John's of Bleecker Street

Giovanni Sasso took over a pizzeria on Sullivan Street in 1925, and when he lost that lease he dismantled his coal-fired brick oven, shipped in from Italy, and rebuilt it two blocks over on Bleecker Street. The kitchen still bakes only whole pies, no slices, at 850 degrees, and regulars have spent decades carving their names into the wooden booths. Lines move fast and loud, with cash on hand expected to keep them that way, and there's no reservation line to call.