Stretch Pizza

Stretch Pizza is chef Wylie Dufresne's tribute to the New York slice, and its Midtown outpost sits inside The Hugh, the food hall at the base of the Citigroup Center on Lexington Avenue. Dufresne made his name with the inventive tasting menus of WD-50 and later Alder, then turned his attention to something more everyday: Stretch began as a weekly pop-up out of Breads Bakery near Union Square before growing into its own shops. The idea is simple and very New York, a chef famous for experimentation chasing the perfect plain pie. In the food hall setting it works as a quick, high-quality lunch, with plenty of seating and neighbors from Midtown offices and nearby hotels.

The crust is thin and New York style, crisp and puffy at the edge with a soft, foldable middle. Start with the classics, cheese or pepperoni, built on salty mozzarella and house tomato sauce, then try the everything bagel pie, a newsmaker topped with a thin layer of cream cheese and mozzarella under bagel seasoning. Stretch Pizza was featured by the YouTuber New York Turk in 2025 as a cab driver's quick lunch, which is exactly the kind of stop this counter is made for. The Hugh is reachable from the street and from the Lexington Av/53 St station below. There are other Stretch locations, including Park Avenue South and Domino Park in Williamsburg.