Ben's Pizzeria • 1956

The fluorescent-lit corner where MacDougal meets West 3rd has belonged to Ben's since 1956, an all-night refuge slinging oversized slices to NYU students, post-bar crowds, and anyone wandering out of Washington Square Park past midnight. The no-frills shop gained pop culture immortality as the backdrop where Louis C.K. gets flipped off mid-bite in the opening credits of his show Louie. Seven decades later, the reheated slices and grungy walls still draw the late-night faithful.