Another iconic New York pizza spot that absolutely lived up to the hype was Famous Ben's Pizza in SoHo. This classic NYC slice shop has that authentic old-school pizza joint feel the moment you walk in -- from the packed display cases filled with different specialty pies to the fast-paced atmosphere and the smell of fresh pizza coming out of the oven nonstop. We went with the Margherita slice, and it was exactly what you want from a New York pizza experience. The slice was huge with a thin crust that had the perfect balance of crispiness and chew. The sauce was rich, flavorful, and slightly tangy, while the fresh mozzarella and basil kept everything simple but delicious. You can really tell why this place gets recommended so often. Between the classic NYC vibe, giant slices, and quality pizza, this was definitely one of the memorable pizza stops during the trip. read more

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Famous Ben's Pizza completely blew me away. This was hands down the best pizza I have ever had. The Palermo slice is unmatched. It is so simple with breadcrumbs, onion, and garlic, but somehow it stands out more than any pizza I have tried. It instantly became my favorite pizza in the world. There is something about the flavor and balance that just works perfectly. I also tried the chicken bacon ranch slice and it was fine but nothing special compared to the Palermo. The real highlight beyond the food was the guy working the front. He felt like the most original New Yorker ever and added so much character to the experience. This place is special and I would go back again and again just for that one slice. read more

Very racist against black Americans.. they make jokes about going back to Africa and being monkeys .. don't go to this business read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Man that made racist comment - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

Famous for what? Eater NY and YourLocalsGuide both recommended this as the best pizza in Soho. Trip Advisor ranks them #3 in Soho. Portnoy (Barstool Sports) gave them a 8.1. The Daily News and NY Post allegedly keep them in the top five. However, I not only didn't rank it high- I did not like my pair of thick and square Sicilian-style slices. The "Upside Down" slice was a waste of calories. I did not detect ANY cheese- all I tasted was the super sweet sauce on the super hard and crunchy crust. Straight out of the oven, they both seemed to get instantly cold. I also got the Palermo, which Eater NY describes as "especially remarkable...paved with a thick topping of olive-oiled and browned bread crumbs with a coarse puree of onions underneath. If you're a fan of onions, this slice shines..." NOPE! Thick? Karen Carpenter is thicker. The bread crumbs were the thickness of the two five dollar bills I wasted on this place. [Bonus: spend $10 in cash and get a free soda]. I liked the crust, but the slice was overly sweet and strange. I used the bread crumbs to leave a trail from my seat so I wouldn't get lost on my way back from the toilet. read more

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Been going since the 70s. I just get a slice. I don't try other toppings or the Sicilian. One of the few places that is still around since the 70s so I like to go to the oldies. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Slice. - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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If You want to know what CLASSIC New York is, come here and get a greasy cheese pie! DELICIOUS. Workers were MUCH friendlier than competitors. They even -- I think -- sell beer and provide seating as needed! read more

Enjoyed a great slice at Ben's! They had a ton of options for a slice, as well as other options for calzones etc. It was quite busy on a chilly morning, and one of the workers (owner maybe?) chatted us up about how long he's been in the business. The slice was just right, freshly warmed and delicious. Already craving another! read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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Crooks. They overcharge an INSANE amount for slices and multiple times they have tried to add items to my bill that I never ordered. I don't recommend ever going here but if you do, make sure to triple check your bill. The guy working there also claimed I couldn't pay in cash but then offered up a cash discount to the customer behind me. I can name 100 better pizza places in New York. Bad pizza and even worse service. read more

Came here with my Mom when she was in town as she had yet to get a NY slice. Ben's was close to her hotel on the walk back after a long day of shopping... We F'd up Banana Republic. Vibes were UP in here, as there was a guy singing along to what sounded like some Italian music as he flipped pizza dough in his hands. Felt NY af. We each got a slice of cheese and it rang up at over $10. Like damn. Has any other market inflated more than the pizza by the slice market over the past 5 years? Pain. But, the Pizza was great. The crust was the perfect amount of crisp, and had hang time when you picked it up. The cheese to sauce ratio was near perfect, the only thing I'd say was my slice had a little too much crust. See attached picture. They're even flexing a laminated 8.1 on Dave Portnoy's pizza reviews right by the register in here ahahah. He's really dominating the pizza market. A quick google search tells me 8.1 is pretty good on his scale. He even says 8.1 "sits amongst the gods" ahaha. Respect. IG @jnov_ Tikotk @jnov__ read more

