The Best Whole-Pie Pizza Spots in Brooklyn Right Now

By Scott Lynch

Brooklyn slice shops are the foundation of our world-class pizza scene, and every single one of them, including the eight favorites we singled out in 2024, will happily box up a whole pie—or three—for you to devour in the comfort of your home.

But there’s also another type of pizza establishment in our County of Kings, the dozens of full-service restaurants around town banging out awesome whole pies and whole pies only, either personal-size Neapolitan-style ones or shareable six-to-eight-slice ones–places where you can maybe also get a salad or some pasta, and sit and chill while knocking back a few drinks with your meal.

Lots of neighborhoods around the borough have these sorts of family-favorite spots, and they’re mostly fine, an easy solution to the where-shall-we-eat problem. There are a few of them, though, scattered throughout, that are not only perfect in a pinch, but also make pizza that’s so good that they’ve become destination-worthy restaurants.

Here’s a look at nine of the best whole-pie pizza operations in Brooklyn right now.

Photo by Scott Lynch

Wheated
905 Church Ave.

It’s been open for more than a decade now, and David Sheridan has created a beloved institution in Ditmas Park with Wheated. Seriously, on a recent Saturday night, this place was hopping with families, dates, crews of friends, everyone having a blast. And with good reason! The pizza here is awesome, a long list of 16-inch sourdough-crusted beauties, mostly named after Brooklyn neighborhoods, topped creatively but not crazily, that get absolutely blasted in the oven before hitting your battered wooden table. My two favorites: The Sunset Park with soppressata and mozzarella, and the Canarsie with spinach and spicy sausage. They’re all good, though, so go with your cravings. And definitely ask for that housemade chili crisp.

Photo by Scott Lynch

Lucky Charlie
254 Irving Pl.

There’s a lot to love about Lucky Charlie, which opened on Irving last summer and has been a happening spot ever since. There’s the fact that your pizza is fired in Brooklyn’s oldest coal oven, built in the basement by German bakers in the late 1800s and generating so much heat that it warms the sidewalk above. There’s owner and well-seasoned pizzaiola Nino Coniglio, who’s been slinging pies since he was a 12-year-old kid in Jersey. There’s the local tavern vibes of the place, the actual friggin fig tree in the backyard, the lawn chairs out front (weather permitting), and the late-night hours (pizza until 3:00 a.m.). And, of course, there’s Coniglio’s pies, sturdy eight-slice beasts topped with the classics. 

Photo by Scott Lynch

Chrissy’s Pizza 
142 Nassau Ave.

Ok, I’m cheating a little with this one. Although Chrissy’s has a firm pies-only policy, there’s nowhere inside the tiny shop to actually sit while you and a couple of your buddies wolf down one of Chris Hansell’s crisp, cheesy, eight-slice masterpieces, rap bangers blasting in the background. But when pizza is this good, who needs a chair? There’s room for about six standees at a wrap-around counter, and if you order your pie ahead of time (and you absolutely should order ahead), you can show up right when it comes out of the oven and dive in. The straight-up pepperoni is our family-favorite, but the vodka pie, the sausage and giardiniera pie, and the spicy white pie are all equally perfect. 

Photo by Scott Lynch

Il Leone 
158 Seventh Ave.

Ben Wexler-Waite’s wine-bar-ish restaurant opened last fall to big crowds and high expectations, thanks in large part to his Isola pie, a singular creation, perfected during his time on Peak’s Island off the coast of Maine, better known around here as the “Holy shit! It’s lobster pizza!” And the Isola is, indeed, worthy of the hype, a Neapolitan-style pie—tangy, salty, kinda floppy in the middle—covered with big chunks of claw meat, the levels of luxe jacked up even higher by the San Marzano tomato sauce, some freshly cut basil, a splash of Italian rosé, and enough red chili to really get your attention. It’s delicious, and kind of a must for Il Leone first-timers and date-havers, but Wexler-Waite’s other pies here are maybe even better? It’s a win-win, honestly. 

Photo by Scott Lynch

F&F Restaurant
465 Court St.

The irrepressible Franks of Carroll Gardens, Castronovo and Falcinelli, have been holding it down here near the north end of Court Street since 2004, with various ventures, including the 457 OG and the slice joint F&F Pizzeria. The newish F&F Restaurant, taking over the one-time home of their steak-y Prime Meats, is a worthy addition to the empire. I’ve had a bunch of very good pastas and starters and such here, but the sweetest of sweet spots at F&F is the Neapolitan-style pizza, especially the calamari pie, and the one with fennel sausage and well-pickled shallots. Great room, too.

Photo by Scott Lynch

Ops 
346 Himrod St.

For nearly ten years now, both wine-loving locals and destination party people/pizza fiends have made Ops one of Bushwick’s most consistent hot spots. Go early, or expect a wait. I’ve eaten here many times over the last decade, but a recent visit confirmed that Ops is as hype worthy as ever, both food-wise and fun-wise. Witness: the potato, broccoli rabe, and anchovy pie (aka, the Juno), which was crazy rich and good; and the Pops pie, starring the house mozz and slices of funky guanciale. We are lucky to have this place. 

Photo by Scott Lynch

Leo 
123 Havemeyer St.

This Ops spinoff that opened just before the pandemic not only survived those dicey couple of years, but the place is absolutely thriving, with an almost full house on a random Tuesday night. Really, Leo is loved. One friend of mine called it her favorite restaurant in the city; the person sitting at the table next to us had her wedding here. That is devotion. And they’re not wrong! The Neapolitan pies here are fantastic—Leo’s lively clam pie is probably my favorite briny pizza in the city, and the San Giuseppi, with sausage, onions, and olives, is rad as well—and the vibes are loose like the best local spots. 

Photo by Scott Lynch

Roberta’s
261 Moore St.

It’s easy to take Roberta’s for granted these days, mostly because it feels like it’s been around forever, and in so many different guises. Remember those insane block parties they threw in the early twenty-teens, complete with wrestling ring? And that summer they hauled an oven out to the boardwalk at Beach 67 to feed the surfers? And their “bee sting” pie, topped with spicy soppressata, chili, and honey, that inspired hundreds of imitators? Just legends all around. Anyway, Roberta’s still rules. Don’t forget to go there sometime soon to remember why.

Photo by Scott Lynch

The Astarita
797 Fifth Ave.

The least buzzy of this bunch is definitely the Astarita, a charming little restaurant on a remote-feeling block across from Green-wood Cemetery that, by the way, happens to crank out excellent eight-slice pies from the brick oven that dominates the room. Family-owned and operated—spearheaded by Tina Casale, whose father learned everything about pizza in Bensonhurst, before opening slice shops in Palermo—the Astarita makes a pretty unique hybrid pie, combining Neapolitan and classic New York styles, and the whole place is clearly designed, first and foremost, to serve the neighborhood. Every community in Brooklyn would be so lucky as to have a Tina Casale looking out for their pizza-eating needs.