I can’t say I’ve had any interest in the 99¢ pizza trend. Cheap is good, tasting good is better. Still, I have to admit some morbid curiosity when passing the new 99¢ pizza shop that’s opened up in the old K! Pizzacone location. If I could try that abomination, how bad could this be? As I waited though, I glanced at the menu and saw a single other option on the menu: a Jamaican beef patty available with cheese and pizza toppings.

I hadn’t had one of those since my high school days when every pizza joint sold slices for a dollar. It’s greasy and spicy and cheesy, I had to try it out after all these years and see if it was actually any good.

The slice was all I’d expected. It had a doughy, bland crust, the cheese layered on was thin, it was nothing special.

I can’t say my hopes were very high, which always helps. Using the same cheap Tasty brand patties that you find in Brooklyn bodegas, they split open the half-thawed patty and add the toppings. In this case, cheese and pepperoni.

They baked it for what seemed like an eternity, leaving the crust a little burnt, the filling molten and the cheese crispy around the edges. I found a bench and gingerly ate it while trying to avoid any serious burns.

Nothing about this brought back any sort of nostalgia. I can’t say whether it was poor execution or that my tastes have changed, but having tried it out once, I’m pretty sure I don’t need to do it again for another 20 years.  But if you’ve never felt the joy, I suppose it’s worth checking out once.

99 Cent Fresh Pizza, 319 5th Ave. (btw. 32+33rd)

This week while I was hunting for the Sami Dosa truck (which I now know has migrated to 39th and B’way) I noticed a new 99¢ Fresh Pizza shop under construction on Broadway just below 55th Street. With so many dollar pizza spots opening, it’s hard to keep track of them all!  To help solve that, we’ve compiled a list of them all after the jump.

East Side:
99¢ Fresh Pizza
151 E. 43rd St. (btw. Lex & 3rd)
212-922-0257

99¢ Fresh Pizza Hot Pizza
459 Lexington Ave. (btw. 45+46th)
212-682-8660

99¢ Fresh Pizza
473 Lexington Ave. (btw. 45+46th)
212-661-6221

West Side:

K Food Corp
18 East 33rd St. (btw. Mad+5th)
212-213-5100

2 Bros Pizza

557 8th Ave (btw 37th St + 38th St)
212-564-2733.

2 Bros Pizza
31 W 46th St (btw. 5th+6th)
212-704-4251

Z Deli
803 Eighth Avenue (btw 48th + 49th)
212-315-1659

99¢ Fresh Pizza
1723 Broadway (at 55th Street)
(not yet opened)

Slightly Out of Bounds:
99¢ Fresh Pizza (Port Authority)
569 Ninth Avenue
212-268-1461

2 Bros. Pizza
542 Ninth Avenue (at 40th Street)
212-695-2642

Trucks:
$1 Pizza Truck

Over priced pizza tourist traps better watch their back! Am I missing any new spots? Let me know in the comments.

As I left work yesterday I noticed that the new 99¢ Fresh Pizza (on Lex btw. 45+46th) is now open- (let the 99¢ pizza war begin!) It’s owned by the same people as the location on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd, but this one is significantly larger and includes an actual counter to eat your slices at. When I visited they only had plain slices available, but with a good amount of counter space, one can assume they may offer more than that. These additions may give it the advantage it needs going to battle on Lex (and it could be seen as a preemptive move against a possible 2 Bros future onslaught.)

Remember the good old days, when Prince was the only 99 Cent pizza on the East side?  Then 99¢ Fresh Pizza opened on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd and that was the end of them.  Then in December, 99¢ Fresh Pizza received some pizza competition of their own when a former employee decided to set up shop on Lexington btw 45th and 46th.  Well, if you thought that was the end of it, you don’t know much about 99 cent pizza!  Yesterday I noticed a new green awning on Lexington near 46th where a juice place used to be… and the green awning reads:  99¢ Fresh Pizza. Who’s ready for a pizza war?  Because this is going to be some Iron Chef-like Throwdown shizz going on here, and I will be in the sweet middle, eating very cheap pizza. (But in all seriousness… how many of these places can the east side support?  Or do you think they’re just trying to out-do 9th Avenue?)

Related:
A New 99 Cent Pizza Battle Surfaces
$1 Slice Alert: St. Marks’ 2 Bros. Pizza is Officially Open
99¢ Fresh Pizza (Expands its Mini Empire!!!)

Remember when 99 Cent Fresh Pizza operated in Midtown with a monopolistic iron fist?  Their original location, behind the Port Authority on 9th Ave. and 41st, has always been well known for its constant line, and fast service.  A slice of pizza for 99 cents is not going to be the best tasting slice you’ve ever had, but there are always customers- insuring a fresh out of the oven slice every single time.  It may not be a taste revelation, but it certainly revolutionized this fat guy’s view of a slice as a viable snack (i.e. if it costs $1, you can consider it a snack.)

