Top Five Slice Shops on the Upper West Side

“Gimme Pizza! P-I-Z-Z-A! Gimme Pizza! Did I happen to say? I want pizza!” That’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with friends from the 1995 made-for-home movie You’re Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Sleepover Party.

We usually start these explorations with an original limerick or rhyme, but this number from the Olsen twins — once you hear it, listener beware — will probably stay with you for-ev-er. When it hit YouTube with a slowed-down remix in 2011, lowering the singers’ voices over an already funky beat, the little ditty wound up eclipsing the original cut, released on YouTube in 2008. It went real-deal Holyfield viral among anyone who loves the Olsen twins, pizza, and a good laugh, thanks to perhaps the most hilariously (or horrifically) chaotic set of pizza toppings ever thrown down. Try not to laugh when items seem to appear out of nowhere — fried chicken, a whole fish, chicken tongue, or whipped cream pouring like waterfalls. “Ketchup! Put it in the pizza!” The sleepover crew even debated adding eyeballs (where did they get those?), but ultimately made an executive decision to 86 them.

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For the top five slice shops on the Upper West Side, we didn’t want to — like the sleepover party — put up guardrails or rules. If you serve pizza by the slice in the neighborhood, “You got it, dude!” You’re in contention. Sorry Patsy’s and Parla.

Break me off a piece of that. When it comes to quality and consistency, here are the top five UWS slice shops with the pedigree.

#5 Pizza Collective
2060 Broadway by West 71st Street

“Do as the Romans do.”

Roman-style pizza — pizza al taglio — originated in Rome in the post–WWII era, around the 1950s or 1960s. It was created as a fast, affordable meal for workers, sold by the cut from large rectangular pans (the name literally means “pizza by the cut”). That’s the canvas Pizza Collective paints on.

Born on the Upper West Side amid the pandemic in 2020, Pizza Collective keeps this modern Roman tradition alive with love. Roman-style pizza uses a little extra TLC: a longer fermentation process for the sourdough base (they use exactly 96 hours), 100% Italian flour, and many ingredients sourced directly from Italy.

We’re big fans of their Crostino Zucchini slice — which we probably never would have ordered. It immediately reminded us of the Kramer vs. Poppie debate on Seinfeld, where Kramer sternly argued that cucumbers absolutely do belong on pizza. Thanks to the Too Good to Go app, where you can pick up food at a deeply discounted rate at the end of the day ($6.99), a Crostino Zucchini slice showed up in our box during an early 2020s visit, and we’ve been fans ever since.

You’ll find classic cuts like pepperoni cups, margherita, and cheese, along with specialty slices like the Emiliana with aged mozzarella, imported mortadella, pistachio cream, burrata, and basil — plus gluten-free and vegan options.

Pizza Collective serves quality and value. That long fermentation gives the crust a beautifully airy structure with a crisp bite, plus the snap of fresh organic zucchini, mozzarella, and ground black pepper.

We agree with you, Kramer.

ALSO READ: The Best Restaurants on the Upper West Side

#4 Sal and Carmine Pizza
2671 Broadway by West 102nd

Old reliable. As pizza shops come and go, this 1959 mainstay — opened by Italian brothers Sal Malanga and Carmine — was originally perched on West 95th and Broadway until 1987, before finding its current home. You can feel the classic New York City charm here from window to back wall, complete with a neon sign, celebrity-visit photos, and even a framed Metallica platinum record dedicated to S&C.

Touting large, crispy slices in neon lights, Sal and Carmine’s delivers again and again. When Sal passed in 2009, his grandson Luciano took over pie-making duties, honoring the crisp exterior with the tender interior his grandfather was known for. We typically order cheese and pepperoni, and many fans call out this spot for its robust sauce — some might say it’s a touch salty, but we love the bold flavor.

If you’re someone who likes to dab the grease on your pizza, definitely skip their pepperoni. While we relish the orange ooze and the thrill of paying cash on the old-timey cash register, the ricotta on their white slice is also a treasure.

The pillar that divides the cooking and counter area from the back seating creates a cozy little cavern, perfect for lingering. When we’re here, we stay a while.

You can still find Carmine at the counter sometimes, and the pillar that divides the cooking and counter area from the back seating makes a perfect little divider, creating a cozy cavern to feast away in the back. Sal and Carmine’s is also a Pizza Hall of Fame inductee in 2014.

When we’re here, we stay a while.

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#3 La Traviata Pizzeria
101 West 68th between Columbus and Broadway

The little hole in the wall that could.

Started in the 1970s by Virgilio Rojas Santos, this totally unassuming spot should be on everyone’s list who calls themselves an Upper West Sider. It’s easy to walk by this side-street wonder, which opened its second location at 2753 Broadway (by West 106th Street) in 2023. But once you get a taste, you’ll see how they’ve stood the test of time.

