8 Best Places To Get Coal-Fired Pizza In NYC

If you're into pizza — like really into it — New York could be considered the mecca outside of Naples, Italy, and a must-visit for pizza obsessives of all stripes. Sure, there are other amazing regional styles, like Detroit squares, New England bar pies, Chicago deep-dish, and New Haven-style, among others. But New York City pizza hits different. New York Style baked in a coal-fired oven? Now we're talking. Coal-fired pizza is noteworthy because, to state the obvious, it's made with coal. Deck ovens or wood-fired ones found in most pizzerias can only reach temperatures between 400 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit. But coal-fired ovens are raging infernos that can reach 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, burning drier than wood because coal is 92% carbon and contains almost no moisture. What this means is that the crust gets kissed with intense heat, leading to an exceedingly crispy char on all sides, whilst the cheese gets nicely caramelized on top. Yum.

We think pizzas cooked in coal ovens are special. It's also rare; in modern-day New York City, there are only a handful of pizzerias still using them. They are also messy and difficult beasts to tame, but the proof is in the pudding — when done right, coal-fired pizza is sublime. It only takes one bite to understand the appeal and why many pizza fans will travel across town, riding in cramped subways and even braving lines for a taste. Here, we've compiled a list of the very best you can find in The Big Apple.

One of my earliest and fondest New York pizza memories is visiting this hallowed establishment years ago and sitting down in one of the heavily distressed, graffiti-covered wooden booths for a piping-hot pie. This pizzeria is just one of those institutions that oozes with character in the dining room, with a sensory overload of smells tempting diners as they await their order. Since 1929, John's of Bleecker Street has been serving up some of the best pizza to New Yorkers — and it happens to have a coal-fired oven. This Greenwich Village establishment is a must-visit for pizza nerds, locals, and casual tourists alike, with almost 100 years of satisfied customers, including me. It's also centrally located in the Village, which you're bound to eventually wind up hanging out at during a New York trip, making a pizza pilgrimage all the more easy.

But what should you order? John's Original pie is a good baseline for your first coal-fired pizza, and I really think you should start here if you're pizza touring or just looking to try your first coal-fired pie. While the menu offers a wide range of toppings to explore, sticking to a classic cheese pizza lets you experience this style of pizza in its purest form before getting lost in the sauce with choices. If you've ever wondered about coal-fired pizza, you'll find everything you've been looking for at John's.

https://johnsofbleecker.com/

278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

212-243-1680

Totonno's is another legendary spot that's on our list. To get there, pizza lovers need to saddle up and head to Coney Island, Brooklyn, for a stellar pie — but trust me, it's definitely worth the trip. This little joint is a true gem and a must-visit for some of the best coal-fired pie the city has to offer. It has a rich history, dating back to 1924 when it first opened, and the pizza has been made the same way ever since. Some readers might already know this pizzeria, as it's been praised by many, earning a 2009 James Beard Award, a #1 Pizza In America award from the Food Network, as well as a "Somebody Feed Phil" feature — you could say the secret is out. 

As for the pizza itself, it is like most of the top pies in New York — characteristically thin crust and packed with flavor. Thanks to the ripping-hot coal-fired oven, it has a dry, almost cracker-like crust that offers a satisfying crunch with every bite. Pies only come in small or large sizes, with eight topping add-on options. Sadly, Totonno's is takeout-only, leaving patrons only to imagine the dining room vibe of yesteryear, as they tuck into their Uber Eats-delivered pizza. Lastly, to be blunt, Totonno's has brutal hours: pizza fans can only get a fix on the weekend, from noon to 5:30 p.m., which means potential lineups and, unfortunately, no post-work weeknight pies.

https://www.totonnosconeyisland.com/

1524 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY

718-372-8606

If a pizzeria puts "coal fire" or "coal oven" in its name, you know it's looking for distinction, but also signalling to the real pizza geeks what it's about. Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza is located right on the border of SoHo and the West Village, centrally in Lower Manhattan on Houston Street. With an 8.2 average rating on the One Bite site, and a reviewer from last September saying their pizza had "great crisp and sauce, no flop," it has a top reputation in the NYC pizza realm. (But it's not to be mistaken with Arturo's in the Upper East Side neighborhood.) 