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Get the cheese or peperoni here and skip rest. Those 2 have a high turnover and are always fresh. The other specialty pies look and taste like they've been sitting for a while and while this is customary to make pies ahead of time, these pies need more ingredients (sauce and cheese etc) to keep them moist. I got the broccoli Rabe and sausage and it was dried out and honestly tasteless. The Margherita was pretty dry too ,down to the crust . Sevice is super friendly , some of the older Italian men (staff)in there sing and are always joking around with each other and the customers . Wish the pizza was as good as the atmosphere. Outdoor seating is cute . Indoors is always hot - no AC in the summed and warm and toasty in the winter. Sandwiches are good too - pricey for the quality . Tourist trappy vibes . They don't take Apple Pay so they have an ATM on the premise . Cash and other cards accepted. Bathroom is small but I'm always grateful there's one especially in this area. read more

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Pretty good slice shop! Lots of options. It wasn't the best but boy did it save me at a good time of hunger! I'd visit again and try some of the calzones read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Penne ala Vodka Tray - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

The slices weren't that good for the price chargers. I wasn't that satisfied. The grandma slice (1st pic)was ok since pizza is mostly fun with the tomato sauce, not as thick as other brands grandma slice and for the price, mmmm. The eggplant slice has tomato sauce but sauce tasted differently for some reason, maybe because of it not being as hot as the grandma slice idk. The Italian fest slice (2nd pic) had onions, and peppers which was cool to give it that crunch, no tomato sauce so it's about the crunch n protein on it. It was not heated that well so it was room temp. Just wasn't hot enough! read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Italian feast slice - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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When you first walk in you're greeted with a variety of pizzas, bottled beers and tomato sauces that they have available. The staff is very friendly and eager to take your order. There's plenty of seating for dining in. They have a very clean food prep area for pizzas and for other entrées in the back. It's a little pricey, but well worth it. I will definitely come back again if I'm in the area. read more

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Fast and friendly service! Pizza here is great, recommend you go by. Offers indoor and outdoor seating. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Hawaiian and pepperoni pizza - peroni beer - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

pizza is good but inside is extremely hot. When the outside is 90F, How could eat inside like sauna? Pizza average NYC price $6 I won't return to eat inside. bathroom sets up. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Outdoor seating - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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Fast service & their pizza has a thin crispy crust characteristic to it! Garlic knot was also great tasting. They have a single bathroom on premise read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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Stumbled upon this place on the way towards Times Square. Friends wanted to eat some more pizza while in New York. We asked the owner what pizza was good, but instead said everything was good. Thankfully a regular recommended the Vodka and Margherita Pizzas. So, my friends and I opted for one of each, including their garlic knots. The pizza and garlic knots were indeed quite delicious after a long day of walking and visiting the Statue of Liberty. This is great place to just hang and grab some food with friends. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Vodka and Margherita Pizza Slices and Garlic Knots - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

Strolling through Soho, my old stomping grounds when I lived in the city. I had to stop at Ben's to relive the good old days when I was a student and Ben's was one of the best and cheapest per slice you could get. LOL the place looked the same, but run down. I can't say the people that worked there were friendly like in the good old days. My friend and I ordered a Pepperoni Slice and a Margarita Slice with a soda. Service was a bit abrupt, seating very limited. The pepperoni slice came out fast. My friend said it was barely heated and just tasted barely ok (frozen grocery store pizza would of been better). I was still waiting and waiting for my Margarita slice to the point my friend was finished and I had to ask 2 times and got "its coming it's coming". So I ate by myself. As my friend waited for me, he saw a sign spend $10 get a soda free... would of been nice for the cashier to tell us that when we placed out order. So disappointing, maybe not as good because I'm not a starving art student anymore, but just had to go for nostalgia reasons. Atmosphere: typical NYC pizza place. Service: barely OK. Pizza: barely OK ------ read more

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I love the pizza in here. I like to get the vodka pasta slice and the pepperoni rolls. The lasagna slice is amazing too. I got me a regular pepperoni slice on this visit and I like how the cheese was thick and the slice wasn't too oily. I like how you can order here then find a seat to wait before you get your slice. It allows you to settle in. Overall it has that old school but soho aesthetic to the pizza shop. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Pepperoni slice - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

I went here for decades and it was always good. Just stop by for a slice 10 minutes ago and it's inedible. What happened?

