Wynwood Pizza by the Slice Until 4:30 am: Joe's Pizza

Joe's Pizza, at 234 NW 25th Street in Wynwood, is the Miami outpost of one of the most famous slice counters in New York. The family behind the Greenwich Village original opened here in 2022, and it serves the same classic, foldable New York pizza by the slice that made the name. Its ordering page lists late hours every night, running until 4:30 am on Friday and Saturday, and whole cheese pies are $30. It is the obvious stop for a quick slice between Wynwood galleries, murals and bars.

The brand's homepage tells the origin story plainly. Joe's Pizza was established in 1975 by Joe Pozzuoli, who is originally from Naples, Italy, and the shop built its reputation on offering the classic New York slice. Over the decades the Carmine Street counter in Greenwich Village became a pilgrimage stop, and the family has since opened more shops while keeping the menu short and the method unchanged.

Miami was the first Florida location. In 2021, Miami New Times reported that Joe's would open at Wynwood 25, the new mixed-use building on NW 25th Street, and that Joe's son, Joe Jr., and grandchildren Sal and Pino Vitale were part of the ownership and operations team in Miami. The shop opened in 2022. A real estate representative told the paper the brand does a lot of walk-up and to-go business, which is exactly how the Wynwood counter works.

Inside, the walls carry the family's history. A report from FIU's Caplin News described hundreds of photographs of the owner alongside famous customers, the same kind of wall that decorates the New York shops. It gives a small room a sense of place, and it is fun to scan while you wait for your slice to come out of the oven.

The best-sellers are the simplest: a plain cheese slice and a pepperoni slice. The Infatuation described the Wynwood slice as big, foldable and hanging off a paper plate like a teen who outgrew their bed, and that is the right way to think about it. The crust is thin and bends cleanly down the middle, the sauce is bright, and the cheese is applied with restraint so the slice holds its shape when folded.

For whole pies, the ordering menu lists a Cheese Pizza at $30 and Pepperoni, Sicilian, White and Fresh Mozzarella pies at $34 each. The Sicilian is a classic New York square pie with a thicker, airier crust, and the White pie skips the sauce in favor of mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. A 14-inch gluten-free pie is $20, though the menu warns that the shop is not a gluten-free establishment and that there is still flour in the air.

If it is your first time, order one plain slice and one pepperoni and eat the plain one first. A good New York cheese slice is the test of any shop, and it lets you taste the crust and sauce on their own before the richer pepperoni. Fold the slice lengthwise so the tip does not droop, and let it cool for a minute after it comes out of the oven, because the cheese stays molten. A shake of the dried oregano, red pepper flakes or grated cheese from the counter is how regulars finish it.

The rest of the menu is deliberately small. A House Salad is $11 and sodas are $4.50, and that is about it. That focus is the point. At Joe's you are here for a slice or a pie, eaten fast and hot, not a long meal.

Ordering is fast even when the line looks long. The Infatuation noted that you can stop in and, even if they are busy, be holding a slice in a matter of minutes. Slices are reheated in the oven after you order, which crisps the bottom again. There is a short counter and a few tables inside, but most people take their plate outside or eat while walking through the neighborhood.

Wynwood is busiest on Friday and Saturday nights and during the monthly Second Saturday art walk, when the streets fill with visitors. If you want to avoid a crowd at the counter, come in the early afternoon on a weekday. For a whole pie for a group, ordering ahead online for pickup saves time, and you can collect it on your way to a party or back to a hotel.

Joe's shares the Wynwood 25 building with neighbors such as Uchi Miami and the ice cream shop Salt & Straw, so dessert is only a few steps away. From the front door, walk east along NW 25th Street toward NW 2nd Avenue, the main spine of the arts district, where almost every wall is covered with large murals that change from year to year.

A few blocks south, the Wynwood Walls is the outdoor mural museum that turned the old warehouse district into an art destination, with work by street artists from around the world. Nearby, the Museum of Graffiti tells the history of the art form, and further west the Wynwood Marketplace hosts food stalls, music and outdoor seating. All of it is easily covered on foot, so a slice at Joe's makes a good start or finish to a Wynwood walk.

Address: 234 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33127, in the Wynwood 25 building. Phone: (786) 230-1441. Hours from the shop's Slice ordering page: Sunday to Wednesday 11 am to 2:30 am, Thursday 11 am to 3:30 am, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 4:30 am. Prices from the ordering menu: cheese pie $30, pepperoni, Sicilian, white and fresh mozzarella pies $34, gluten-free 14-inch pie $20, house salad $11, soda $4.50.

Ordering: walk in for slices, or order whole pies online for pickup or delivery. Joe's has a second Miami-Dade shop on Meridian Avenue near Lincoln Road, but the Wynwood counter was the first in Florida. Getting there: Wynwood has paid lots and metered street parking that fill up on weekend nights, so a rideshare is often easier, and the shop is a short walk from the heart of NW 2nd Avenue.