It’s been 6 years now since we moved away from the NYC area, and one thing we continue to miss is the eponymous NY slice. That thin foldable triangle of gooey cheese and greasy pepp isn’t as easy to replicate as one would think, but there are many attempts all over the country that try to do just that. It should be no surprise then that one spot I planned on hitting this past weekend while in LA was a NY pizza shop.
Danny Boy’s is the food child of Daniel Holzman, who is a co-founder of The Meatball Shop restaurants in NYC. Sidebar – this fact alone should make you realize that you are in for an amazing slice. Located in the Halo food hall within the Wells Fargo Center, Danny’s is an easy walk from several of the downtown hotels. Note that this is in Bunker Hill, so for some hotels, the walk may be uphill, but that just means you get to work up an appetite before eating and get a good work out after eating. At the end of the day, it just means you will feel good ordering one slice more than you had originally planned.
Sadly, I was staying in Bunker Hill and had to only walk a couple of blocks with no hill to contend with, so I only ordered a couple of slices. Having to choose which slices was difficult. Choices included plain, pepp, meatball, white, Sicilian-style pepp, and a special sausage slice for that day. I went with a pepp and a meatball, even though I still regret not trying the others. I was especially wanting that sausage slice.
After ordering it takes a few minutes since your slices get reheated before being served, but it’s well worth the wait. Once my number was called, I grabbed my slices and found a table. Since this is part of a broader food hall, there’s ample seating both indoors and out. I picked a seat in the middle of the atrium space, which gave me a good view of Danny Boy’s and all the customers coming in to grab both slices and whole pies. The volume of business for the late afternoon reiterated the thought that this had to be the best slice in LA, which was confirmed as soon as I took my first bite.
This pizza checks all the boxes for what makes a slice a NY slice – thin crust with nice chew at the end, gooey cheese, flavorful toppings, and greasy pepperoni that drips from the back of the slice as you take each bite. The sauce didn’t overwhelm the slice and had the right balance of acidity and sweetness for me. All in all, this was the best slice I’ve had in some time. Most likely since I was last in NYC.
If you’re in downtown LA looking for a good meal or even in LA looking for the best pizza, you need to check out Danny Boy’s. This is the pizza you are looking for.
That description makes me crave a slice!
Yummm!