Quick answer: For spicy pizza on the Upper West Side, head to Two Boots at 70 W. 71st St, just off Columbus Ave. The pies marked spicy on the menu are the Night Tripper, The Bayou Beast, The Bird, The Divine and Meat the Mets, plus Hot Knots doused in jalapeño pesto.
The Upper West Side has a reputation for being polite. Brownstones, strollers, quiet streets off the park. But plenty of people up here want their pizza with a little attitude, and if you’re hunting for spicy pizza on the Upper West Side, the jalapeños are waiting on West 71st Street.
Two Boots has been mixing Italy and Louisiana since 1987, when it opened on Avenue A in the East Village. That Cajun-Italian combo is why the heat here tastes different from a shake of red pepper flakes. It’s built into the pies, the pestos and the dippers.
Key Takeaways
- Two Boots Upper West Side is at 70 W. 71st St, a short walk from Central Park West, Lincoln Center and the Beacon Theatre.
- Five pies are marked spicy on the menu: Night Tripper, The Bayou Beast, The Bird, The Divine and Meat the Mets.
- Hot Knots and the Jalapeño Pesto dipper let you add heat to anything, and the jalapeño pesto is vegan.
- Blue cheese, Cajun Ranch and ricotta are on hand when the table needs to cool off.
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Where the Heat Comes From: Two Boots’ Cajun-Italian Idea
The name says it all. Italy is a boot. Louisiana is a boot. Two Boots puts them on the same pie.
The idea started in 1987 on Avenue A, back when the East Village was the center of the city’s punk and arts scene in the CBGB era. Founder Phil Hartman took the two boot-shaped places on the map and asked a simple question: what happens if a New York pizza shop cooks like it has family in New Orleans? The answer is a menu where crawfish, andouille and jalapeños sit comfortably next to San Marzano tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. The Upper West Side shop carries that same idea uptown.
That also means the spice at Two Boots doesn’t come from one source. It comes from a whole crew of ingredients that bring their own kind of kick:
- Jalapeños, scattered fresh across several pies.
- Jalapeño pesto, a green, garlicky, peppery sauce that works as a base, a topping and a dip.
- Creole chicken, seasoned in the New Orleans tradition.
- Andouille, the smoky Cajun sausage.
- Buffalo chicken, for the wing-night crowd.
All of it lands on a cornmeal crust that’s crisp with a signature texture, sturdy enough to carry the heat.
Why the Crust Matters for Spicy Pizza
Heat needs a good foundation. A floppy slice lets oil and pepper run straight to your wrist, and a bland crust gets lost under strong toppings. The cornmeal crust at Two Boots has crunch and a little toasty grain flavor of its own, so it holds up under shrimp and sausage and gives your mouth a quick break between bites of jalapeño.
Jalapeño Pesto vs. Sliced Jalapeños
Two Boots uses jalapeños in two different ways, and they don’t behave the same.
Sliced jalapeños are the punctuation marks. You get a bright, green, crunchy hit of heat in some bites and a calmer bite in others.
Jalapeño pesto is the steady hum. Because it’s a sauce, the pepper flavor spreads across the whole pie or the whole knot, mixed in with garlic. Every bite gets some, so the heat feels even rather than surprising. If you like knowing exactly what you’re getting, pesto-based picks like Night Tripper and Hot Knots are your lane.
The Spicy Pizza Upper West Side Lineup
Five pies wear the “Spicy” label on the Two Boots menu. Each one brings the heat differently, so the right pick depends on who’s at the table.
| Pie | What’s on it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Night Tripper | Sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, jalapeño pesto, white pie | Vegetarians who still want a kick |
| The Bayou Beast | Spiced shrimp, crawfish, andouille, jalapeños, mozzarella | Going full Louisiana |
| The Bird | Buffalo chicken, blue cheese dressing, scallions, jalapeños, white pie | Wing fans who want it on a crust |
| The Divine | Capicola, red onions, jalapeños, mozzarella | A clean, classic spicy slice |
| Meat the Mets | Sweet Italian sausage, Creole chicken, Zoe’s pepperoni, jalapeños, ricotta, mozzarella | Big appetites and baseball people |
Night Tripper. This is a white pie, so there’s no tomato sauce underneath. Instead, the jalapeño pesto does the work, with roasted garlic adding a soft, mellow sweetness and sun-dried tomatoes bringing little chewy bursts of tang.
