John's pizzeria is one of those places with history. It has been around since 1965. You can see and feel that the moment you walk inside. The interior has that no frills and old school pizza joint vibe. Something to note is that it is cash only. So be prepared as it can be inconvenient if you're not prepared. I went in with pretty high expectations. But maybe because I didn't get the Sicilian slice as it didn't live up to the hype. It was pretty basic or average compared to what I had expected. Overall, it's a solid place, but the pizza didn't stand out as much as I'd have hoped. read more

See all

OMG the nostalgia! I haven't stepped foot in John's since elementary school (a good 17ish years) but I'm happy to see that they're still standing. Nothing fancy, just your mom & pop pizzeria with the basics. Thin and crispy pizza that holds up very well. Solid NY slice. Their beef patties looked good and I'll probably try them next time. Susan, the owner's daughter, was such a pleasure to chat with. She remembers my brother every time he pops by and you can tell she cares about her customers. Definitely very family oriented which I love. read more

See all

If anyone knows me, I am a sucker for nostalgia, and THIS was nostalgia! This place makes you feel like you went back in time. I know this place has been open for close to 50 years but I love everything about this place from the counter, to the red stools to the awning. Also, I am not sure if it was the daughter of the place but she was really nice and I thought she was very helpful. I also thought it was great to see it reopen from the covid break they had. They actually closed for a several months and just recently reopened. The food: Large Pie with Sausage and Onion- I ordered a large pie and went straightforward with the toppings and got sausage and onion it was great on the pizza. The pizza was nice and crispy but a bit thicker of a slice than what was I was expecting from a NY slice. I was also a little shocked the sauce didn't pack more of a tomato punch. Overall, I thought it was a good pie and I would revisit for the old school vibes and the classic NY slice but I did wish the sauce was more pronounced. Also, next time I am going to try a regular at the shop, also want to try a Sicilian since there was a big ass sign that said they were famous for their Sicilians. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=6fied3c2cvEa8kagErtfkA&userid=Y_iTTjKvV5hLy-880SZzlA read more

John's Pizzeria - Large pie with sausage and onion - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

This place serves amazing regular pizza slices I have been here multiple times and have never been disappointed . Two elderly ladies in making pizza is also amazing and the place is like stepping back in time a mid century modern dream . Pizza is thin crispy and delicious ! A real Queens NYC gem , LOVE IT . Oh and owned by the same family since opening up in 1965 a true quality small business read more

I was at John's Pizzeria on a Sunday with Scott's Pizza Tours. We were pretty much the only ones there. We got to try the Sicilian. This place is the epitome of New York neighborhood pizza place. The décor is straight out of the 1960s when they probably opened. They probably own the building. It's a mother and daughter hand rolling the dough and doing absolutely everything. I'm sure they're doing it exactly the same way they've been doing it for the last 50+ years. Happy to see them survive and have a little social media presence. They aren't doing a lot of things here but what they do they do well. read more

See all

Great pizza, amazing service. Truly a neighborhood treasure. John's has been a staple in Elmhurst for a lifetime. read more

Was my local pizzeria growing up and it's just as good as it was 40 years ago! A perfect, crisp, balanced cheese slice!

Right in the Theatre district with great service, prompt but not pushing. It feels like New York vibe with great Pizza.

I been here for almost 1 year and yesterday the pizza was not feeling delicious for me anymore

Family owned/ yummy/ inexpensive/ over 50 years/ quality pizza Plus, my son is so addicted to their pizza. read more

See all

The best hall in the wall pizzeria. So happy this place is still up and running. I get so happy every time I go here and see the Nona making her dough and forming the pizza. It's a family run business and they make everything fresh. I love that there is not massive amounts of pizza. They make the pies as the day goes. They have a very limited menu so everything is good! The pizza sauce is different not sure what they add to it but it's not acidic like most shops and it the perfect amount. The sauce crust is always thin and crunchy! Also another thing I have noticed is the quality of the cheese it's not overly greasy or has that smell to it very gooey and perfect! My go to pizza shop and there are many close by in Elmhurst and maspeth but none compare!! read more

John's Pizzeria - Plain slice perfection crispy, not oily, sauce is the best - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

See all

Great vintage pizzeria. Great service and a throwback to old times. I love John's Pizzeria and just sitting down and relaxing while I eat my pizza. read more

See all

We ordered extra cheese slices, which were absolutely delicious! Susan provided courteous and friendly service. We highly recommend this place - their pizza is a must-try! read more

A Queens staple in Elmhurst. I lived in the neighborhood for 6 years w/o trying it so when I passed by and saw they reopened (closed during the pandemic) we had to give it a try. The staff was friendly and the decor hasn't been touched in years, adding to some of its charm. The pizza was OK but didn't amaze. I'm glad I finally stopped in but don't feel compelled to go back special. Still, if you live in the neighborhood it's worth a try. read more

