damnlines.comdamnlines.comThe 1975 Carmine Street original from Spider-Man 2, long shorthand for the quintessential New York slice.
Joe's is a stand-up slice counter, not a sit-down restaurant, so the line here is a counter queue for a folded slice, not a wait for a table. The Infatuation notes the Carmine Street original "usually has long lines" but says the slices "come out piping hot every single time." NYC Metro reports the line "usually moves quickly" because the operation is built for speed: order fast, pay, walk out.
Fame drives much of the crowd. Per Wikipedia, Joe's opened in 1975 and its old corner location appears in 2004's Spider-Man 2 as the pizzeria that fires Peter Parker, and several Joe's locations still trade on the movie. NYC Tourism calls Joe's "always at the top of the list" for city pizza and quotes Ben Affleck calling it "without a doubt the best pizza" in New York. That reputation pulls tour groups and out-of-towners in alongside the regulars.
Timing decides everything. A Redditor cited by Islands says "the Carmine location hits every time and depending on the timing, the line can be reasonable or non existent." NYC Metro pegs the crush at lunch (about 12-2pm) and evenings, heavier on weekends, and points to mid-morning or mid-afternoon to skip the worst of it. Opinion is not unanimous: the same Islands roundup quotes New Yorkers who call Joe's overrated, "expensive for no reason, very thin pizza."
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
John's of Bleecker Street · 2 min walkclosedSalt Hank's · 3 min walkclosedBreakfast by Salt's Cure · 3 min walkclosedWe don't run a camera here, so we can't give a live number. Reporting varies widely: The Infatuation says the original "usually has long lines," while a Redditor cited by Islands says that depending on timing it "can be reasonable or non existent." NYC Metro notes the line usually moves quickly.
NYC Metro reports lunch (about 12-2pm) and weekend evenings are busiest, and recommends mid-morning or mid-afternoon to skip the crowd.
Per Wikipedia, it opened in 1975 and appeared in 2004's Spider-Man 2 as the pizzeria that fires Peter Parker. NYC Tourism calls it "always at the top of the list" for NYC pizza, and quotes Ben Affleck calling it "without a doubt the best pizza" in the city.
It's a stand-up slice counter, not a sit-down restaurant, so there are no reservations; you order at the counter. That's also why the line, when there is one, tends to move fast, per NYC Metro.
Opinion is split. The Islands Reddit roundup quotes fans calling it a "solid, quintessential NYC slice" and critics calling it overrated: "expensive for no reason, very thin pizza." Your call.