The Bayou Beast. If you want to understand what Two Boots is about, start here. Spiced shrimp and crawfish give it a sweet, briny, Gulf Coast character, andouille adds smoke, and the jalapeños cut through all that richness with fresh heat.
The Bird. Think of every plate of Buffalo wings you’ve eaten, then put it on a white pie. Buffalo chicken brings tang and heat, blue cheese dressing cools it right back down, scallions add a fresh bite, and jalapeños push it a notch further. Hot and cool in the same slice is the whole appeal.
The Divine. Capicola, red onions, jalapeños and mozzarella. That’s it, and that’s the point. The cured pork is savory and a little peppery, the red onions add sweetness and crunch, and the jalapeños keep things lively. It’s a straightforward spicy slice for people who don’t want to overthink it.
Meat the Mets. This one is built for big appetites. Sweet Italian sausage, Creole chicken and Zoe’s pepperoni stack up the flavor, jalapeños bring the heat, and dollops of ricotta round it all out with creamy, mild pockets. That ricotta makes it a smart middle ground for a mixed group, since the cooler bites balance the spicy ones.
Hot Knots and the Jalapeño Pesto Dipper
Not every craving needs a whole pie. Hot Knots are garlic knots doused in jalapeño pesto, and they come three to an order. They’re an easy add-on to any order, or a snack on their own. (If you’re a knot person in general, we wrote a whole post on garlic knots on the Upper West Side.)
The Jalapeño Pesto dipper is the other trick. Order any pie you like, then dip the crust. You can do the same with Cajun Ranch for a creamier, Louisiana-leaning kick. It’s the easiest way to turn a mild pie into a spicy slice without changing anyone else’s order.
Vegan Heat on West 71st Street
Two Boots has a deep vegan lineup made with Daiya non-dairy cheese, and the jalapeño pesto is vegan. That’s the key to plant-based heat here.
Pick a vegan pie like V for Vegan or Vegan Cleo, then add the Jalapeño Pesto dipper on the side. Dip as aggressively as you like.
The vegan pies themselves aren’t marked spicy, so think of the pesto as your volume knob. You decide how loud it gets.
Cooling It Down
Spicy food is more fun when there’s an exit strategy. Two Boots gives you a few:
- Blue Cheese dipper. The classic Buffalo partner, and The Bird already comes with blue cheese dressing on the pie.
- Cajun Ranch dipper. Cool and creamy with a little Cajun personality.
- Ricotta. Meat the Mets has it built in, which takes the edge off the jalapeños.
- A mild pie for the table. Order something like Grandma Bess or The Buckminster next to your spicy pie so everyone has a safe zone.
That last one is the move for families.
Why the Upper West Side Wants a Spicy Slice
West 71st Street, just off Columbus Ave, puts Two Boots in the middle of a lot of Upper West Side routines. Here’s when a spicy slice tends to make sense up here.
Before a show at Lincoln Center or the Beacon Theatre. You’ve got tickets and not a lot of time. A slice of The Divine or a round of Hot Knots is quick, filling and a lot more memorable than a granola bar in your coat pocket. Spicy food before a concert is a small act of rebellion, which feels right for a pizza shop with East Village punk roots.
After a family day at the Natural History Museum. Everyone has walked past the dinosaurs, everyone is hungry, and everyone wants something different. The spicy-pie-plus-mild-pie strategy works well here. The adults get The Bayou Beast. The kids get a “Pizza Face,” the small kid-friendly face pie. Peace is restored.
After a walk along Central Park West. A loop through the park builds an appetite. Grab a spicy pie to go and take it home.
When you want a Cajun-flavored bite that isn’t pizza. Manhattan locations, including the Upper West Side, also carry Bombinis, savory Cajun hand pies. They’re a fun extra for the table when you’re already ordering spicy pies.