Naturally they expanded to 43rd btw. Lex+3rd a couple of years ago, and quite possibly put Prince Deli out of business (it became a Five Guys Burgers and Fries today, actually.)   So it’s no surprise that competition was going to eventually take aim.  2 Bros Pizza popped up behind Port Authority back in April, with what I think is a superior slice- and there is no doubt it has hurt business. So I’m guessing the owners must be equally scared about the nameless 99 Cent Pizza place which opened last month on Lexington btw. 45+46th (right around the corner from the second location of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza.)  2 Bros is a completely different product, making a side by side comparison pretty easy (Slice agrees with me about 2 Bros. being better), but this new spot on Lexington is run by a former employee of the 99 Cent Pizza place on 43rd.  So naturally I was expecting both places to taste exactly the same.

Not so says this commenter, declaring the new place on Lexington the better slice.  Clearly I needed to check this out for myself.

The original location of 99 Fresh Pizza (on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd) is quite the scene at lunch time.  The line stretches out of the tiny location, and down 43rd street towards 3rd practically every single day around lunchtime.  Thankfully, it moves pretty quickly… but not so quick that missed out on hearing passerby after passerby ask “Whoa!  What’s going on here?  Is the pizza that good?”  Literally, we were asked that at least once per minute while we waited… making me want to reply “What the fuck do you think?  It’s $99 cent pizza.  What do you think?  It’s not rocket science.”  The slice was a standard slice of 99 cent pizza, practically identical to its Port Authority counterpart.  Extremely doughy crust, standard not too sweet pizza sauce, and a generous helping of unremarkable, but freshly melted cheese.  The crust below the slice had a bit of a crunch, which I’ll admit I don’t love… but some people might enjoy. It’s just personal preference, I guess.

Admittedly I’m no pizza expert, but I think Luncher “StreeMeasonsumer3008″ might be right.  I kind of enjoyed the slice from the new joint a little better.  They are pretty similar, but I think the new place might have a bit more flavor.  Oregano… something?  I don’t know.  It just was  a bit better.  And because they are new, there thankfully wasn’t much of a line (if there had been, it would have taken awhile… they don’t quite have their “slice delivery system” in place yet.)

All in all you’re not going to go wrong with either place, for the price.  It’s fresh, hot pizza for 99 cents a slice (plus tax.)  And what could be bad about that? Although I was pretty disappointed to discover that they charge tax, making each slice a buck a change, although I think the new place charges $1.08 and the original place on 43rd charges $1.07.  Either way, both represent a disappointing departure from the two Port Authority spots where a single dollar bill buys you slice.  But then again, that’s Midtown proper for you!

99 Cent Fresh Pizza, 151 E. 43rd St. (btw. Lex & 3rd), 212-922-0257
99 Cent Frest Hot Pizza, 459 Lexington Ave. (btw. 45+46th), 212-682-8660

Thanks to Lunch’er Nick for sending over this photo from this morning.  It looks like the new location of Financier Patisserie has opened in the walkway that goes through the Fox News Building (on 6th Ave. btw. 47+48th).  The best way to access it is on 48th btw. 6+7th.  In addition to pastries they also have hot sandwiches, salads, quiche, and soups.  Also open is the new 99 Cent Pizza place on 3rd Ave on Lex btw. 45+46th.  Not surprisingly it is pretty much an exact rip-off of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza because it was opened by a former employee.  Thanks to Lunch’er Larry for sending in that photo.

Got news to report?  An opening, closing, or recommendation? Email it to zach@midtownlunch.com

99 Cent Fresh Pizza seems to be taking it from all sides these days.  First, 2 Bros Pizza opens one block away from their “flagship” location behind Port Authority, and now this.  It seems as if another 99 Cent Pizza place is opening on Lexington btw. 45+46th. (just two blocks away from the 99 Cent Fresh Pizza on 43rd.)  But here’s the kicker, apparently the owner of the new spot is a disgruntled former employee of 99CFP.  And to add insult to injury, he’s never opened a pizza place before- so after securing the lease, when back to the owners of 99CFP for help.  (Are you following all this?)  Part of me thinks that we can always use more $1 pizza in Midtown, but tell that to the now shuttered Prince Deli (which very well could have been put out of business by the arrival of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza on43rd.)  At least 2 Bros Pizza had something to offer (aka better pizza) when they opened one block away from the Port Authority 99CFP.  If this new location turns out to be a bad 99CFP ripoff- it might just end up going the way of the Prince.