John's Pizzeria - Slices - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

Ouch.... I'd take real action on how long this place remains open... you walk in and kinda have slide passed a angry looking woman who I felt might have been able to take me in a fight.... place felt like a morgue.... two slices available.. plain Sicilian and plain regular... got one of each and neither had any taste whatsoever.... there was an article on the counter that in 2010 the Daily News ranked it as the best thin crust pizza in NY..... we are a loooooooong way from 2010 I guess read more

Old school pizza joint of the type you just don't see anymore. Interior was a bit cluttered with boxes and other things but felt compelled to eat my pie on sight while it was fresh. Nice crunch, no flop, herby sauce and good balance overall. Wish I had been here sooner. read more

John's Pizzeria - a slice of cheese pizza - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

The pizza is not particularly good. It is not particularly bad either. And everything is a little overpriced. But it is the only option in the area and the two young ladies who work here day and night are very nice and super cute. In business since 1965, I am happy to support the place whenever I get a chance. read more

John's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

Best pizza near my house! Been going here since I was in middle school so that's about ... 10+ years! In my experience, the owners are nice and welcoming. Never had a problem with them. Slices are big and thing and tastes delicious. The crust is thin and crispy and I just love everything about it. The prices are reasonable and worth it for the slices/pies that you get. Only bad thing is the bathroom hasn't been working/available for years and I don't think they intend to fix it or open it up to public :/ read more

John's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

So I love this place, i come all the way from NYC. Its run and cooked by 2 old ladys whcih i love The pizza is typical old school brooklyn queens pizza you had as a kid its really really good crispy crust great sauce and cheese. prices are cheap old ladys are nice the best is the place is a time warp like stuck in 1960's/1970s but very very clean- they got an A im a sucker for nostalgia! you have to go check it out read more

I tried john's pizzeria for the first time the other day. I was excited because i've seen that they have been closed for a while and i drive by all the time. From the exterior it looks very cute. Very old school and inside as well. I honestly really wanted to like this place. However, it lacked a lot. The slices were crunchy, which is the only good thing, but it did not have enough cheese, and it did not have enough sauce. Not to mention my one slice with pepperoni topping is $4.75. That is insane especially when you have been open for over 55 years. You need to do right by the neighborhood. They were also very on organized in there. Also they don't even have Parmesan cheese. I will not be returning. Better to go to louie's pizza. read more

John's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

You think you know pizza because you walked down Bleecker st. or Prince? This spot is still stuck in the 60's with a secret sauce that you won't find in those "famous" tourist spots.. Service is run by wonderful women that truly know their craft and sitting on those spinning stools makes me feel like I'm in some kind of old-school movie. They have heroes and sausage/chicken rolls that seem to be sold out all the time because it's gone as soon as it comes out the oven. The slice itself is the most classic NYC thin slice, crazy crust, crazy sauce, perfect amount of cheese.. if you order a beef patty with cheese, they've perfected it.. most places cut the patty in a weird way, but they cut it down the seam to close it back like it was originally made to be there.. Even just looking at the place from the outside, the store looks out of place because of all the other modern looking stores around it.. like looking at a pizza spot that jumped out of the past and stuck itself on this corner. Truly a hidden gem that needs more attention! read more

