NYC Deep-Dish Pizza, Slice to Table

These seven cover New York's most useful thick-crust formats: a planned Chicago deep dish, sit-down Detroit pies, and thick square slices sold one at a time. Compare them by style, slice or whole pie, table size, wait, and the order worth making.

Emmett's is the Chicago dinner. Emmy Squared handles groups. Mama's Too, Nate's, L&B, and Prince Street work by the slice. Turbo carries Detroit squares into a late Bushwick night.

Information checked August 2026.

At 325 Bleecker Street, Mama's Too sells round New York slices and thick squares, but this guide is here for the latter. It works best as a quick stop: order by the slice, see what the counter has ready, and leave whole-pie planning for another night.

The Upside Down square layers mozzarella under tomato sauce, pecorino Romano, and olive oil. Follow it with the Cacio e Pepe square, built around four cheeses and cracked black pepper. Two slices give you the clearest read on what the shop does with a thick base.

Emmett's is the planned dinner in this list. The Chicago deep dish takes at least 30 minutes, and the three sizes settle the table before toppings enter the conversation: 10 inches serves two or three, 12 serves three, and 14 serves four or five.

Order the Classic with sausage, green pepper, and onion, then let it bake. Anyone unwilling to organize the meal around that wait has a different option on the same menu: the thin tavern-style pie, cut into squares to share. It is the safer order for a shorter dinner, though it leaves the high-sided Chicago craving unanswered.

L&B's original 86th Street location works at two speeds. A Sicilian slice at the window keeps the stop quick. Indoor and outdoor tables can turn the same address into a full Italian-American meal. The square is thick and airy, with sauce over the cheese and a crisp bottom.

Order one slice first, then add spumoni. That pairing is the reason to make the trip, and it works for a solo stop as easily as a family table. A whole Sicilian pie is available when the group is large enough, but the by-the-slice route needs almost no planning beyond getting to Bensonhurst.

Emmy Squared is the group-dinner answer. This guide uses the East Village menu. Menus at Midtown West, Hell's Kitchen, the Upper East Side, and Park Slope can vary. Here, Detroit-style pies come as a sixer or a tenner, so the table can settle quantity before arguing over toppings.

Big Ang is the shared order: vodka sauce, cheese blend, ricotta, double pecorino, Italian sausage, and banana peppers. Plan it as a sit-down meal, not a slice stop. The format suits a group that wants one pan at the center of the table and a clear size choice up front.

Nate's turns Detroit-style pizza into a low-commitment Carroll Gardens stop. At 451 Court Street, cheese, pepperoni, supreme, and several specialty squares are sold by the slice, so a solo order does not require a whole pan. Counter availability can change. The plan is quick, not guaranteed to include every flavor.

A cheese slice makes the format clear. For something less expected, the Calabrian chili and stracciatella slice adds fresh mozzarella, garlic, aged Parmesan, Maldon salt, and basil. Whole pies are there for groups, but the by-the-slice menu is the reason this shop belongs in the guide.

Turbo is the late-night end of the list: Detroit-style slices and pies at 1540 DeKalb Avenue, with a bar attached to the plan. It works for a casual group that wants to keep the night in one room rather than move on after dinner.

The online menu lists the Triple Threat alongside cheese, pepperoni, vodka, and other squares. Order by the slice for a short stop or build a longer bar night around a pie. Posted hours are 4pm-midnight Monday through Thursday, 4pm-2am Friday, 2pm-2am Saturday, and 2pm-midnight Sunday. Hours can change.

Prince Street is the standing slice-shop finish. At 27 Prince Street, the original New York location sells Sicilian squares by the slice, so no reservation or whole-pie plan is needed. The trade-off is space: treat it as takeaway or a quick stop, not a seated dinner.

Spicy Spring is the first order, with fra diavolo sauce, fresh mozzarella, pecorino Romano, and crisp pepperoni cups. Lines are common at this address, but exact waits are too variable to plan around. Keep the rest of the evening loose, buy one square first, and return to the counter only if you still want another.

Keep going with two neighborhood routes: Hell's Kitchen links Detroit-style pizza to coffee and tapas, while the Village pairs pizza with cocktails and live blues.