Its standard mozzarella pie is a sauce-on-top-of-cheese style, which is the baseline first-timers should try before exploring the 14 other pizzas on offer — ranging from fully loaded pies like Arturo's Fiesta to Bianca white pies and even vegetarian-friendly mushroom pizzas. Those looking for a choose-your-own-adventure pie can pick from a whopping 36 add-on extra toppings. But patrons don't have to limit themselves to pizza, as the restaurant offers other carb bombs, with an extremely diverse and well-curated Italian American menu of spaghetti, soups, seafood, veal and chicken cutlets, eggplant parm, and more. For those who dine in, you might be treated to a live jazz show as the space is known to host bands at dinner time, helping keep you upright and awake post-food coma.

https://www.arturoscoaloven.com/

106 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

212-677-3820

In the hipster-central and industrial neighbourhood of Bushwick, amidst warehouses and thrift shops, you'll find Lucky Charlie. Owner Nino Coniglio is a boisterous character who oozes that quintessential New York City moxie and has a very deep history of making pizza, getting his start at the very young — and possibly labor law-breaking — age of 12, in New Jersey. He later trained under Brooklyn pizza legend Domenico DeMarco at Di Fara, won multiple World Pizza Championship titles, and won the pizza episode of Food Network's "Chopped." He then went on to start various projects of his own, including Coniglio's and Williamsburg Pizza, and most recently, Lucky Charlie. 

Needless to say, this guy is the real deal with an impressive resume and pedigree — so when I heard he opened a coal-fired pizzeria, my ears perked up. As it happens, Lucky Charlie took over the space from Verde's Coal Oven Pizza. The oven at the heart of the operation was built in 1890 by German immigrant bakers, serving up a slice of history with each pie. But what about the pizza quality itself? On the One Bite pizza review website, Lucky Charlie has an 8.8 average rating, with one user from another pizza mecca, New Haven, scoring it a 9.1 and saying it goes toe-to-toe with New Haven's best. Solid endorsement, that.

https://www.luckycharliebk.com/

254 Irving Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237

Our list here covers a lot of territory in New York City, with Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza being the sole pizzeria located in mid-town Manhattan. The restaurant is located at the very bottom of Central Park — just one block south — and one thing I recommend readers do is grab a pie to go during the summer, and eat it in the park. This is an amazing New York experience that will leave your friends jealous when they see your Instagram stories. Alternatively, many visitors take their pie back to the hotel when the weather isn't so inviting. But you can also dine in, of course — I've done both and had great experiences. 

Sure, there are ways to order your pie to seem more like a local, but Angelo's sits in a pretty tourist-heavy area, so no need to worry about the lingo, as servers are accustomed to helping out-of-towners get their orders right. The pies have a beautiful char and are well-balanced with the saltiness from the cheese and dough playing off the mild sweetness of the sauce. Basil is thrown into pies for a more gourmet vibe, which won't have time to wilt, given how fast you're sure to scarf it down. With an 8.7-star average rating on One Bite, based on over 1800 reviews, few question Angelo's reputation at this point

https://angelospizzany.com/

117 W 57th St, New York, NY 10001

212-333-4333

Bay Ridge in Brooklyn is a deep neighborhood in the southwest corner of the borough, famously known as the backdrop for much of the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever." The area is right on the water (the Upper Bay), offering views of Staten Island. It's a small neighborhood, but the area has great Italian-American food, and Campagnia can be filed under this category — and they just happen to offer a mind-bending coal-fired pizza. 