Did they really close down or were they a neighborhood no-show once again? *Meh*. There's this genre in New York City pizza known as "the local Vinnies". What's a local Vinnie? Formica counter tops, brick walls, daylight white fluorescent light fixtures, Polly-O mozzarella cheese, steel gas fired oven, "pizza spices" that comes out of a plastic shake-top can. Oh? Basil? Here's the canister, shake it on yourself. Fresh mozzarella? Sure it's fresh, The machine just shredded it a few days ago. It's half-step above the 99 cent pizza and beating out Dominos. Contrary to popular belief, hipsters love the local Vinnies - just ask anyone on the Bedford L train stop about Anna Maria's. Unless the hipsters in question are insufferable gluten free vegan pizza seeking fools, they will hit that joint after they got fucked up on PBRs at the Father John Misty concert...right before they hail an Uber in front of the subway station. It's cheap compared to the usual crap in the area, and they are eating it ironically - just like the pizza made back in Indiana that they look down upon, except better. The pizza snobs tend to want their slice Neapolitan style with San Marzano tomatoes out of a brick oven and sneer at the non-existent "authentic Italian-ness" of the local Vinnie joints. Why do you think there's a long line of asshats outside DiFara's? Because it's a local Vinnie that uses better ingredients that was supposed to be worth double the usual per slice (hint: not really, the fact that the local Glatt Kosher places serve TERRIBLE pizza seem to only make them better in comparison), to the point where the asskissing starts on the national level and continues to the line. As a rule, the local Vinnie owner (likely a Vinnie, but more likely his dad was the Vinnie and he took over) isn't entirely local to the area - he might've grown up nearby, but at the end of the day he jumps on his car and drives back to the suburbs. If it's Shaolin Manhattan or The Bronx he has the TV tuned to the Yanks. If it's Queens/Brooklyn it's the Mets. What makes a good local Vinnie? Proud of his Italian American heritage but understands the old neighborhood will eventually change hands and doesn't get upset over it. Oh, people from the West Indies are moving in? Alright, get some Tower isles and sell some patty cheese (that's a Jamaican patty cut in half with mozzarella tossed in and melted in the oven) along with the foldable slice. At the end of the day it's a business and what matters the most is the green in your wallet. The ones I can't stand? The places that thinks that things in the old hood are okay until all the colored folks moved in and ruined the place, and thinks of themselves as some kind of bastion of purity, railing against the inbound tide of immigration. So, how was John's? It's a local Vinnie joint that I grew up with since the mid-90s, except some local newspaper ran a pizza taste-off back in the 2000s with some good remarks, which sent their egos to the stratosphere. You just got the idea that they are so in love with their own thing that they forgot that they are a local Vinnie pizza joint, they are all interchangeable, the number of years that they put in aren't that significant unless you have a loyal fan base, and they all depend on turnover, proximity to customers and local goodwill to thrive. Guess what? John's (not really - the namesake died years ago - it's the widow continuing it on) didn't really do that well - from what I remember they are not consistent with their hours. Sometimes they are open and sometimes they are closed...without much warning. Ever seen flyers from them in your mail slot? Me neither, and I was in that part of Elmhurst for at least 15 years. Did they earn any goodwill from people like me? Well, I never got downright hostile treatment but I can say that it's business cordial with a side order of suspicion, and that goes all the way back to my first slice in '97, and this side of Queens Blvd were much less FOBishly Chinese back then (man I miss the Afghan joint on Queens Blvd). It wasn't bad pizza but I certainly won't go out of my way to get a slice there. Why put up with bullshit for a local Vinnie? Eh, to be honest? I have always been more of a Gino's customer, and they gave me much less dirty looks and poorly hidden sneers from the get-go. Was the pizza better? Eh, it's a local Vinnie's. Pay your 2.25 slice, eat it and get out, they are all almost the same. That being said, less ego and more customers at Gino's, and I'll rather give them the business instead. read more

Been going to this pizzaria ever since I was a mid, it NEVER disappointed! If you want THE BEST Pepperoni, no bs...thin crust, delicious NYC, no hipsters, mostly locals...this is HANDS DOWN the place to go! I felt "bad" even writing this review bc this is one of those local secrets that I son't want to be revelead. Anyone that gives this pizza less than 4.5 stars need to stick to their Pizza Hut or some bs gourmet "Williamsburg/West Village" bs! I'd say that next to "Dani's" in Kew Gardens and Lucali's in Brooklyn, this is by far the best pouns fir pound, NYC pizza! read more

Amazing pizza, friendly owners. After the pandemic we couldn't wait for them to reopen!

Welcome back . Miss the light sweet sauce of the pizza . So good . Had pizza this week . Hot pizza just the way you love it . God bless your family read more

This place is open again after a year or two absence. I went here earlier today there is a man and two ladies working behind the counter. The place is very busy. I waited about 20 minutes for a slice of pizza. It cost $3.50 for one slice. A Sicilian is $4 but they didn't have it ready. A can of drink $1.50. The slice of regular pizza comes out hot and delicious! read more

Still going strong. Beautiful pies here made like they did years ago. A true jewel of a place. Glad to see it still around.

The pizza was okay nothing amazing. However the lady behind the counter is very rude. I bought a slice and had my own drink. She said there was no outside food or drinks allowed and that there were signs everywhere in a very rude tone. ( I genuinely did not see them). Also when people started coming in I was finished and she told me she needed the table space so I had to move. Which I understand, but again said it in a snarky rude manner. Definitely won't return, their pizza is not that good. read more

They have great, fresh food, and the service is awesome. They have a family like atmosphere and are willing to give you exactly what you'd like. I went there all the time while working in Elmhurst & can't wait to go by again for a GREAT MEAL!!! I'd recommend them to EVERYONE!!!! read more

