NY Pizza Suprema
Salvatore Riggio opened this counter in 1964, and from then until 1988 it sold plain cheese slices and nothing else.2 The cheese on it is 30-month Parmigiano Reggiano and 12-month Pecorino Romano.
Why go
Madison Square Garden arrived after the pizzeria did. Joe Riggio runs it now and still tells visitors what to order: IF YOU ARE FROM OUT OF TOWN, PLEASE TRY THE REAL NEW YORK SLICE... PLAIN CHEESE. GOOD PIZZA DOESN'T NEED TO BE DISGUISED.
2 His father's rule was narrower. When customers asked for heroes and salads, Sal would answer, Oh, so you want us to specialize in everything!
2 The counter now runs about twenty varieties at a time, which is a long way from plain-only.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the upside-down grandma. Neha Talreja calls it her absolute favorite and says the extra-puffy crust is what carries the sweet sauce.1
- Order: a plain cheese slice alongside it. Joe Riggio tells out-of-towners to.
- Order: the white spinach dip slice if you want the third way.1
- Avoid: arriving straight out of a Garden event. The line is permanent and that is the one time it crawls.1
What locals & experts say
- Neha Talreja, The Infatuation, 23 November 2022, rating it 7.7:
The upside-down grandma slice is our absolute favorite. It makes the best use of Suprema's extra-puffy crust, which can easily hold the generous helping of sweet tomato sauce.
1 - The shop's own claim, on its own page: it says Slice Harvester ate at 363 Manhattan pizzerias over two and a half years and gave this one his only perfect score, and it credits the report to The Wall Street Journal.2 That is Suprema speaking about somebody else's project.
Good to know
- Booking: none, and there is always a line.
- Vegan: a few slices on the board are vegan.1
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Late.night pizza"
Verdict
should-visit — Nobody books and there is always a line, so stay out of it for the ten minutes after Madison Square Garden empties. Joe Riggio tells out-of-towners to order the plain cheese, which is the slice Salvatore Riggio sold from 1964, and Neha Talreja takes the upside-down grandma instead. Jeff has it down as late-night pizza.