Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza Review: Unique in Manhattan

I've been called a pizza snob on more than one occasion. The name doesn't fit though, because I'll eat pretty much any pizza you put in front of me. However, I'm particular about which pizza I'll actually recommend.

For the record, I generally favor deep-dish pizza a.k.a Chicago-style. Unfortunately, living in New York all I have access to most of the time is this thin, sloppy stuff that I don't think is particularly good. And most pizza joints in New York City seem to lack creativity which becomes clear when you realize that all the Ray's pizzas you see aren't actually the same chain — the owners just copied the name. There are a few bright spots though and I'm not talking about popular tourist, but overrated tourist spots like Grimaldi's (across the East River in Brooklyn).

My current favorite is Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza located on 6th Ave. between 27th and 28th. No, they don't serve deep-dish, but they are one of few places I've found that have green olives as a topping. I get these added to their margherita pizza which includes basil, tomatoes, and an incredible tasting blend of cheeses that results in some zing you won't find anywhere else. The crust is also stiff enough and the slices are small enough that you can pick them up with your hands without making a mess.

The two problems with Waldy's are that it is small so seating is quite limited and they don't sell slices so you can't pop in for a quick snack. And, of course, good pizza is going to cost you more than a couple of bucks so be prepared for that. Despite these shortcomings there is often a line of pizza-lovers waiting to place their order.

Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza gets a thumbs up from me. The address is 800 6th Ave. between 27th and 28th and pizza is served from 11:30am to 11:00pm.