Although the title of “best” is controversial, there is no question that a contender for top New York pie comes from chef Anthony Mangieri at Una Pizza Napoletana. A legend in the pizza making world, in 2022, Mangieri claimed the top spot on the prestigious Italian 50 Top Pizza’s global ranking, beating out places in Naples and Rome. His pies are an interpretation of the Neapolitan style, with a thin, chewy crust with puffy and perfectly charred edges as well as carefully selected, minimal toppings. The secret to his pizza? It has to be Mangieri’s meticulous attention to details. All of his ingredients are sourced from Italy, and he has gone so far as to engineer his own olive oil to get the dough just as he wants it. He makes it all himself and works with a small team, most of whom have been with him for years, to make sure each pizza is to his exacting standard.
Getting a chance to dine at Una Pizza Napoletana on New York’s Lower East Side isn’t easy. The pizzeria is only open three nights a week, and the restaurant serves a unique and finite amount of pies daily that’s determined by Mangieri each afternoon. Getting your hands on one of the 400 or so pizzas that comes out of the oven a week can seem like a daunting task, but your best chance is by making a Resy. But, in case you can’t, or have some trouble, we sat down with Christina Tobia, head of operations at Una Pizza Napoletana, to find out to see if she has any additional tips for getting your hands on one, and one of Mangieri’s highly coveted pizzas.