Feeding a group. Office lunch, a team meeting, a party after a recital. The Upper West Side catering page is the place to start if you need a spread with some heat and some mild options for everyone.
A Spicy Pick for Every Upper West Side Plan
Here’s a cheat sheet for matching the order to the occasion, with a mild pie on the side so nobody gets left out.
| Occasion | Spicy pick | Mild pick for the table |
|---|---|---|
| Quick bite before Lincoln Center | The Divine or Hot Knots | Grandma Bess |
| Pre-show dinner near the Beacon Theatre | The Bayou Beast | The Buckminster |
| Family day at the Natural History Museum | Meat the Mets | Pizza Face for the kids |
| Picnic haul after Central Park West | The Bird | Cleopatra Jones |
| Vegan friends in the group | V for Vegan with the Jalapeño Pesto dipper | Vegan Cleo |
| Office lunch off Columbus Ave | Meat the Mets and Hot Knots | Mr. Pink and Garlic Knots |
Your First Spicy Order at Two Boots
New to Two Boots and not sure where to start? Here’s a simple game plan.
Start with the knots. An order of Hot Knots is a low-commitment way to meet the jalapeño pesto. If you love it, you know you’ll love Night Tripper. If it’s a lot, you know to keep the pesto on the side next time.
Pick one spicy pie and one mild pie. The Bayou Beast is the clearest taste of the Cajun-Italian idea. Pair it with a calmer pie like Grandma Bess, whose San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, basil and thin Sicilian crust give everyone a break between spicy bites.
Grab two dippers. Jalapeño Pesto for people who want more heat, and Blue Cheese or Cajun Ranch for people who want less. Now every slice at the table can be adjusted on the spot.
Ordering Spicy Pizza for a Group or Office
Group orders on the Upper West Side come with a familiar problem: one person wants all the jalapeños, one person won’t touch them, and someone else is vegan. The fix is to build a spread instead of a single order.
Plan on roughly one spicy pie for every mild one, then round it out with sides. Hot Knots and plain Garlic Knots side by side let people pick their level. A Caesar or House salad gives the table something fresh. Chicken Parm and Eggplant Parm sliders are easy to grab between meetings, and a Classic Calzone or Vegan Calzone covers anyone who’d rather not do slices. Add a few dippers, Jalapeño Pesto, Blue Cheese and Cajun Ranch, and the whole spread becomes customizable.
Conclusion
Spicy pizza on the Upper West Side doesn’t have to mean one jalapeño pie and a shrug. At Two Boots, you’ve got five spicy pies, Hot Knots, a vegan jalapeño pesto and a few cooling dippers to keep the whole table happy. From a pre-show slice near Lincoln Center to dinner after the museum, West 71st Street has you covered.
Ready to bring the heat? Visit Two Boots Upper West Side and order online.
FAQs
Which pizzas are marked spicy at Two Boots Upper West Side?
Two Boots doesn’t rank its pies by heat, but five pies are marked spicy on the menu: Night Tripper, The Bayou Beast, The Bird, The Divine and Meat the Mets. Each has jalapeños or jalapeño pesto, and you can add more heat to any of them with the Jalapeño Pesto dipper.
Does Two Boots have spicy vegan options?
Yes. The jalapeño pesto is vegan, so you can order a vegan pie like V for Vegan or Vegan Cleo with the Jalapeño Pesto dipper on the side. The vegan pies are made with Daiya non-dairy cheese.
Can I order spicy pizza for takeout or delivery on the Upper West Side?
Yes. Head to the Two Boots Upper West Side location page and use the Order Online button to place your order.
What are Hot Knots?
Hot Knots are Two Boots’ garlic knots doused in jalapeño pesto. They come three to an order and are marked spicy on the menu.
Where is Two Boots on the Upper West Side?
Two Boots Upper West Side is at 70 W. 71st St, just off Columbus Ave. It’s a short walk from Lincoln Center, the Beacon Theatre, Central Park West and the Natural History Museum.
How can I make a mild pie spicy at Two Boots?
Order the Jalapeño Pesto dipper on the side and dip your crust as much as you like. Cajun Ranch adds a creamier Cajun kick, and Hot Knots make a spicy side for any pie.