I was exploring the neighborhood and decided to try this pizza place. The man who takes your order and asks you to pay is very rude. I thought the pizza was very expensive even for New York City. The pizza looked delicious. But I didn't really enjoy it. The place itself is very nice. Small but has both indoor and outdoor seating. Glad I got to try it. It was a lovely experience. read more

I came here on a Tuesday night for a late dinner. Good, no frills pizza joint. I tried one of the Sicilian slices and really liked it. Certainly on the expensive side, but oh well. read more

So good! Our first touch down introduction New York pizza. We were on a strict diet and it was so hard to eat only one and sit for 20 minutes thinking we should buy another one. So we ended up coming back the next day to get another one! Must be something about the water but the Pizza was full with amazing flavor and enough oil to sop up napkins. My hands were greased up but I just licked it very happily. The cheese was perfect amount of string and not so much that it chokes you. Of course this is New York in a corner street and it's a very casual affairs so ambience wise I think it's perfect just as New York should be ! Limited seating outside but really everyone should just eat and go and let everyone through to have a great taste of this pizza place. read more

As I was strolling through NYC, saw a sign "voted best sicilian pizza" and had enough room so ended up entering the store and ordering an onion pizza. The onion pizza was great, I had never eaten one with just onions, it felt like they had a whole small sweet onion on the pizza. This why I believe NYC is well known for pizza, each store has something different to offer. The restaurant also have pasta, specialty items and offer catering services. They have different locations. Voted one of the top five "Best Pizza Stores" in New York by the "Daily News," "New York Post," and CBS News. They are also featured in movies which include Men in Black and Sex in the City. read more

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Made a quick stop into Ben's Pizza while in Soho. The service was quick and pizza tasted decent. Crust was really good but felt there was room for a more flavorful sauce. They have lots of seating inside and they're well spread out. Ben's is a great spot to grab and go while exploring the many stores around it. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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Not everyday you can find a Sfincione slice. Read about it on Eater and came to finally check it out. In the case, they call it a Palermo slice. It's a Sicilian-originated slice that's topped with crispy bread crumbs, grated cheese, and oregano. Quick counter service with friendly staffed. Definitely different, but worth a try if you're nearby. read more

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I could remember this place to be one of the first pizza places I'd ever been in as a kid... Right in Soho Manhattan by Mom's old place of work decades ago and a place we spent many evenings waiting on car ride home. Became an even more famous place being in the Tom Hanks movie Big and years later appearing in the Men In Black movie. Onwards to the food, right? So walking in the place you've got the ordering counter and pizzas on display behind a glass case on the left, dining area with two seater tables and some tables joined together to fit larger groups, mirrors on the wall to the right of the dining area, and at the back you got a pickup window from the kitchen. Pizzas I saw on display range from old fashioned pepperoni pizza(which was a slice that I ordered, r.i.p. pescatarian diet), upside down pizza which is a grandma pizza to my knowledge with the sauce on top of the cheese(the other slice I had), margherita pizzas, I think there was a half ziti/meatball pizza there and some broccoli pizza and a white pizza, beverages ranged from fruit punch and lemonade to cans of soda but not sure if they serve alcohol but I saw none out on the dining area among the guests. Guys at the front counter taking the orders are there and attentive to the visitors so you aren't waiting to order unless they're all busy putting orders together. Inside the place they also had some nice music playing to keep it fun. A/C D/C, The Eagles, Phil Collins, etc. Tables were almost all taken when I got there today since it was such a nice day out. Forever my pizza place to go in NYC read more

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Man, this place really went to sh I t over the past year or so! What happened? A change in ownership? This was one of my favorite slice shops for around 20 years or so. Did they lose the recipes? Even so the ingredients seem to be the cheapest available now too. To give you an idea of how good this place was and how bad it's become, imagine if Per Se turned into Denny's! So devastatingly bad. It's time for me to accept its passing, and move on. read more

Solid SoHo pizza. I regularly come here for lunch when I am hopping around downtown Manhattan. I recommend this spot for a good slice. read more

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To the owners of Ben's pizza: Please come save your company before it goes out of business. Things def need to be monitored. Lets start with the pizza: Terrible. Lacking flavor, floppy crust, cheese doesn't even come out melted. I def feel the recipe needs to be monitored to make sure these workers are serving the pizza correctly. Not only did the price go up, but the quality went way down. Your workers all look like they don't want to be there, and I feel that is 100% reflecting on the pizza they are serving. Ben's has been around forever, but with the competition and inflation, I would def suggest you monitor the situation at hand so another business in soho doesn't leave the area, and it would because of who's there working the shop. Sorry for the awful review, but the staff and pizza def need adjustments. read more

Just stopped in here for lunch a lil while ago I had a Palermo and Sicilian slice both of which were undoubtedly delicious!!..I heard a lot of good things about this place as well the pizza so I decided to make the trip out and I'm glad I did!!. The staff was fast and friendly as well!!. Can't wait to come back!. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Palermo and Sicilian slice!!! - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

The pizza is decent, but the guys who work there are really rude. They scream at you and bark at you and don't seem to take any pleasure in serving what is pretty good pizza. read more

