Restaurant in New York City, United States
Reliable Detroit-style pizza, easy to book.

Emmy Squared is a Pearl Recommended Detroit-style pizzeria in Midtown Manhattan, ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list three years running. Chef Matt Hyland's square pies deliver a consistently well-executed product at an accessible price point. Easy to book, casual in register, and a clear first choice for Detroit-style pizza in this part of the city.
Emmy Squared is a reliable, well-credentialed pick for Detroit-style pizza in Midtown Manhattan. If you want deep-dish square pies with a properly caramelized crust edge, this is one of the few places in New York City doing it consistently well enough to earn three consecutive years on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list (ranked #71 in 2023, #116 in 2024, and #121 in 2025) alongside a Pearl Recommended designation for 2025. It is not a special-occasion restaurant, but it earns its spot as the kind of casual neighborhood-style pizzeria that serious food people actually return to.
Detroit-style pizza is a specific format: thick, rectangular, baked in an oiled pan so the cheese and crust develop a lacy, fried edge. Emmy Squared executes this format with enough consistency to have built a following well beyond its Hell's Kitchen address at 311 W 48th St. The kitchen runs a direct pizzeria operation, and the service matches that register — casual, efficient, and unpretentious. This is not a room where service is the performance; the pie is. That calibration works well at this price tier. You are not paying for tableside ceremony; you are paying for a well-made product in a comfortable room, and that exchange holds up.
The atmosphere is low-key and functional rather than designed-to-impress. For the explorer diner who wants depth and context, the draw here is in understanding where Emmy Squared sits within the Detroit-style pizza conversation nationally. The OAD Cheap Eats ranking, which draws on a wide network of serious diners, confirms this is not a novelty act. Three years of consistent placement — even trending slightly in rank over time , suggests a kitchen that has maintained standards rather than coasting on early buzz.
Emmy Squared occupies a specific lane. For coal-fired, thin-crust New York-style pizza, Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza and Don Antonio are the stronger picks. If you want Neapolitan-influenced slices with a cult following, Leading Pizza in Williamsburg is worth the trip. Artichoke Basille's fills a different niche entirely with its cream-sauced thick slices. For a Staten Island-rooted tavern-style experience, Denino's Pizzeria and Tavern is the reference point. Emmy Squared's comparative advantage is the Detroit format specifically , if that is what you are after, there is no obvious reason to look elsewhere in this part of the city.
Outside New York, if you are building a picture of the American artisan pizza scene, Ken's Artisan Pizza in Portland and 11th Street Pizza in Miami offer useful points of comparison for understanding how regional pizza styles and quality tiers differ across the country.
Reservations: Easy to book , walk-ins are generally feasible, and online reservations are available with little lead time required. Address: 311 W 48th St, New York, NY 10036, in Hell's Kitchen, convenient to Midtown. Dress: Casual , this is a pizzeria, no dress code applies. Budget: OAD's Cheap Eats classification places this firmly in the accessible price range; expect to spend well under $50 per person including drinks. Group suitability: Workable for small to mid-size groups; the casual format handles groups better than tasting-menu restaurants. Booking difficulty: Easy.
Emmy Squared sits within a rich dining scene. Browse our full New York City restaurants guide for more Pearl-recommended picks across all categories, or see our New York City hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide to plan the rest of your visit.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Squared | Pizzeria | Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America Ranked #121 (2025); Pearl Recommended Restaurant (2025); Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America Ranked #116 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America in Ranked #71 (2023) | Easy | — |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Emmy Squared is a reasonable group option for casual dining. The format — shareable square pies — works well for tables of four to eight. Reservations are easy to secure with little lead time, so larger parties should book online rather than walk in to avoid a wait.
For a different pizza format, Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza and Don Antonio are the go-to picks for coal-fired, thin-crust New York-style pies. If you want to stay in the Detroit-style lane, Emmy Squared is the most consistently credentialed option in Manhattan, ranked three consecutive years on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list.
The format is Detroit-style: thick, rectangular pies baked in an oiled pan that produces a caramelised, lacy cheese edge along the crust. Walk-ins are generally feasible, and online reservations require minimal lead time. It's a casual, accessible room — not a destination tasting experience.
Specific dietary accommodation details are not documented in the venue record. For allergy or dietary needs, check the venue's official channels at 311 W 48th St, Midtown Manhattan, before visiting. As a pizzeria, vegetarian options are a reasonable expectation, but confirm specifics with the venue.
It depends on the occasion. Emmy Squared suits a low-key celebration or casual group dinner well — it's approachable, reliable, and OAD-ranked, which gives it credibility. For a milestone dinner where atmosphere and formality matter, this is not the right venue; look elsewhere in the NYC dining scene.
Bar seating details are not documented in the venue record. Given the casual, neighbourhood pizzeria format, bar or counter seating is plausible — but confirm directly with the venue at 311 W 48th St before planning around it.
This is a casual pizzeria in Midtown, not a fine-dining room. Come as you are. There is no dress expectation beyond standard restaurant norms — jeans and a t-shirt are entirely appropriate.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.