Cello's Pizzeria
The chef came off the L'Industrie pass in Williamsburg, and the slice shows it: around $4, light in the hand, charred underneath.
Why go
The shop sits at 36 St. Marks Place, and the tell is the crust. The Infatuation traces it straight back: The slice shop has some L'Industrie DNA, which is fitting, since the chef used to twirl pies at the Williamsburg shop. Cello's $4-ish slices are noticeably light in your hand, but still chewy and charred on the bottoms with a crust almost reminiscent of rustic Tuscan bread.
Will Hartman's January 2025 verdict is narrow and worth reading as written: it's so far the best slice in the neighborhood.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the tomato pie. The Infatuation singles it out for "its acidic sauce and dollops of sweet burrata." Then the broccoli rabe and sausage, described there as carrying "enough garlic to clear the room."
- Avoid: the weekend queue if you are in a hurry. It forms near the 2nd Avenue corner and it is mostly people who have already been out.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation (24 January 2025):
They may be saying something untrue about their roommate, but they're right about the pizza here: it's so far the best slice in the neighborhood.
1 - Local rec: Jeff's note credits Wylie.
Good to know
- Timing: slices through the day and into the night, with the line arriving after dark on weekends.
- Booking: walk-in only. One address, no second door.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: Top NYC pizza place on LES. Wylie fav.
Verdict
could-visit — A four-dollar slice with a real pedigree behind it. The chef worked the pies at L'Industrie in Williamsburg and the dough shows it: light to pick up, chewy, charred underneath, closer to a rustic Tuscan crumb than to the folded-grease standard. The Infatuation's Will Hartman calls it the best slice in the neighborhood as of January 2025, which is a claim about St. Marks rather than about the city, and it is the only published verdict there is. The tomato pie with acidic sauce and burrata is the order. Worth a stop when you are in the East Village; not a reason to cross a river.