I would rank my favorites as:

http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/cFonGItsE3q6l5hqoaIhAg/l.jpg

#1
Grimaldi's
19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge)
718-858-4300
http://www.grimaldis.com/

http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/ChfbNz8CSUl6EcvCv6bHgQ/l.jpg

#2
John's   (I prefer the original Bleecker Street location)
278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014 (bet Jones St & Morton St)
212-243-1680
http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/

http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/0BNsLTh1VPu4xXCfW7hMuA/l.jpg

#3
Lombardi's
32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012 (between Mott St & Mulberry St)
212-941-7994
http://www.firstpizza.com/

Both Grimaldi's and John's do perfect thin-crust pizza and are very consistent. Lombardi's can be outstanding but they can be inconsistent. All use coal-fired ovens, which operate at much higher temperatures than conventional gas ovens, creating a crust that's beautifully blackened without allowing time for the toppings to make it soggy or to dry out.

I believe the only other places worth considering are Totonno's and Di Fara's. Di Fara's doesn't use a coal-fired oven, but I believe they use special high-temperature gas ones to obtain a similar effect. It's been a long time since I've been to either Totonno's or Di Fara's, so I've left them out of my ranking. Here's their details, though:

http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/B2Z88v0TFIO9JkXfR2_JcQ/l.jpg

Di Fara Pizzeria
1424 Ave J, Brooklyn, NY 11230
718-258-1367
(no URL)

http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/FKRUQYuCNzLYIzRzzcQbtw/l.jpg

Totonno's   (I believe the Coney Island location is the best)
1524 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224 (between 15th St & 16th St)
718-372-8606
http://www.totonnos.com/


Source(s):
10 years of living in NYC.

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