The Perfect Slice, 1965 A steady stream of locals are popping in or simply ordering from the window. They know how lucky they are. This is one of the best pizzas in NYC. Mother-daughter, but more accurately grandma-momma run pizzeria. They advertise the Best Sicilian Pizza in Town on the window and Best Thin Slice in Town on the menu. And you know what? They may be right. It might even be best in the city. I'm serious. The stools are fun to sit on, the orange plastic chairs take me back to what was the 80s, maybe even the 70s in my mother's womb. Brick walls inside and out, I can feel the oven and the char throughout the room as grandma clips coupons in the corner. Have an order? Don't bother asking her. If she actually talks to you, consider yourself a part of the family. Heroes are made with homemade everything. How am I supposed to choose between a meatball, sausage or eggplant parm? To heat something up not pizza, they don't use aluminum foil like every other pizzeria, they use little metal dishes. Hey, for me that's novelty, but for them, it's how they've done it since 1965. Great prices, real people.  Moreover, Real pizza. Opened: 1965 Distinction: Mama makes every pie read more

This place was way better than I expected. The small interior is actually kinda cool, as the owners are apparently tukish and they have interesting decorations around from the structure around the oven to the walls, and I also like the bar setup along the counter. Two nice old ladies run this place as other have noted, which is refreshing as there aren't many pizza ladies in the city. They don't talk much, they just pay attention to what they're doing and take your money at the end. The pizza was somewhat suimiliar to Johnny's in Mount Vernon. Similiar thin, crispy, yet soft, flavorful crust, although not as much depth. Very similiar cheese although a bit more on this pie. A bit weaker sauce, and its applied more conservatively too. Hell, the slice is even smaller. But like, Johnny's, the whole thing balances beautifully, although a bit on the cheesy side, and it's clearly made by someone who cares about what they're serving regardless of what they're being paid. This is a unique slice, and I would definitely encourage people to come out of their way to try it. For the price especially, this place is hard to beat and it is one of the better stereotypical "slice joints" I've come across. I didn't expect much out of it at first glance, but I'd say it lived up to the hype. Definitely one of the best in Queens. read more

Tasty pizza. Came out in timely fashion. New York pizza done well. However the ladies told us to leave when we were done. It was very rude. There was no one in line and it was not busy at all. When we said, "we were just waiting to get picked up, "she replied with "well you're done so..." Overpriced pizza overall and the customer service was terrible. read more

John's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

They make the best pizza, just the right ratio of cheese and sauce. Their thin crust is perfect. I been getting pizza here ever since I was a kid, no other pizza place taste as good as this one imo. It's sad that I moved a little further away so I haven't been getting it as often I would like. read more

This pizza store has been in the heart of Grand Ave for a long time and its thin crust but cheesy bite always satisfy my craving of a good, authentic Italian pizza. I usually order takeout because pizza is better with tv show. read more

John's Pizzeria - Regular and pepperoni - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

Here's the secret: Don't bring it home. You must, absolutely must it eat it by the slice in the pizzeria itself. I don't know why, but that's the only way their crust stays light and crisp and perfect. So perfect that after years of so much searching, I really do think they make the best slice in the city. But once you take a pie home, depending on how far away home is, the dough becomes tough and chewy, whether re-heated in an oven, microwave, or eaten as is. So don't do that ;) Other things to keep in mind, they sometimes close early if they're having a slow night so call before dropping in. And skip the mushroom slice as they don't use fresh mushrooms. read more

It was okay/good. Crust was a bit crunchy on the bottom. I would like it more crunchy though. Good enough if you're craving cheap pizza on a random day. The lady (who was the owner) was very nice and friendly and wonderful. I forget, but I believe they changed their name. read more

John's Pizzeria - Plain slice $3 - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

See all

Bad pizza is still good pizza. This pizza is nothing I'd go out of my way to get. It's incredibly greasy and the cheese fell off the slices repeatedly. The older woman who works here doesn't have the best manners, often deferring customers to the other younger woman who works here. The cheese fell off the slice. The grease was something I would need paper towels to blot out. It was still good, but just nothing I would make a journey to get. read more

Where you at Barstool? This place will knock your socks off. This pizza is claasic, thin crispy crust, everything is perfect about it. The owners are gems. read more

Everything tastes good in this old school pizza house! The flavor is truly italian. There are two old ladies who make the pizza, treat them nice! The one who take the orders could be a little off at times. They will make you wait because this place is busy but the food is worth waiting for. They make the pie infront of you. Their pizza pie may cost you $15-18, slices for $3. This place need no recommendation because this is one famous pizza house in New York and not just in Queens. People drive to get some piece of thier flavor here even the NFL. They have been featured on the 2015 Super Bowl ad. Five star for the food! read more

John's Pizzeria - Freshly baked - Pizza Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

See all

DON'T GO THIS PLACE. THEY ARE TOTALLY RACISTS. For your information, I am usually very easy going person and I really don't care that if people treat me nicely or not, but this place is exceptional case for me. They kept saying that they don't have onions, (what kind of restaurant doesn'r have onions, seriously?) they don't have these, they don't have that, they can't make medium size pizzas, bla bla bla... This is the worst experience in NYC, I am not going there again. If you don't want to eat pizzas from racists, again, I am warning you, DO NOT GO if you are a normal person. read more