New Park Pizza
A plain slice costs $3.75 at this Howard Beach counter, and the picnic tables outside fill up with Little League teams. Willa Moore scored it 7.6 for The Infatuation in April 2026.
Why go
The crust is well seasoned and the cheese comes on thick, and that is the whole style of the shop.1 There is a takeout counter up front and a small seating area at the back.1 New Park is the Queens shop in this argument. The same page points readers at two Brooklyn shops it rates higher, Di Fara in Midwood at 8.7 and L&B Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend at 9.0.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: a plain, then a second one dressed from the counter. Moore:
On your second slice, you can apply some of the many seasonings that line the counter.
1 - Avoid: the pepperoni if you came for tomato. Moore:
This one is so cheesy it's hard to even tell whether there's tomato sauce underneath. (There is.) If this appeals to you, great. If it doesn't, go ahead and ask for your slice well-done.
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What locals & experts say
- Willa Moore, The Infatuation, 23 April 2026, 7.6:
New Park Pizza has been handing over hot slices of brick-oven pizza in exchange for crumpled-up dollar bills since 1956.
1 - The same review, on when to bother:
If you don't live nearby, find some time to squeeze a visit in, either before going to JFK, after a long day in the Rockaways, or paired with a journey to the equally iconic Lenny's Clam Bar.
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Good to know
- Getting there: Howard Beach, on Cross Bay Boulevard.
- Booking: none. It is a counter.
Verdict
could-visit — New Park sells a cheese-forward slice and makes no case for its char, so it lives or dies on whether that is the pizza you like. Go when Howard Beach is already on the route to JFK or back from the Rockaways, and drive, because there is a parking lot.