Pizza by the slice

Pizza by the slice is a fast food purveyed by pizzeria restaurants and food stands as prepared slices of pizza. It is a common dish and street food in various areas of the world. Some restaurants and pizza stands only sell pizza by the slice, while others sell both slices and whole pizzas. The jumbo slice is a large-sized slice of New York-style pizza that is a prominent food in Washington, D.C. Pizza al taglio is a variety of pizza that originated in Rome, Italy and is typically purveyed by the slice and sold by weight.

Some pizzerias provide pizza by the slice and whole pizza pies, and some only provide pizza by the slice. Pizza by the slice is typically pre-cooked and pre-sliced, and is sometimes kept warm under heat lamps. Upon ordering, slices are sometimes re-heated in a pizza oven before being served. Selling pizza by the slice sometimes enables restaurants to realize increased profits, because the slice format allows for quick lunchtime service compared to customers having to order and wait for a whole pizza that is prepared from scratch. The price of pizza slices is also typically significantly less than the cost of a whole pie, which enables consumer purchases.

Pizza by the slice is prevalent in the United States, and significant consumer demand exists for the product in the U.S. Many pizzerias in New York City (NYC) purvey New York-style pizza by the slice, and some also provide Sicilian pizza by the slice. There are over 1,000 pizzerias and "slice shops" in NYC, and many purvey both whole pies and slices. In NYC, New York-style pizza is most commonly ordered by consumers as pizza by the slice. Pizza is a common street food in NYC, and some pizzerias compete, vying to provide "best" slice in the city.

The dish is common in some areas of the Balkans, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia. In Bulgaria, it is a common street food that is purveyed by street vendors and street pizza booths.

Pizza by the slice is also manufactured as a frozen food, and is sometimes packaged in individual serving portions. One example is the Red Baron "by the slice" brand, which is a microwaveable product manufactured by Schwan's Company.

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