Ray's Pizza, and its many variations such as "Ray's Original Pizza", "Famous Ray's Pizza" and "World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza", are the names of dozens of pizzerias in the New York City area that are generally completely independent (a few have multiple locations) but may have similar menus, signs, and logos.
Ralph Cuomo opened the first Ray's Pizza, at 27 Prince Street in Little Italy, in 1959, named after his nickname "Raffie". In the 1960s he briefly owned a second Ray's Pizza, [1] [2] but sold it to Rosolino Mangano in 1964. [1] Mangano kept the name and later claimed that his was the first. [1] [2] [3] In 1973, Mario Di Rienzo named his new pizzeria Ray's Pizza (which is now closed) after, he claimed, the nickname for his family in Italy. Also that year, Joseph Bari purchased a pizzeria from Mangano and renamed it, and several others, as Ray Bari Pizza. By 1991, dozens of pizzerias in New York City had "Ray's" in their name, as well as those in other American states. [3] [1]
In 1981, Gary Esposito purchased a pizzeria from Mangano. After opening several more "Original Ray's" restaurants, he partnered with Cuomo and Mangano to combine independent "Ray's" restaurants into an official franchise chain. [3] [1] As of 2011 [update] there were at least 49 restaurants by some variant of that name in the New York City telephone directory, [4] including one named Not Ray's Pizza. [3]
The first Ray's Pizza closed its doors on Sunday, October 30, 2011, following a legal dispute over rent and a lease that followed its owner's death in 2008. [5] [6] Half of the space that once housed Ray's Pizza has been leased to a new company, Prince Street Pizza. [7] Meanwhile, Famous Ray's Pizza on Sixth Avenue and 11th Street, which had served pizza since the 1970s, closed down in 2011, [8] reopened under the name "Famous Roio's Pizza" in 2012, [8] and closed again in 2013. A Chinese restaurant now occupies the space. [9]
Grimaldi's Pizzeria is an American pizzeria chain from the New York City area with over 40 restaurants throughout the United States. Its most famous restaurant is under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn at 1 Front Street, next door to its original location. Zagat Survey rated Grimaldi's the No. 1 Pizzeria in New York in 2007. With a carry-out and delivery service model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022 it had 43 restaurants in operation overall. It does not sell slices, only whole pies, which are cooked by coal-fired brick ovens. It also sells wines and appetizers, as well as calzones. Among desserts are cannoli and tiramisu, as well as New York–style cheesecake.
Lombardi's is a pizzeria at 32 Spring Street on the corner of Mott Street in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1905, it has been recognized by the Pizza Hall of Fame as the first pizzeria in the United States.
Di Fara Pizza is a pizzeria located at 1424 Avenue J in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York City. Situated between East 14th and East 15th Streets, the restaurant was owned and operated by Domenico DeMarco (1936–2022) since 1965.
Giordano's is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in Chicago-style stuffed pizza. Brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio founded Giordano's in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. The pizzeria has since expanded to over 65 locations in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The chain has also expanded to offer catering and ship frozen pizzas in the United States.
Totonno's is a pizzeria located at 1524 Neptune Avenue in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It was established in 1924 by Antonio "Totonno" Pero.
Joe's Pizza, also called Famous Joe's Pizza, is a pizzeria located in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City on Carmine Street near Bleecker Street. The restaurant is known for serving a classic New York street-style pizza and has been called a "Greenwich Village institution". The pizzeria serves by the slice or as full pies.
Pizza by the slice is pizza sold in individual portions as a fast food by a restaurant or street vendor. Some restaurants and pizza stands only sell pizza by the slice, while others sell both slices and whole pizzas. The jumbo slice is a large-sized slice of New York–style pizza made in areas of Washington, D.C. Pizza al taglio is a style of rectangular slice of pizza that originated in Rome and is typically sold by weight.
Lucali is a pizzeria founded by Mark Iacono in 2006, located in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City. The pizzeria serves brick oven pizza and calzones.
Roman Candle Baking Co., or simply Roman Candle, was a bakery and pizzeria–restaurant in the Richmond neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Duane Sorenson opened Roman Candle in 2013, with a menu offering wood-fired pizza and other Italian cuisine, including sandwiches, breads, green salads, pastries, and baked potatoes. Dan Griffin and Joshua McFadden served as the baker and chef, respectively. The bakery started supplying select menu items to Sorenson's Stumptown Coffee Roasters locations in late 2015. Roman Candle received a generally positive reception, with the pizzas and kouign-amann receiving the most praise. The restaurant closed in April 2018 for renovations, ahead of a rebrand as a gluten-free and vegan cafe called Holiday, which Sorenson launched one month later.
Scarr's Pizza is a pizzeria at 35 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Pizza Jerk is a pizzeria with three locations in Portland, Oregon. Tommy Habetz opened the original restaurant in 2015.
Handsome Pizza was a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the business closed in August 2022.
Pizza Thief is a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The restaurant has a "sibling" adjacent bar called Bandit Bar. Chef and co-owner Darby Aldaco opened Pizza Thief with partner Tony Pasquale in 2021.
Lonesome's Pizza was a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon. Co-owners Noah Antieu, Nic Reddy, and Nik Sin started the delivery-only business in 2010. In 2012, Lonesome's began operating from a window at the nightclub and music venue Dante's. Known for its quirky pizza names and for including artwork and music with deliveries, the pizzeria closed in 2017.
Baby Doll Pizza is a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon.
Scottie's Pizza Parlor is a pizzeria with two locations in Portland, Oregon. Scott Rivera and Amy Coplen opened the original location in southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood in 2015. The second location opened in northwest Portland's Northwest District in late 2022.
Atlas Pizza is a pizzeria with multiple locations in Portland, Oregon.
Saint Pizza Lounge and Gladstone Street Pizza, more commonly known as simply Gladstone Street Pizza (GSP), is a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon.
Post Alley Pizza is a pizzeria in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The business was established by chef Doug Murray in 1997. He sold the business in 1999; since then, Post Alley Pizza has been owned by Joshua Huckaby, Marc Russell, spouses Andrew and Ruel Gregory, and Yasuaki Saito. The restaurant has garnered a positive reception for its New York–style pizza and sandwiches.
