Pie
New York shorthand for a whole pizza, as in ordering a whole pie instead of a slice.
Example
At John's of Bleecker Street you cannot buy one slice, so two people order a whole pie and split it in the booth.
Related terms
NYC slang
Slice Joint
A no-frills pizzeria selling pizza by the slice over the counter, eaten standing up or folded on the go.
Pizza
John's of Bleecker Street
A 1929 Greenwich Village institution baking blistered coal-oven pies in carved-up wooden booths, famously no slices.
Pizza
Lombardi's
America's first licensed pizzeria, opened in 1905 in Nolita, still baking coal-oven pies with fresh mozzarella.
NYC slang
Bodega
A corner convenience store found on nearly every NYC block, selling snacks, coffee, sandwiches and household basics...
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Frequently asked questions
Why do some famous pizzerias refuse to sell slices?
Coal and brick oven pies are built to be eaten whole and fresh. The no-slices rule is a quality position, not a gimmick.
Slice shop or whole-pie pizzeria, which should I choose?
Do both. Slices for walking-around lunch, a sit-down pie at a coal oven institution for the historic experience.
How many people does one New York pie feed?
A thin coal oven pie splits comfortably between two hungry people, or three with a salad. Slice shop pies run larger and stretch further across a group.