Santos, in his customary construction-worker glasses, embodies a man hard at work in the family business alongside his daughter, who can usually be seen at the register, although they now split their time between both shops. It’s not uncommon to see the delivery team sharing a beer (which they also carry) at the end of the day, along with good pie and camaraderie. It makes you want to join in the festivities every time, picking out what’s left from the glass case.

We typically go for the plain cheese, with a bit of their Cholula hot sauce — sometimes drizzled on the slice, sometimes in hefty drops on the plate to dab the crust. The pepperoni here is truly marvelous — our “partner in dine,” paired with their plain cheese every time. They added outdoor seating in the last few years, but even when the weather is nice, we prefer the “mafia spot” — the seat in the furthest back corner, where you can see anything coming at you. Mostly, we just like watching the pies being made, which that spot allows us.

I lost my wallet here once, and picked it up the next day when I realized. I also left a backpack, which they came running out to return. La Traviata is Fam. Don’t forget to try their Jamaican beef patty.

ALSO READ: The Upper West Side Croissant Quest

#2 Upside Pizza
2878 Broadway by West 112th

The new kid on the block.

Originally opened in Midtown in 2019, Upside Pizza now has seven shops across the city — including Brooklyn — and landed on the Upper West Side in February 2025. Pretty quickly, we started getting tips (thank you, Christopher Ming Ryan) that this was some people’s favorite slice in the neighborhood.

Being from Connecticut — where New Haven–style pizza gets international acclaim similar to, but very different from, NYC — I grew up on Frank Pepe’s classic tomato slice (and white clam). So of course I had to demo the tomato slice at Upside. Different, yes, but still to my delight: this vegan slice is no-frills, all thrills with tomato sauce, roasted red onions, and extra virgin olive oil.

Upside builds its pies on a sourdough crust made with a 72-hour natural leavening process and a 100% naturally leavened dough. The new kid on the block serves a modern, elevated take on the classic New York slice, using scratch-made ingredients — a sourdough base, homemade mozzarella, and fresh toppings — typically baked at a high temperature to create a signature crispy crust.

What we love most about Upside is how fun it is to try a new slice every time. The Cacio e Pepe — go figure — comes with low-moisture mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, black pepper, and parmesan-oregano, then gets finished with burrata, pecorino romano, and more black pepper. Their creamed spinach slice, which feels like a lighter and less guilty nod to the popular Artichoke Basille slice downtown, uses the same mozzarella as the Cacio e Pepe and is finished with Parmigiano Reggiano.

We also love the big neon Upside sign, the tile floors, and the window seating — perfect for people watching.

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#1 Mama’s TOO!
2750 Broadway between West 105th and 106th

The Boss.

After our first visit to Mama’s TOO!, we had to stop re-testing slices on the UWS because Mama’s is truly in a league of its own. Yes, they earn top pizza honors across NYC and beyond, standing out as elite purveyors of the pizza game. Not bad for a joint that that opened in late 2017.

We spoke with owner Frank Tuttolomondo—who opened his second Mama’s in the West Village around 2024—about where he goes for pizza that isn’t under his own roof and which shops around the Upper West Side he enjoys. Breads Bakery by Lincoln Center got some props, but for pizza he called out Razza in Jersey City, crediting Dan Richer’s wood-fired pies.

We also talked about one of our favorite Italian mainstays, prosciutto bread (aka lard bread), which you don’t find much around here. Madonia in the Bronx and Zola Bakery in Park Slope, Brooklyn, both came up. Maybe we’ll see a prosciutto bread offering as a Mama’s special one day (wishful thinking).

For now, we’ll have to settle (thankfully) for some of the best pizza you can find anywhere. We’ve always been suckers for their square pepperoni slices (corner piece if available). The Angry Nonna, with hot soppressata, aged mozzarella, Calabrian chili oil, and hot honey, is also the truth. And every now and then, we work in their House Slice — mozzarella, tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and basil – in the round slice. All the ingredients come together in a symphony of flavors, leaving no such thing as a bad bite at Mama’s.

There was a time when I went on long walks around the Upper West Side and had to choose between Mama’s pizza and bagels at Absolute (RIP). Both titans were nearby neighbors. Usually, the weather made my decision for me: humid days called for cool bagels, chilly days for piping-hot pizza. Rain was always good for both, since it cut down on the lines. But with Absolute gone, it now reminds me how lucky we were — to cherish every bite we get above ground and to keep marching in search of the best bagel.

Time to rock it with the Olsen twins. Here’s Gimme Pizza — and the oral history that cemented it in the American lexicon.

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