More $1 Pizza at the Z Deli

I am a firm believer in the fact that there is no bad Pizza in New York City.  Some slices are better than others, but in the end- even a crappy New York slice is better than most slices in other cities.  I’m sure everyone has their favorite slice, but when it comes to pizza- my favorite is the deal.  And there is no better deal than $1 pizza!

A few months ago I wrote about 99¢ Fresh Pizza opening a second location right by Grand Central.  That was shortly followed by the $1.25 pizza deal at Naples 45 (arguably the highest quality pizza at that low price)- but you have to wait until after 2pm.  For most people, time is more precious than money- so if you don’t work near either of those two places, it may not be worth the extra walking just to save a couple of bucks.

Well, I’m happy to say that the West side of Midtown now has their own $1 pizza deal (that is closer than the original 99¢ Fresh Pizza behind Port Authority).  And it’s an all day kind of thing.  As with anything, you get what you pay for- and Z Deli is no exception.  But if $1 pizza is what you are looking for, than here it is, right on 8th Ave. btw. 48+49th St.

Pics of the pie, and a +/- after the jump…

There’s no question that without $1 pizza I would never write about a place like this.  It’s just another crappy New York bodega, slightly distinguishing itself with Gyros, and of course the $1 pizza- which can be found all the way in the back.  Don’t make the mistake of waiting for the guy to acknowlege you- just walk to the back and shout out your order.

I made eye contact with the guy 2 or 3 times before he finally was like “If you want something just yell it out”.  I thought I’d be polite, and let him finish what he was doing (making a new pie), but clearly I was just supposed to shout out my order.  I had taken my wife with me to $1 pizza lunch (that’s the kind of classy guy I am), so we ordered 3 slices for the two of us.  My punishment for the ordering gaffe, 3 old slices- thrown back into the oven, but not long enough to make them seem fresh.

I probably would have never noticed the freshness thing, except for the fact that we decided to get one more slice.  By that time, I think the guy had noticed me taking pictures, so he “rewarded” me with a fresh slice.  Check out the difference:

The guy behind me in line seemed especially pissed when he was given an old slice (right after I got my fresh slice).  “Why can’t I get one of those?”, he comlained.  Start a blog buddy…

Anyway- either way the pizza was good enough to make the $1 price tag a total deal.  My wife liked it better than 99¢ Fresh pizza, and I liked it as much as any cheap pizza.  The key, of course- is geting the fresh slices.  Z Deli doesn’t have the turnover that 99 Cent Fresh Pizza has, so it’s going to be more of a crapshoot.  Don’t be shy, and ask for the fresh pie (it’s probably hidden under the counter).  If that doesn’t work, just order one slice, take some photos, and go back for a second.  It worked for me.

The +

  • It’s pizza, for $1.00 a slice
  • The deal is all the time (not a late day special)

The –

  • You get what you pay for
  • The turnover is not as high as 99¢ Fresh Pizza, so the pie is not always fresh out of the oven
  • Service is kind of strange.  Don’t be polite… just yell out your order

Z Deli, 803 8th Ave., 212-315-1659

5 Comments

  • You are so funny but right. The same exact thing happened to me the other day when I discovered this place as I waited for a friend to meet me at the bar a few doors down. I said to myself, “99 cents? Something’s gotta be wrong.” I walked in and went to the back and I waited. The guy said the same thing after seeing me staring at him for a few minutes. So I gave him my order and out came a fresh slice minutes later. As I sat in the mini seating area in the front (two stools in the window), I thought “this is pretty good for 99 cents!” I must admit, if my friend had shown up any sooner I wouldn’t have thought of going in. If I ever need a quick snack before Happy Hour, I will deifnitely stop by.

  • For those in the Garment District there is lunchtime $1 slice places on the NE corner of 37th and 8th, as well as another one on the west side of 8th Avenue between 37th and 38th.

    It’s not the best in the city, but then again, it depends how hungry you are . . .

  • You are very funny.

  • You rock, just when I thought the only $1 pizza was in Brooklyn, this post comes along. So I pick up my Vitamin Water ($1 this week at Duane Reade) and head the two blocks over to Z-Deli, armed with the knowledge to head straight for the back and yell out my order.

    I’m tall, maybe that helps cause the guy behind the counter acknowledged me, and I ordered 3 plain,..I got one fresh slice, and two, uh, less fresh ones.

    The best part is, that upon counting my change at my desk, I realized, I got a dollar extra back! 3 slices for $1.97. The girl at the front obviously slipped up and grabbed an extra dollar, the bills plus 3 cents lets me know I did say three correctly. Last but not least, the slices are pretty good! I’m in agreement that there’s really no bad pizza in NY, and this is comparable to slices that cost 3 times more just a few blocks away. My fresh slice is considerably better than the other two, so I’d try to point out the ones I want If I were you, or at least let them heat it up really well. Totally worth the dollar, YMMV.

  • Check out NYCDAILYDEALS for tons of pizza places serving $1.00 slices!! And check back every day for the city’s best deals!!

    http://www.nycdailydeals.com/2008/12/pizza-slices-for-100-all-over-town.html

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