Rolling in Dough   

Between the mega stores and malls, you can still find them: mom-and-pop businesses that have been around for years and are still holding their ground. Is there anyone who hasn’t been to Amnon’s, where nothing’s changed in decades but the price of a slice?

Say Cheese

Amnon’s Pizza on 13th Avenue in Boro Park is the kind of no-frills pizza shop where time seems to have stopped half a century ago. The booths are sturdy, the lighting is cozy-but-a-little-dim, and the menu is iconic. The slices are classic New York — wide, cheesy, and just floppy enough to demand that signature fold. The staff moves with the speed and confidence of people who have been making pies for longer than you’ve been alive. It’s not fancy, but it’s Amnon’s — and that’s the story in itself.

Amnon Levy

Amnon’s Pizza

4814 13th Avenue

Since 1959

Secret Sauce

The shop was opened by Amnon Levy in 1959 after he emigrated from Israel. A private man who still prefers to keep a low profile, he sits with me in one of his own booths.

Why pizza back then? “Well, it was pretty new, so I took my chance,” he shrugs. The recipe developer for his legendary New York style slice? “Actually, my Yemenite mother,” Amnon says. She would to work in the store alongside him from the very beginning. In the early days, Amnon would spend 12 hours a day in the shop, making every pie by hand. Back then, a slice was just 15 cents. Eventually, he trained his employees in his family’s recipe and process, ensuring that the pizza would remain consistent no matter who was behind the counter.

Nothing’s Changed

What’s changed since then? Amnon chuckles. “The pizza has stayed the same. I just got older.”