Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Get Your Cracker Crust Pizza The Hell Out Of New York City
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 11, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Pizza Rollio
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 11, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In elementary school, I had a friend whose mom would make us grilled cheese sandwiches as an after-school snack. She called them that: grilled cheese sandwiches. However, instead of putting the cheese in between two slices of buttered bread, where it belongs, and on to a hot skillet, where it should be grilled, she put it on top of a very thin tortilla. Then she microwaved it. It wasn't even folded over, which would have been the natural move, especially when it's being handed to a child; it was a goddamn open-faced insult to the Grilled Cheese. I hated it, at least partially because she was fraudulently declaring it to be something it was not, but I was like 7 years old, and my only option was to politely accept whatever was put in front of me. I did not yet know rebellion.
Now, imagine being an adult and going to pick up a pizza in New York Pizza City and being handed this weak-ass thing:
Ceci n'est pas une pizza
Pizza Rollio
The above (from Manhattan's Pizza Rollio) is allegedly "the thinnest pizza in NYC" (a brag?) — listen, it's fine, the taste is not offensive, it's just that it is not pizza. Show me the lie. Can that crust even work as a foundation for all those toppings? What happens when you pick it up? Am I possibly overreacting about all of this?
I have an answer to one of these questions, and regret to inform you that to pick up a "slice" you are meant to roll it up like a sad little pizza blunt.
Let's throw this over to Ben Yakas, Gothamist's very own Pizza Expert (a title I use very casually, given Ben's affiliation with the Pizza Bagel, which is also not pizza):
Cracker pizza is the thin yin to Chicago Deep Dish pizza's cavernous yang — neither is truly pizza, but rather they are both Frankenstein-like experiments in pushing the limit of what people are willing to label cheese-tomato-and-bread combinations. I have no doubt that, to some, they are both worthy food concoctions on their own merits, but neither can accurately be truly called 'pizza.' Even the staunchest defender of cracker pizza, whom I have yet to meet, would know this in their heart of hearts. I would instead suggest, in this case, we refer to this food item as something like "crackerizza" — the association can still be there, but it removes any chance of someone confusing this for real pizza. When we think of the legacy we want to leave our children, we must make sure not to compromise on the integrity of our finest foods.
Well put, Ben.
Listen, New York City has always been on the right side of pizza history — we don't serve up pizza cakes like they do in Chicago, and we sure as hell don't brag about serving the thinnest pizza on a cracker crust that is also somehow soggy enough to roll. We offer many varieties of pizza (the Emmy squares, the greasy Di Faras, the wood-fired Robertas), but they are all on stable, not-too-thick and not-thinner-than-Rubirosa crusts. Let's not call these cracker crust creations "pizza," instead, maybe "technically edible paper." Thank you for your time.
Tagged
pizza
cracker crust
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Published Oct 26, 2026
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .