Joe's Pizza (1435 Broadway, between W 40th and 41st Sts) is the most practical answer to 'where do I get pizza near Times Square.' The Broadway location is a short walk south of the Times Square crossroads, directly on Broadway. Joe's original shop opened on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village in 1975 and became the New York cheese slice that everyone uses as the benchmark. This Times Square-adjacent outpost carries all of it: a thin, foldable, well-salted plain slice at a price that makes every other Midtown option look overpriced. The standard order is the plain cheese, folded once. Confirmed open in 2026 with late hours.
Lazzara's Pizza Cafe (221 W 38th St #2, Garment District) is the highest-quality pizza within a 10-minute walk of Times Square. Sebastian and Tony Lazzara founded it in 1985, and it has run quietly ever since — not the kind of place that shows up in tourist guides, which is partly why it still earns OpenTable reviews averaging 4.5-4.8. The style is Sicilian: thin, rectangular slices with a crisp edge and fresh toppings, baked in a coal-fired deck oven. The second-floor location on 38th Street is easy to walk past, which makes it less crowded than the Theater District alternatives. Stephen Colbert has publicly called Lazzara's his favorite NYC pizza. Confirmed open via OpenTable reviews dated April 2026. Important limitation: closed Sundays and may close earlier than other spots on this list — call (212) 944-7792 before going.
John's of Times Square (260 W 44th St, between 7th and 8th Aves, Theater District) occupies a former 19th-century church — the old Gospel Tabernacle building — and the owners kept the interior: stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings, pew-style benches repurposed into seating. The restaurant opened in 1997 and runs four coal-fired brick ovens. It seats around 400 people, which makes it the go-to choice for large pre-theater parties that want to sit down together and order pies. Whole pies only — no slices. Confirmed open via Yelp updated October 2026 and Times Square NYC official listings, with daily hours approximately 11:30am-11:30pm.
All seven spots confirmed open as of October 2026. Walk times measured from the corner of 42nd St and 7th Ave. Hours and prices change — confirm before you go.
1. Joe's Pizza — 1435 Broadway, between W 40th and 41st Sts, Midtown — 3 min walk south on Broadway — $ — iconic NYC slice shop (original est. 1975 Greenwich Village); plain cheese slice is the order; confirmed late hours: ~midnight Mon-Wed, ~3am Thu-Sun
2. Lazzara's Pizza Cafe — 221 W 38th St #2 (second floor, ring buzzer), Garment District — 8 min walk south — $$ — Sicilian-style deck-oven slices since 1985; reportedly Stephen Colbert's favorite NYC pizza; OpenTable 4.5-4.8; sit-down lunch and dinner; CLOSED Sundays; call (212) 944-7792 for current hours
3. John's of Times Square — 260 W 44th St, between 7th and 8th Aves, Theater District — 4 min walk north — $$$ — coal-fired whole pies only (no slices), seats ~400 inside a converted 19th-century church; confirmed open Oct 2026 (timessquarenyc.org, Yelp); daily ~11:30am-11:30pm
4. Emmy Squared — 311 W 48th St, between 8th and 9th Aves, Hell's Kitchen — 10 min walk north and west — $$-$$$ — Detroit-style: thick rectangular pies with caramelized cheese edges; Mon-Wed 11am-9pm, Thu-Sun 11am-10pm; confirmed via official emmysquaredpizza.com
5. Carnegie Pizza — 200 W 41st St, between 7th and 8th Aves, Midtown — 3 min walk south — $$ — NY-style slices and whole pies; high Yelp rating (4.5-4.6 stars per 2026 listings); confirmed open via Yelp Updated 2026; known for staying open very late
6. Val Pizza — 166 W 46th St, between 6th and 7th Aves, Theater District — 6 min walk north — $ — slice shop confirmed by Times Square NYC official listings (timessquarenyc.org); Sun-Thu 11am-midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-1am; budget option in the Theater District core
7. Patzeria Perfect Pizza — 231 W 46th St, between Broadway and 8th Ave, Theater District — 6 min walk north — $ — grandma slices are the specialty; also pasta and Italian heroes; confirmed open via multiple 2026 aggregators; late hours until ~midnight
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The ranking weights quality of the pizza first, then value relative to the Midtown location, then usefulness for a traveler with limited time. Walk time from Times Square becomes a tiebreaker: where quality is equivalent, a spot two minutes away scores higher than one that takes ten minutes. Lazzara's and Emmy Squared rank despite longer walk times because the pizza is meaningfully better than what you will find closer to the tourist spine. John's of Times Square holds #3 despite mixed Yelp scores because no other place nearby combines coal-fired quality with group seating and a setting you will remember. We call these our picks, not objective rankings: New York pizza is a debate that has run for 50 years and will not be settled here. These are verified, currently operating places where a tourist with one evening and one stomach will eat well. Details checked October 2026; hours and menus change, so confirm directly before you go.
Best for a fast, cheap slice before your show: Val Pizza (166 W 46th St) or Patzeria Perfect Pizza (231 W 46th St) — both are in the Theater District, both sell individual slices for under $5, and both move quickly at counter service. Joe's Pizza (1435 Broadway) works equally well if you are heading south from Times Square toward Penn Station or the Garment District.
Best for groups and pre-theater dinner: John's of Times Square (260 W 44th St). It seats 400, takes walk-ins, and handles large parties. Order coal-fired pies — they take about 25 minutes, so arrive 90 minutes before curtain to eat without rushing.
Best for a sit-down meal away from the tourist corridor: Lazzara's Pizza Cafe (221 W 38th St #2). The second-floor dining room runs quieter than anything on 44th-48th St. Rectangular Sicilian slices, low-key atmosphere, and a kitchen that has been running the same recipe since 1985. Not ideal for Sundays or late evenings — check hours first.
Best late-night pizza: Joe's Pizza stays open until approximately 3am Thursday through Sunday. Carnegie Pizza (200 W 41st St) also keeps late hours per 2026 Yelp listings. Both are close to the Times Square hotels and are the safest bet after a show that runs long.
Best if you want something different from New York-style: Emmy Squared (311 W 48th St) serves Detroit-style pies — thick, rectangular, with a caramelized cheese crust baked against the pan edge. It is a genuine style difference from the thin-crust baseline elsewhere on this list.
Times Square is roughly 42nd to 47th Street along 7th Avenue and Broadway. The pizza options cluster in two directions: south toward 38th-41st Street, and north into the Theater District (44th-48th) and Hell's Kitchen (50th and above).
If you are coming out of a hotel on the south side of Times Square or arriving at Penn Station, your closest good options are Joe's Pizza (1435 Broadway, 3 min south on Broadway) and Carnegie Pizza (200 W 41st St, also 3 min south on Broadway). Both are slice shops, both are fast, both are cheap.
If you are based in the Theater District (44th-46th Sts), John's of Times Square is a 4-minute walk north. Val Pizza and Patzeria Perfect Pizza are both on 46th Street — one block east to west of each other — and cover the budget slice category if you need something quick before a show.
If your hotel is north of 48th Street or in Hell's Kitchen (the blocks west of 9th Avenue), Emmy Squared at 311 W 48th St is the logical choice: it is in your neighborhood, confirmed open, and serves a style that differs from anything else on this list.
For Lazzara's, it is worth going out of your way from the south end of Times Square. It is an 8-10 minute walk south on Broadway to 38th Street — not far, but intentional. The second-floor entry is on the north side of 38th St between 7th and 8th Aves.
Do any of these take reservations? John's of Times Square is walk-in only despite seating 400 — arrive early for pre-theater. Emmy Squared accepts reservations on OpenTable. Lazzara's can be reached at (212) 944-7792. Patzeria, Val Pizza, Joe's, and Carnegie are all counter service or walk-in only.
When is it busiest? The pre-show rush runs from about 5:30pm to 7:00pm. If you want pizza without a queue on a Broadway show night, the best windows are 4:00-5:30pm (early dinner before the rush) or after 10:30pm once post-show crowds thin. Slice shops handle volume faster than sit-down spots — Patzeria, Val Pizza, Joe's, and Carnegie can serve you in five minutes even during peak time.
Is John's worth it for a solo traveler? Not really. The minimum order is a whole pie, which runs $18-$28 depending on toppings. A solo diner will either overpay for more pizza than they want, or need to eat very efficiently. Joe's Pizza or Carnegie Pizza are better solo options at a fraction of the price.
Can I see a show and have pizza the same evening? Yes, easily. The standard move: arrive at Val Pizza or Joe's at 6:00-6:15pm, eat in under 20 minutes, and reach your theater by 6:45pm with 15 minutes to spare. The most reliable mistake is arriving at a sit-down spot at 6:45pm and assuming a 7pm curtain is still reachable.
Which of these are chains? Joe's Pizza has multiple NYC locations — the original is on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village (est. 1975), and this Broadway location is a newer outpost. Emmy Squared is a national chain founded in Nashville with locations in multiple cities. Carnegie Pizza and Val Pizza are independent single-location operations. John's of Times Square, Lazzara's, and Patzeria Perfect Pizza are also independent.
Do these places take cards? Most do. Patzeria Perfect Pizza and some older New York slice shops occasionally prefer cash for small orders — call ahead at (212) 575-7646 if that matters to you. All other spots listed here accept cards.
Is the pizza near Times Square worth eating? The tourist trap reputation is earned, but only for the places that trade on location over quality. The seven spots on this list earn their spots because the pizza is what drives them, not the foot traffic. Lazzara's has been running since 1985 in a neighborhood where tourists don't go. John's converted a century-old church because the owners believed the space deserved a kitchen. Joe's built its reputation in Greenwich Village before anyone needed a Broadway outpost. The ZIP code is inconvenient for pizza. The addresses on this list are not.
