Greenwich Village: Pizza Walk with Tastings & Local Stories

4.81

(156 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Someone’s waving us inside before I even finish reading the old neon sign. The smell hits first—yeasty, warm, a little smoky from the oven. Our guide, Sam, grins and hands me a slice that flops over my fingers. “This is the original,” he says. I try not to burn my mouth but fail (worth it). The crust is crisp underneath but chewy in the middle—like it can’t decide what it wants to be. There’s sauce on my chin before I realize it.

We wander along those narrow Greenwich Village streets, dodging delivery bikes and overhearing bits of conversation in at least three languages. At the second stop, the owner tells us about his father coming from Naples in ’68—he gestures with his whole body when he talks about dough rising. I try to repeat “mozzarella di bufala” like he does; Li laughs at my accent (I probably deserved it). This slice is different—thicker cheese, tangier sauce. I jot something in the little Pizza Journal they gave us but honestly, mostly doodles.

By the third pizzeria, I’m full but somehow not done. It’s raining lightly now; we crowd under an awning while Sam explains why New York water matters for dough (“Don’t ask me how—it just does”). Someone offers me their last bite. I take it without thinking. We talk about which slice was best and nobody agrees—that feels right for New York. Walking back through Greenwich Village with pizza grease on my fingers and stories swirling around in my head… yeah, I still think about that afternoon sometimes.