Myth busted?
Filmmaker Pete Ferriero had 2.5 gallons of New York tap water shipped to a small pizzeria near UCLA in late 2024. His goal was to test one of America’s most polarizing culinary claims — that the city’s distinctive natural resource is a must-have ingredient for the best slices and pies.
The experiment is part of Ferriero’s new documentary, The Best Pizza Is in L.A., which puts forward an even bigger and more combustible idea: Los Angeles has better pizza than New York.
In the film, Ferriero crisscrosses the City of Angels, sampling slices and chatting with pizza makers, chefs and celebrity guests including Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green and Ray Romano. All the while he’s making the case that America’s best pizza is right here in Southern California.
The backlash from friends back East has been predictably fierce.
“My buddies in New York are giving me shit all the time,” he tells The Sun. “One guy said, ‘You know that’s not true. Why are you making a documentary like this? You want to get shot?’”
Ferriero also shared that he reached out to longtime New Yorker and Sopranos star Vincent Pastore and asked him to film a “New York-is-better” scene. The actor refused, saying the best slice wasn’t in the five boroughs at all. It was at Richie Palmer’s Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Beverly Hills.
Then Pastore’s former co-star, Joe Gannascoli, pushed the debate even further, insisting on camera that what makes New York pizza superior to all others is –– you guessed it –– the water.
“When Joe said that to me, that was truly a moment where I was like, ‘Oh, I need to test the water,’” Ferriero says. “Like, how can this movie be about New York versus L.A. pizza and not have my friend fly a gallon of water out here?”
That led Ferriero and his crew straight to Danny Boy’s in Westwood, where the film’s most talked-about moment came to life. Owner Daniel Holzman created two batches of dough — same temperature, same process — one with L.A. water and one with the batch shipped from Queens.
The taste testers included celebrities, former New Yorkers and pizza chefs from top L.A. slice shops like Secret Pizza, Triple Beam Pizza and Sanctuary Pizza.
The result is the kind of thing that makes pizza purists lose their minds: of the 10 people shown on camera, five picked New York and five picked Los Angeles.
“There was a difference in taste,” Ferriero admits, “but one wasn’t considered better.”
For decades, New Yorkers have insisted that their city’s mineral-rich tap water is the magic ingredient behind its iconic crust. Some pizzerias around the world even boast about importing NYC water or dough. Ferriero’s experiment doesn’t erase the difference entirely, but it does punch a big hole in the idea that water alone makes the slice.
And that’s really the larger point of The Best Pizza Is in L.A. (available Tuesday on V.O.D.). It’s not just taking potshots at the Big Apple — it’s making the case that the west coast actually belongs in the national pizza conversation.
“The best New York pizza is in New York,” Ferriero concedes. “But I can also get good New York pizza in L.A. — and I can get a lot more than that.”
“New York really has one dominant style. Out here, you’ve got everything — and people doing it at a really high level.”
FERRIERO’S TOP WESTSIDE SPOTS
Hungry yet? Here are three of Ferriero’s favorite Westside spots:
- Triple Beam Pizza: Known for its Roman-style pizza cut with scissors, weighted by the ounce, and topped with creative seasonal ingredients (like their popular pandemic corn pie). 2905 Main Street., Santa Monica
- Danny Boy’s Pizza: Home of the famous NYC tap water experiment. They serve up classic, meticulous New York-style slices crafted with high-level technique. 10889 Lindbrook Dr., Westwood
- Prime Pizza: A local staple for dependable, consistent New York-style street slices and square Grandma pies. In the film, this is Ferriero’s overall pick for “Best slice in L.A.” 1811 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica
