The Best Kosher Pizza
It would be hard to argue that there is more of an age-old and pressing question than who makes the best kosher pizza. Tablet Magazine has gone far enough to ask whether kosher pizza is even good. Some have made it a holy mission to find the best pizza, whether kosher or not, such as El Pres (aka David Portnoy of Barstool Sports), and even created an app, ONE BITE, to track the rankings. We enjoy Portnoy’s rankings and reviews and put significant weight behind them as he is after one of the most well-known pizza aficionados and has arguably tasted more pizza around the globe than any other human.
What The Critics Think
Dave’s reviews for kosher pizza joints to date have Pizza Time, located on the corner of East 14th & J in Brooklyn, NY, near the top, with a rating of 8.2/10. That is an impressive score since ratings above 8 are exceedingly rare. For context, DiFara Pizza, coincidentally only a block away and regularly rated by “pizza experts” as one of the top American pizzerias, has a rating of 9.4, the second-highest rating ever given by Portnoy.
Of note, though, as of this writing, Portnoy has rated two other kosher NYC pizza joints higher than Pizza Time. Bravo Kosher Pizza in Midtown clocked in at 8.3/10, and Saba’s Pizza on the Upper East Side got a whopping 8.4/10. With that said, there are a whole host of food critics that deem Pizza Time one of the best kosher slices on the market.
When it comes to rating the best kosher pizza, the core issue is that much of the hierarchy comes down to minutiae at the upper echelons of pizza. For example, Dave favors very crisp slices that are generally done in a wood-fired brick oven. While there are a small number of the best kosher pizzerias that everyone agrees sit at the top, the true king of the kosher pizza castle is up for debate.
An Honorable Mention For A Rising Star
As an ode to the ever-evolving landscape of kosher pizza, some newer entrants can bring new life to the dynamic competition for who has the best kosher slice. An up-and-comer in this regard is Focaccia Pizza on Avenue M in Brooklyn. For a while, Focaccia was an unknown and, quite frankly, an unremarkable quantity, but there was a change in their pizza, and in a classic “slowly then suddenly effect,” the pizza spot has gone from generally empty to generally packed. We think the change has something to do with the bona fide Italian gentleman we spotted at one time spinning pies, though it is unclear if said Italian is still working his magic at Focaccia. What remains, though, is a world-class kosher slice in the heart of Brooklyn.
Update May 2023
Dave Portnoy reviewed Focaccia and gave it a 7.7 though we must admit that we would have guessed they would be in the eights. Of note, though, the son portion of the father-son duo, which owns the spot, was out of town in Israel by happenstance on just the day Dave showed up. What are the chances…
A Note On Questionable Rankings
In addition to the OG, aka Dave Portnoy, there are certainly other opinions about the best kosher pizza. For example, The Forward overviewed kosher pizza in New York and rated the original kosher Bravo pizza location as their top pick. The runner-up was Benny’s on Avenue J, but the original Benny’s on Avenue M was not rated. That is a questionable ranking from our perspective as Benny’s on Avenue M holds the true claim to fame in our view. A ranking that lists the Avenue J location while seemingly unaware that the original (and, in our opinion, way better) location is just a mere few blocks away, respectfully, throws the bona fides of the ranker and associated ranking into serious doubt.
Our Pick
Our vote for best kosher pizza is a tie between Pizza Time and Benny’s on the corner of East 18th Street and Avenue M. Benny’s is a different kind of slice with a thinner crust and a variety of cheese types. It is important to make two crucial distinctions for Benny’s. First, they have two kinds of standard-looking slices that confuse customers. What they refer to as the “original slice” is, in our view, the superior one, while the “regular slice” is not remarkable at all. They also have a whole host of other unique and exceptional tasting slices, such as the mushroom slice. Second, Benny’s has a location on Avenue J, actually right near Pizza Time, and in our view, it is not nearly as good as the one on Avenue M.
Now It’s Your Turn To Vote
But ours is not the last word on the best kosher pizza. We want to hear from you!
Vote below on who you think makes the best kosher pizza.