The restaurant has a cozy, classic vibe inside, but you can obviously get takeout if you please — I can't stress enough how much better pizza is when it's served fresh in-house and hasn't sat in a cardboard box. But I digress. Campagnia has a very robust menu encompassing square, Sicilian-style pies, as well as traditional 16" rounds, with 23 total topping options available. I always suggest first-timers start with a classic plain cheese pie, which lets you benchmark a pizzeria with a standard offering — then you can branch out and get funky with things like broccoli rabe and San Daniele prosciutto. With an 8.0 average community rating on the One Bite site, this is pizza worth going out of your way for.  Campania is sure to please coal-fired pizza fans and newbies alike, rewarding your efforts to reach the incredible food zone that is Bay Ridge. Buon appetito!

https://www.campaniacoalfiredpizza.com

9824 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209

347-517-4868

As many readers might know, Brooklyn is considered the pizza powerhouse of the five boroughs, with a long list of both new and old-school pizzerias to explore. In the DUMBO neighborhood (which stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), you'll find Julianna's Pizza, yet another must-try coal-fired pizzeria on our list. Pizza fans who make the pilgrimage can either dine in or take a pie to go, finding a picnic table in a park during summer for the perfect afternoon vibe.

Unlike most pizzerias here, you can get a small personal-sized pie, as well as medium and large, with three standard options: margherita, marinara, and white pie. There are, however, 14 other toppings you can add to customize pies, with a limit of two per pizza. The crust gets a nice browning and chew thanks to the Maillard reaction driven by the coal fire. Juliana's menu is rather extensive and goes beyond pies, with soups, salads, spaghetti, and, for dessert, cannoli, coffees, ice cream, and cheesecake. For our Floridian readers who want to get a fix of New York pizza, West Palm Beach is home to a Juliana's satellite location, but you will definitely be missing out on the irreplaceable Brooklyn vibes.

https://www.julianaspizza.com/

19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

718-596-6700

As the only Staten Island-based coal-fired pizzeria in our list, locals and tourists alike now have a powerful argument for visiting this outer borough: Ungaro Coal Fired Pizza Cafe. Truth be told, Staten Island is teeming with great Italian-American eateries, and you should definitely add Ungaro Pizza to your list — you can thank me later! Its charcoal oven churns out some beautifully cooked pies, in addition to calzones, with an artisan touch. It offers 16-inch and 12-inch pies with options like signature margherita with fresh mozz, pepperoni, vodka sauce, pesto, eggplant, and many other topping options. Fans of trying multiple menu items will appreciate its half-and-half pizzas, which let you mix and match different topping combos without buying multiple pies.

On the One Bite app and website — the bible of pizza reviews, if you will — Ungaro scores an impressive 8.4 out of 10 average rating. A Grubhub reviewer boldly stated in January that "Ungaro has the best pizza in Staten Island, the crust is perfect, and the sauce is absolutely the best I have ever had." The seemingly insurmountable distance of Staten Island to many New Yorkers and tourists alike probably accounts for Ungaro slipping under the radar, but if you're looking for a stellar coal-fired pizza and want to get away from tourist hot spots, this is your place.

https://www.ungarocoalfiredpizzacafe.com/

1298 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY

646-968-4777

So, how did we compile this drool-worthy list? I am pizza-obsessed and have spent a great deal of time eating New York pizza over the years. As a Canadian who grew up on the East Coast, I visited the city often as a teenager, which exposed me to classic coal-fired pies like Grimaldi's and John's of Bleecker. Fast forward years later, during University, I had a good friend living in New York and would regularly visit him, where we ate slices daily; if my clothes ended up smelling like pizza grease, I knew I was on the right track to finding the best pizzerias. Years later, I routinely visited the Big Apple for work, which brought me to even more coal-fired spots like Lombardi's and Totonno's. 

Needless to say, I'm obsessed with New York pizza and have built up a solid reference point for what the best examples of this style are. I also sifted through countless online reviews, diligently scouring sources like local weeklies and blogs, to Reddit, and the One Bite review site, where the real pizza geeks lurk. All of the opinions cited were from 2024 onward, and I avoided websites that may have been watered down with fake reviews. I had already tried a few of the chosen establishments, while the others kept coming up as the best around, the more I researched. I am confident that this list will satisfy anyone — whether local or tourist — in finding New York's best coal-fired pizzas.