For the last crawl of 2025, I thought it would be fun to host a holiday themed pizza crawl complete with holiday themed costumes!

We visited the following shops on our holiday crawl:

Stretch Pizza

331 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010

Stretch Pizza, co-founded by chef @wyliedufresne and restaurateur Gadi Peleg (founder of Breads Bakery)in 2023, is joining the NYC Pizza Crawl on Saturday, December 6 in Manhattan. Known for reimagining classic New York-style pizza with creative toppings and exceptional dough, Stretch has two Manhattan locations and one Brooklyn location and is perfect for catering, delivery, and takeout.
Wylie Dufresne is one of America’s most influential and inventive chefs, celebrated for pioneering a science-driven, boundary-pushing approach to modern cuisine. A Rhode Island native with a philosophy degree from Colby College and classical training from the French Culinary Institute, Dufresne rose to prominence through formative work with Jean-Georges Vongerichten before opening his groundbreaking Michelin-starred restaurant wd~50 in 2003. Widely regarded as a leading figure in molecular gastronomy, he became known for transforming familiar dishes through innovative techniques, intellectual playfulness, and meticulous experimentation. His follow-up ventures—including Alder, Du’s Donuts, and now Stretch Pizza—showcase his ability to reimagine comfort foods with the same creativity that earned him a James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York and a place in the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage.

Unregular Pizza

135 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003

At the start of every pizza crawl, I always warn everyone: “Don’t overeat at the first stop—there’s a lot more incredible pizza ahead.” And nothing proves that more than our visit to Unregular Pizza.

Just like Gabriele Lamonaca’s beloved Rome, Unregular Pizza wasn’t built in a day. After years working across the restaurant industry, Gabriele was ready to open his own place—until COVID-19 put everything on pause.

Stuck at home, he began experimenting with ingredients, crafting square Roman-style pizzas, including his now-iconic Burrapizza topped with an entire burrata. He launched the Unregular Pizza Instagram account, and soon friends were asking to try his creations.

Instead of charging, Gabriele suggested a simple barter: a pizza in exchange for something homemade. As word spread, New Yorkers traded everything from home-cooked meals to desserts and small-batch brews.

Born in a time of isolation, Unregular Pizza grew from a creative outlet into a community built on connection—one heartfelt exchange at a time.

Now with multiple locations around the city, Gabriele is growing his pizza empire and keeping his barter tradition alive.

Nate’s Detroit Pizza

244 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003

Over the past several years, NYC has been in the middle of a full-blown pizza revolution. New shops are constantly raising the bar, and pizza makers are bringing bold regional styles to the city — including Detroit-style pizza.

Detroit-style pizza traces its roots back to the 1940s, when bakers used blue steel pans from local automotive plants to bake their pies. The result is a thick, airy crust with a signature caramelized cheese edge, created by pressing cheese all the way to the sides of the pan. The sauce comes last, spread in thick stripes on top, giving each slice its unmistakable look and flavor.

Founder Nate Skid of Nate’s Detroit Style Pizza turned a pizza-making hobby into a series of pop-ups — and then into a thriving business with multiple locations across NYC. Along with serving standout Detroit-style slices, he’s also expanded the menu with St. Louis–inspired tavern-style pizzas: ultra-thin, shatteringly crisp, and dangerously easy to devour.