What Is New York Style Pizza?
Thin. Foldable. Crisp underneath. Here is what makes a slice a New York slice, and why we brought it to Eixample.
Big, Thin, and Made to Fold
The short answer
What Makes a Slice a New York Slice
Every part of the process matters, and none of it is complicated
The dough
High protein flour, a long slow ferment, and time. That is most of it. Fermentation builds flavor and structure instead of just bulk. The dough stays thin through the center and blisters at the edge during the bake. Light, not heavy. Crisp without going brittle. Strong enough to hold its shape when you fold it. Ours is mixed fresh and fermented slowly, every day.
The bake
A New York pie bakes on a hot stone deck. We use an ItalForni Bull XL electric deck oven. It is not wood fired and it is not meant to be. Wood heat is built for Neapolitan pizza, which cooks in about ninety seconds and comes out soft. A deck oven runs steadier and a little slower, and that is what gives a New York crust its crisp underside and its chew.
The cheese and the sauce
Low moisture mozzarella, because it melts even and does not flood the pie. Sauce that is tomato forward, lightly seasoned, and built to hold up the dough rather than shout over it. The beauty of a good slice is restraint. The crust, the sauce, the cheese, and the toppings all work together. Nothing fights for attention.
The fold
Pick the slice up by the crust. Fold it gently down the middle. The tip should hold, and the whole thing should still be soft enough to bite through cleanly. That balance between structure and give is the entire style in one motion. If a slice cannot take the fold, it is not a New York slice.
New York Style and Neapolitan Are Different Things
Two traditions, built for two different moments
People compare the two constantly. They were built for different moments.
Neapolitan pizza is rooted in tradition, simplicity, and very high heat. Soft, delicate, and best eaten at the table the minute it leaves the oven. Barcelona already has excellent Neapolitan pizza and we are glad it does.
New York style came from the same Italian roots and then went its own way over generations in New York City. The pies got bigger. The crust got sturdier. The slice got foldable. And pizza became part of the rhythm of the city. A New York slice is built for movement. Lunch breaks, late nights, quick dinners, the walk home, and a whole pie shared with friends. Neither style is better than the other. There is room for both.
| New York Style | Neapolitan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Pies up to 46 cm, sold by the slice | Around 30 cm, served whole |
| Crust | Thin center, chewy edge, crisp underside | Soft throughout with a puffed rim |
| Oven | Stone deck, steady heat | Wood fired, very high heat |
| Bake | Several minutes | Around ninety seconds |
| Built For | One hand, on the move | A table, a knife, and a fork |
Why Pizza by the Slice Matters in Barcelona
Most pizza in this city is a sit down meal. Good pizza, but a plan. You book, you sit, you order a whole pie.
A slice shop works differently. You walk in. You order at the counter. You take one slice, or two, or a whole pie for the table. Fast without feeling rushed. Casual without cutting corners.
Almost nobody in Barcelona sells pizza this way. That is the gap we came here to fill. If you want the longer version, we wrote out how to order by the slice or by the pie.
What We Built on Carrer de Roger de Llúria
We are Mark and Alex, the husband-and-wife team behind Sacred Slice Pizza. We moved across the world to open a slice shop in a city that did not ask for one. The room we found is at Carrer de Roger de Llúria, 155, in L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample.
Inside there is a counter, a deck oven, indoor seating, a terrace, and a full bar with vermut, wine, beer, and cava.
There is also a confessional booth. A real one, sourced from La Basílica Galeria and carried in through a doorway it did not fit through. People sit in it. People confess things in it. What happens in there stays in there, mostly, and we wrote down what really happens in that seat.
The Slices We Bake
The Communion
Our New York style cheese slice. Mozzarella, house made tomato sauce, pecorino romano, holy basil, and garlic EVOO.
The Sacred
Mozzarella, house made tomato sauce, cup and char pepperoni, Spanish sausage, jamón serrano, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, pecorino romano, and hot honey.
Forbidden Fruit
Pear garlic ricotta, mozzarella, gorgonzola, roasted pears, cracked pepper, and hot honey.
Vegan
A rotating vegan slice, built with the same attention to balance, texture, and flavor as everything else.
Slices, 30 cm pies, and 46 cm pies
Common Questions
What makes New York style pizza different from Neapolitan?
Why does New York pizza fold?
Is New York style pizza baked in a wood fired oven?
Can you buy pizza by the slice in Barcelona?
What sizes do New York pies come in?
Is New York style pizza thin crust?
Find Us
Carrer de Roger de Llúria, 155, Eixample, 08037 Barcelona, Spain
- 6 PM - 1 AM
- 6 PM - 1 AM
- 6 PM - 2 AM
- 6 PM - 2 AM
- 6 PM - 1 AM
