Chattanooga has its share of “New York Pizza” (finger quotes intended). Visit any locally-owned pizzeria, and you’ll likely find its spin on this classic pie on the menu.
But, really, how many of these places actually make New York Pizza the way it’s done in the Big Apple? I know of one: New York Pizza Company.
Located in the strip mall outside the AMC Chattanooga 18 movie theater, NYPC goes old school with its Italian brick oven-baked pizzas, hand-tossed crusts that could eclipse a bicycle tire, a center so thin you could fold it like a newspaper and a foundation of killer sauce and cheese.
Although I’ve sampled several pizzerias in New York, I’m no expert on what makes the city’s pizza as good as it is, although I can say the crust is as incredible as people say. (Is it the water they use to make the dough? You’ll have to ask someone more knowledgeable.)
I can also say that of all the “New York-style pizza” I’ve sampled in Chattanooga, NYPC comes closer than anyone else to tasting like the real thing. It’s fantastic.
In fact, there’s one item on the menu I believe NYPC could arguably claim as being the single best slice of pizza in the Scenic City: its Grandma’s Pizza.
NYPC’s Grandma’s Pizza is cooked in an olive oil-coated rectangular pan and topped with mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil. The chefs allow the crust to rise longer than the other crusts, drizzle the sauce on top of the cheese and add the basil after baking.
On a scale of one to five chef’s kisses, this one gets a very sloppy “Muah, muah, muah, muah, muah!” Just don’t expect to be able to order it on any day other than Friday. Making it takes extra time and TLC, so NYPC serves it only once a week.
Set your calendar and order a slice. You’ll thank me.
Fortunately, other good things are on the menu. My last visit to NYCP took place on a Tuesday – after swinging by the day before, only to discover it’s closed Mondays, as are many Chattanooga eateries. (I wish someone would get to the bottom of this, as people do become hungry and eat on Mondays.)
Disappointed to learn about the Fridays-only policy for Grandma’s Pizza, I ordered the lunch special: two slices of cheese pizza and a drink for $10.
Talk about a deal. I added mushrooms for 75 cents per slice and felt like a glutton. The slices were huge, the pizza delicious, and my wallet still had a bit of bulk.
An inexpensive lunch that doesn’t involve a fast-food joint is becoming hard to find in Chattanooga, so I appreciated NYPC’s willingness to feed me a king’s feast for a peasant’s price.
How good was the pizza? Four chef’s kisses and a cut above any other I’ve eaten in Chattanooga. If NYPC transplanted itself it New York, I think they could compete.
NYPC offers a varied menu for patrons who in explicably aren’t in the mood for pizza. (Someone should get to the bottom of this, too. It’s weird.)
Although I haven’t tried the eatery’s calzones, strombolis or subs, I’d wager there’s enough TLC left over after making the Grandma’s Pizza to hit these out of Yankee Stadium, too.
But don’t take my word it; try them for yourself. I believe you’ll be glad you did.
NYPC is open Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fridays 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturdays noon-10 p.m., and Sundays noon-8 p.m. Enjoy!