But the best thing that I could say about Ben's is the people that work here are super friendly, they are open late, they are close to Tribeca, and they are open late... Did I say that already? As far as the pizza goes, I would honestly walk a few more blocks and go to Joes or John's... I'm sorry to say that because the place looks amazing and they have super cute outdoors seating but that's where it ends. read more

Mediocre at best, probably will not go back in another five years. Silcilian slice was to thirds of what the slice use to be, calzone was average and the marinara side was absolutely terrible, tasted like ketchup. On top, wanted 50 cents extra for Romano cheese to top my slice, presumably cutting corners. Have not been there in at least five years, probably will not return for another five years or maybe never. read more

their triangle pizza slice is soo yummy with pepperoni omgg delicious! bought two one triangle with pepperoni and another sicilian middle slice i prefer the thin triangle pizza packs in more flavor and it's huge. and for two pizzas you get a free drink. either soda or water i opted for water. they open late only pizza shop open till 1am everyone else near the club closes at 12am! inside they have seating but after 12am they said go outside. outside they have a lot of seating and the chairs are comfortable. i would recommend here after the clubs if you're hungry and looking for a good quick bite to eat after night out of drinking and dancing listening to music read more

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WOW! The flavors, the size, the texture of their pizza is the BIZ!!!! Fun local vibe, awesome location, and love that when you order different slices and order to go they still box up for you as if you got a whole pizza. The workers were very friendly and didn't have to wait long at all. read more

Famous Ben's Pizza is a New York-style pizzeria that opened in Manhattan, New York in 1979. It was founded by husband and wife Ben and Debbie Aliotta. Famous Ben's makes the traditional New York-style pizza (based on Neapolitan pizza) that you may find at any New York City pizzeria. However, they are most well-known for their 'sfincione' or Palermo-style pizza. This Sicilian style of pizza is very thick and cut into squares. It is essentially focaccia bread with pizza toppings. The pizzeria has been featured in several films and TV shows over the years (including "Men in Black II") and numerous celebrities have visited there. Pop star Madonna infamously visited the pizzeria in 1992, during which her driver jumped from the car and attacked a paparazzo. In addition to pizza, Famous Ben's also serves calzones, stuffed breads, heroes, pastries and Italian ice. Today the pizzeria is owned by business partners John Notaro and John and Ronald Pasquale. A second location opened in Valley Stream, New York in 2016 but it has since closed. My wife and I visited Famous Ben's Pizza in September 2019. We were on a Cannoli Crawl in Lower Manhattan. In addition to places that made cannoli, we also visited other establishments that featured Sicilian foods. Our tour was led by Allison Scola, who has a wealth of knowledge about cannoli and Sicilian culture in general. When we walked into Famous Ben's, we were greeted by longtime employee Lucio. He brought out one of their famous Palermo pies and everyone quickly grabbed a square to munch on. In addition to tomato sauce, each slice is covered with a thick topping of olive-oiled and browned bread crumbs with a coarse puree of onions underneath. Supposedly, in Sicily, where pastas are often dressed with bread crumbs, they were sometimes considered a substitute for the dried cheeses like Romano and Parmesan that were enjoyed with abandon in other parts of Italy. The pizza was very tasty!! Now we know why they are called Famous Ben's. We would definitely stop in again if we find ourselves in SoHo. read more

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Went back to Ben's Famous Pizza yesterday, May 29, 2023 to find the joint more abysmal and more of a ripoff than two years ago. A slice is $4.95 and it didn't look good from inside the display case. This joint needs to go under and disappear into history. I stayed there about 7 mins. checking out the display cases which I was tempted to scrawl ... RIPOFF! read more

I still love this place. The delightful staff and tasty beautiful food. My pizza is always so magnificent... Each bite makes me smile. The tables are pretty puny but it gets the job done as long as you didn't shop first. Here's a picture of my pizza before I shoved it in my pie hole. Even the crust is divine. I brought my British friend and a friend from Florida so that they can experience the BEST. Mmmmm. Yummy stuff read more

Famous Ben's Pizza - Yummy yummy yummy pizza. Love this place - Pizza Near Me - New York, New York

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Overall 4/5: I thoroughly enjoyed this pizza. We stopped in for a quick bite and were not disappointed. Definitely thinking about that pizza right now from home. Food 5/5: The pizza was great, thick crispy crust with amazing sauce!! I got the sicilian and my friends got pepperoni and the upside down pizza. All of them looked so yummy, if i'm ever back in town i will definitely try the upside down pizza. Vibe 4/5: Not the cleanest inside, all the tables were dirty. The music they played was definitely a vibe though. So only a point off for the tables. Service 4/5: Quick, friendly, nothing too crazy. The food came out promptly and we were helped immediately. Thank you, Famous Ben's Pizza. read more

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