best dollar pizza in nyc (2026)

tldr: out of 10 dollar slice spots, my top 3 are two bros st marks (best overall, $1.50, fresh dough daily, 9-second service), 99 cent fresh pizza near port authority (the OG, still holding), and two bros east village (most reliable late-night). the dollar slice is technically dead at $1.50 now, but it’s still the cheapest hot meal in manhattan. full reviews with prices and the economics of dollar pizza below.

the dollar slice is dead. long live the dollar slice.

i need to get this out of the way immediately: two bros pizza, the chain that defined the modern dollar slice era, raised their price to $1.50 in 2024. after 17 years of selling cheese pizza for a single dollar bill, inflation finally won. the cheese went up, the flour went up, the rent went up, and the math stopped working. the owners said they did everything they could to keep it at a dollar, and i believe them, because holding that price point for nearly two decades in new york city is genuinely insane.

but here’s the thing: $1.50 for a hot, fresh, full-sized slice of pizza in manhattan is still an absurd bargain. this is a city where a coffee costs $6, a sandwich costs $18, and a cocktail costs $22. at $1.50, dollar pizza (or whatever we call it now) remains the most democratic food in new york. homeless people and wall street bankers stand in the same line for the same slice. that’s not marketing. that’s just what happens when the food is cheap enough for everyone.

i ate my way through 10 dollar slice spots across manhattan and brooklyn, spending a total of about $20. nobody paid me. nobody gave me free pizza. i stood on sidewalks folding slices in half like every other new yorker and formed opinions while burning the roof of my mouth because i couldn’t wait for it to cool down.

if you’re looking for more nyc food guides, check out my best bagels in nyc guide and the nyc food guide for the full picture.

the awards (my personal picks)

• best overall: two bros, st marks place. the original location, the best energy, the freshest slices.
• best for nostalgia: 99 cent fresh pizza, near port authority. the one that started the modern dollar slice wave.
• best late-night: two bros, east village. open late, always hot, always busy, always exactly what you need at 2am.
• most overrated: any dollar slice shop that opened after 2015 purely to chase the trend. you can taste the difference.
• best value in all of nyc: two bros. $1.50 for a fresh, made-from-scratch slice. nothing in this city comes close.
• best non-dollar slice for comparison: joe’s pizza, greenwich village. this is what pizza is supposed to taste like when price isn’t a constraint.
• most likely to survive: two bros. the buying power, the brand recognition, the volume. they’ll be the last ones standing.
• the one i respect most: the original two bros owners. 24 and 23 years old, no pizza experience, googled what equipment to buy, and built a chain from nothing.

the full list

the top tier (the real ones)

1. Two Bros Pizza - St Marks Place

east village / $1.50 per cheese slice / 8/10

this is where it all started. two brothers from mill basin, brooklyn - eli and warren halali - opened this spot toward the end of 2007. they were 24 and 23 years old. they weren’t pizza men. they’d never made pizza professionally. they googled the equipment they needed. they used all their savings.

the marketing strategy was brilliantly simple: put up a sandwich board that says “pizza $1.” for five weeks, nobody cared. then they printed big bright red dollar signs and put them in the window. the next day, everything changed. the line never stopped.

the pizza itself is exactly what it should be: a plain cheese slice, made from scratch every day, served hot in approximately 9 seconds. the dough is fresh (not frozen, despite what the haters claim). the cheese is real. the sauce is made daily. is it the best pizza in new york? no. does it taste like the pizza you had at roller rinks and little league games growing up? yes. and that’s exactly the point.

the economics are fascinating. each slice costs about 45-50 cents to make (ingredients only, before labor). the entire business model depends on volume - if they don’t sell a certain number of slices per day, the math falls apart. so the staff is trained to get people in and out as fast as humanly possible. the speed is a science they’ve spent nearly two decades perfecting.

standing in line at two bros st marks feels like standing in a microcosm of new york. i’ve seen college students, wall street types, homeless people, tourists, construction workers, and once a guy in a full tuxedo, all waiting for the same $1.50 slice. there’s something genuinely beautiful about that.

what to order: cheese slice. always the cheese slice. the topping slices are fine but the cheese is the reason to be here.

verdict: the most important pizza in new york that isn’t a “real” pizzeria. $1.50 for a hot, fresh, honest slice. this is new york.

2. 99 Cent Fresh Pizza

midtown, near port authority / $1.50 per slice / 7.5/10

99 cent fresh pizza was the original modern dollar slice. before two bros, before the 2008 recession turned dollar pizza into an industry, there was this shop near port authority churning out cheap slices for bus commuters and midtown workers. the name is now inaccurate (it’s $1.50 like everyone else) but the spirit remains.

the pizza is straightforward. thin crust, melted cheese, red sauce. it’s not trying to impress you. it’s trying to feed you quickly and cheaply, and it does both things well. the location near port authority means the clientele is a mix of commuters, tourists who just got off a bus, and people who work in the area and have been eating here for years.

the slices are slightly larger than two bros, which partially compensates for the similar price point. the crust has a bit more chew to it. the cheese pull is decent. it’s not going to change your life but it’ll fill your stomach for the price of absolutely nothing by new york standards.

what to order: cheese slice. maybe a can of soda for another dollar.

verdict: the OG dollar slice. respect the history. the pizza is perfectly acceptable fuel for walking around midtown.

