Earlier this week, a group of Connecticut pizzamakers flew to Washington, D.C. to join U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro in declaring New Haven as “the pizza capital of the United States.” In addition to bringing a Who’s Who in the Connecticut pizza scene — or apizza scene, if you’re a local — to the Capitol steps, DeLauro also read a statement on the House floor, insisting that New Haven was our nation’s new pizza capital. 

New York City, which has long been considered the country’s top pizza spot, more or less rolled its eyes in DeLauro’s direction; one Brooklyn pizzeria owner summed up the city’s attitude with a succinct “That’s crazy.” To many people, in many parts of the country, New York is synonymous with pizza, and Good Day New York recently named the five best pizzerias in each of the five boroughs. 

In Manhattan, the “Best of the Boroughs” winner was East Village Pizza, owned and operated by Turkish immigrant Frank Kabatas. The pizzeria, located at 145 1st Avenue, has long been known for its double-stacked pizzas, its cheesy garlic knots, and its buffalo chicken pizzas. 

In an interview with WNBC’s “New York Live” program, Kabatas said that he’s been connected to East Village Pizza as long as he’s been in the United States. “The story begins the day that I got here from Turkey [in 1997],” he told New York Live host Lauren Scala. “I was desperate and looking for a job. I went to a couple of places and couldn’t find [work] but I ended up finding a job at this place as a delivery guy.” 

Kabatas delivered pies for East Village Pizza for six months before he was fired — ”someone messed up the dough and I got blamed” — but his pizza journey didn’t stop there. He worked at other pizzerias throughout the city, learning how to make his own pizzas. After six years of rolling dough, arranging toppings, and immersing himself in all things pizza, he learned that East Village Pizza was up for sale… and he bought it. 

“I had a lot of firsts in this place,” he said. “My first slice of pizza, I got it here. My first job, and my first ownership.” 

And now East Village Pizza has been recognized as one of the five best pizza joints in the City. The other four borough-centric winners include Lou & Ernie’s Pizza in The Bronx, Lee’s Tavern in Staten Island, and Bruno’s Ristorante in Queens. There was a tie between two spots, Krispy Pizza and Pizza Wagon, in Brooklyn. 

Good Day New York viewers vote in its Best of the Boroughs competition every year. In addition to the best pizza, the program also recognizes the city’s best bagels, burgers, desserts, and sandwiches. We’d also be letting you down if we didn’t mention that Modern Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut was named Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year in 2023.

When it comes to the country’s best pizza or its pizza capital or whatever, the real winner is whoever’s biting into a hot slice, regardless of where it’s from.