New Yorkers are paying more than ever for their slice of the pie.
The Big Apple has been named the most expensive pizza city in the country, as part of a new survey of America’s leading ‘za capitals.
Gouge-weary Gothamites are now regularly forking over the most dough per pie on average — $33.65 for one topping — anywhere in the fifty states, according to the hot and ready research.
At Midtown’s Zillions Pizza, a Post staffer found it lived up to its name, having been charged nearly $34 for a large-sized pepperoni.
Downtown, at the South Street Seaport branch of Brooklyn legend DiFara, a slice spy picked up another pepperoni pizza, this time paying a total of $35.96 for the privilege — a price that included a 3.49% “administration fee.”
A staffer told The Post that the fee was charged to all customers, and went towards paying off “the machine” used to make the transaction — a now-typical computerized Clover point-of-sale set-up.
The survey, conducted on behalf of real estate website Clever, also revealed prices for the region’s most iconic meal were rising faster nationally than overall inflation — 4.0% compared to 3.5% — not unlike NYC’s housing prices.
And while sticker shock may be the new normal, at least one expert thinks the hikes make sense.
“Pizza prices have been pretty low and it’s not a surprise to see them finally going up,” said Scott Wiener, owner of Scott’s Pizza Tours and one of NYC’s preeminent experts on the subject.
The rising cost of doing business — increased labor expenses, high percentages paid to third party delivery services, higher rents, and ingredient costs — is to blame, Wiener told The Post, but that’s just the start of it.
“We can’t forget that we’re experiencing a slice renaissance right now and quality is also going up. More pizzerias have been using higher-quality pepperoni. Slice shops have been switching to more expensive flour. Longer fermentation time means more refrigeration, which means higher electric bills and more space required,” Wiener explained.
And while this doesn’t go for all pizzerias, it’s happening often enough, he said, that it could be “moving the needle.”
The new math certainly seemed to add up at Zillions — the $33.76 paid seemed worth it for a pepperoni pie that could easily flatten much of the neighborhood competition.
Quality also comes very close to justifying high prices over at Scarr’s Pizza on the Lower East Side, one of the city’s hippest slice joints, where lines of people regularly wait for their chance to cough up some serious dough.
Stretching the budget to $33 for a pepperoni and jalapeno pie appeared to be no hassle for the adoring crowds, including fans from all over the world, who’ve come to know and love owner Scarr Pimentel, one of the city’s best pizza makers, who famous upon opening several years ago for milling his own flour, unheard of in rush-rush New York at the time.
Not that all of NYC’s best pizza places have now broken through the $30 mark.
There are still relative values to be found, even at the world-famous Joe’s Pizza on Broadway, just steps from Times Square, where those purchasing an entire pepperoni pie will still pay $29 before taxes — the same price as the award-winning Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop in trendy Greenpoint, Brooklyn, birthplace of the hot honey craze.
But the most delicious deals are found in the places the masses aren’t looking — at Rosa’s Pizza in Maspeth, one of the best pies in Queens (the rectangular, thin-crust Grandma) is a massive steal at under $25 via a delivery app, while at the original Denino’s Pizzeria & Tavern on Staten Island, lucky locals can still snag a 16″ pepperoni pie for just $20.50 before tax, also via a third-party app.
None of the pizza purveyors contacted by The Post would comment.
The Big Apple’s boobie prize was awarded as part of an annual survey ranking the best cities in America for pizza in 2024.
Clever’s decisions were made based on things like reputation (utilizing a study of 1,000 participants), the number of pizza shops per 100,000 residents, local excitement, or passion for pizza-related search terms, the regional average Yelp rating for pizza restaurants, as well as a price-to-income ratio that found how much of a person’s salary was going towards paying for a pizza.
Using these and other metrics, the 2024 list wound up being topped by Denver, thanks to an abundance of affordable pies and a strong fanbase for its many pizzerias.
New York fared poorly in the overall rankings, bested by the Empire State’s second city Buffalo, which nabbed 2024’s #2 spot, boasting 17.8 pizza joints per 100,000 residents. That’s nearly double Gotham’s 9.7. The city wound up at a distant #15.
Some good news, however — despite everything, the Big Apple continues to enjoy the best reputation for pizza out of any city on the list, well ahead of competitors like Chicago.
Americans are also said to prefer New York-style pies to Chicago deep dish by a margin of 52% to 38%.