3. Two Bros - Multiple Locations

multiple boroughs / $1.50 per slice / 7.5/10

two bros now has locations across all five boroughs. the quality is remarkably consistent given the scale - the dough recipe is the same, the ingredients are bulk-purchased directly from manufacturers (trailers of cheese, trailers of flour, no middlemen), and the staff at each location is trained in the same speed-focused service model.

the non-st-marks locations don’t have quite the same energy as the original. they’re functional pizza dispensaries rather than new york experiences. but the pizza is the same pizza, and if you’re near one at 1am and you need food, this is the answer. the doors are mostly wide open, the slice is basically street food, and most people eat it while walking without a bag. this is new york’s version of fast food, and it’s better than anything any chain restaurant offers.

what to order: cheese slice. the same order at every location.

verdict: the most reliable cheap food chain in new york city. any location, any time, same honest slice.

the solid middle

4. Percy’s Pizza

greenwich village / $1.50 per slice / 7/10

percy’s is a solid downtown dollar slice option that benefits from being in greenwich village rather than the tourist zones of midtown. the pizza is comparable to two bros in quality, the location is better for actually sitting down and eating, and the slices come out hot and fresh during peak hours.

the issue with percy’s and similar spots is consistency. during off-peak hours, you might get a slice that’s been sitting for a while. the reheated slice is fine but noticeably different from the fresh one. time your visit for lunch rush or dinner rush.

what to order: cheese slice during peak hours.

verdict: a decent greenwich village option. not as consistent as two bros but good when it’s good.

5-6. the imitators and outer borough spots

after two bros proved the model, dollar slice shops proliferated across the city. by some estimates there are now 80-90 of them. the quality varies enormously. some are legitimate operations making fresh dough daily. others are cutting every corner possible - frozen dough, cheaper cheese, thinner slices.

the outer borough spots (brooklyn, queens, the bronx) tend to have lower rent, which means the economics are slightly easier and the pizza is sometimes better because they can afford slightly better ingredients at the same price point. but it’s a gamble.

verdict: check google reviews. if a dollar slice place has above 4 stars with 500+ reviews, it’s probably fine. below that, don’t bother.

for comparison (what non-dollar pizza tastes like)

7. Joe’s Pizza

greenwich village / $5-6 per slice / 9/10

i’m including joe’s not because it’s a dollar slice shop (it very much isn’t) but because it’s the benchmark for what a new york slice should taste like. if two bros is the nokia 3310 of pizza - reliable, indestructible, gets the job done - joe’s is the iphone. same basic concept, dramatically different execution.

the crust is thin and crispy with the right amount of char. the cheese is perfectly melted and distributed. the sauce has actual flavor depth. the fold is clean. the grease drip is present but controlled. this is the platonic ideal of a new york slice, and at $5-6, it’s still a bargain compared to the $22 artisan pies that are taking over the city.

what to order: plain cheese slice. pepperoni if you’re feeling it.

verdict: the best regular slice in new york. eat a dollar slice for lunch and a joe’s slice for dinner and you’ll understand the full spectrum of new york pizza.

8. Prince Street Pizza

nolita / $5-7 per slice / 8.5/10

the pepperoni square at prince street is one of the most famous slices in new york. thick, sicilian-style, with small cup-and-char pepperoni that curl up and pool with grease. it’s the opposite of a dollar slice in every way: rich, indulgent, expensive, and worth every penny.

i mention it because if dollar pizza represents the democratic floor of new york pizza, prince street represents what happens when you let pizza be ambitious. both are valid. both are delicious. and both are uniquely new york.

what to order: pepperoni square. accept no substitutes.

verdict: the best square slice in manhattan. not remotely a dollar slice but context matters.

the ones i’d skip

9-10. midtown tourist traps and penn station spots

there are dollar slice shops in midtown and near penn station that exist purely to capture foot traffic from tourists and commuters who don’t know better. the pizza has been sitting out longer, the ingredients are visibly cheaper, and the experience is depressing. a dollar slice should feel like a new york experience, not a sad transaction under fluorescent lights.

verdict: walk 10 minutes in any direction to a two bros or a spot with better reviews. your stomach will thank you.

nyc dollar pizza tips

• the dollar slice is now $1.50 at most reputable shops. if somewhere is still charging $1, either they’re about to close or the ingredients are suspect. $1.50 is the new dollar.
• always get the cheese slice. the topping slices at dollar pizza places are just cheese slices with stuff thrown on top. the cheese is the core product and the best representation of their quality.
• time matters. a fresh slice straight from the oven is a completely different experience from one that’s been sitting under a heat lamp for 20 minutes. go during lunch rush (11:30am-1:30pm) or dinner rush (5:30-7:30pm) for the freshest slices.
• fold your slice in half lengthwise. this is not optional. this is how new york pizza is eaten. if you eat it flat, you will be identified as a tourist and judged accordingly.
• two bros st marks place is the best dollar slice experience but it’s also the busiest. the line moves fast (9-second service is real) so don’t be intimidated by the queue.
• dollar pizza is walk-and-eat food. most shops have minimal or no seating. grab your slice, walk out, and eat it on the sidewalk like a new yorker.
• don’t tip at dollar slice counters. this isn’t a sit-down restaurant. the price is the price.
• a cheese slice and a can of soda for $2.50 total is the cheapest full meal you will find in manhattan. if you’re on a budget, this is survival food that actually tastes good.

if you found this useful, check out these other nyc guides:

• best bagels in nyc
• nyc food guide
• best restaurants in nyc