On the Upper East Side, plenty of things come with a name attached. Buildings, museums, the dog on the third floor. At Two Boots on 2nd Avenue, so do the pizzas. If you’re searching for specialty pizza Upper East Side style, here’s the short version: our shop at 1243 2nd Ave, in the 60s, bakes a lineup of named pies on a crisp cornmeal crust, each one with its own fixed topping combination and a Cajun-Italian streak you won’t find on a build-a-pie order form.
A specialty pizza, in plain words, is a pie that arrives already decided. Somebody worked out the combination, gave it a name, and put it on the menu so you don’t have to. A plain cheese pie is a blank page. Create Your Pizza is you holding the pen. A named pie like The Meg or Larry Tate is a finished sentence.
Below: the lineup by lane, the white pies that suit a 2nd Avenue family table, the vegan side, and the right pie for real Upper East Side moments.
Key Takeaways
- Two Boots Upper East Side (1243 2nd Ave) serves named specialty pies: set topping combinations that blend Italian and New Orleans Cajun flavors on a cornmeal crust.
- The Meg (“our very white pie”) and Larry Tate (spinach, plum tomatoes and garlic on a white pie) are easy, crowd-pleasing starting points for families.
- There’s a full vegan specialty lane made with Daiya non-dairy cheese, including Vegan Larry Tate, V for Vegan and Earth Mother.
- Bombinis, savory Cajun hand pies, are a Manhattan-only extra you can add to an Upper East Side order.
Check Out Our Menu!
What Turns a Pizza Into a “Specialty Pizza” at Two Boots
“Specialty” isn’t an official section on our menu. The menu sorts pies into Veggie, Meat and Vegan. But every pie in those lists that isn’t plain cheese fits the everyday meaning of the word: a signature combination with a name on it.
Three things make ours a little different from the usual deluxe-or-supreme lineup.
The two boots. Two Boots opened in 1987 on Avenue A in the East Village, founded by Phil Hartman. The name points to the two boot-shaped places on the map, Italy and Louisiana, and the menu keeps both in play. You’ll see Parmigiano and basil pesto right next to crawfish, andouille, tasso ham and Creole chicken.
The cornmeal crust. Every pie sits on a crust with cornmeal in the mix, which gives it a crisp edge and a texture you notice on the first bite. Grandma Bess is the exception in shape only: a thin, square Sicilian crust.
The names. Our pies are named after pop-culture icons. Some names you might recognize on sight (The Dude, Mr. Pink, The Newman), others are a fun one to look up while you wait. We’ll leave the stories to the menu and keep the focus here on what’s actually on each pie.
The upside of a named pie is speed: pick a name and the combination has already been balanced for you. If you’d rather steer, Create Your Pizza starts from a cheese base and lets you add your own toppings.
Specialty Pizza Upper East Side: The Named-Pie Lineup
Here’s the lineup we’d hand an Upper East Side regular who wants to try something past plain cheese. It leans on the gentler white pies first, then fans out into the Cajun side of the menu. Every ingredient below comes straight from our menu.
| Pie | What’s on it | Pick it if… |
|---|---|---|
| The Meg | “Our very white pie”: provolone, parmigiano, ricotta, mozzarella, roasted garlic and oregano | You want rich and cheesy with no tomato sauce at all |
| Larry Tate | Organic fresh spinach, plum tomatoes and fresh garlic on a white pie | You want something green that still tastes like a treat |
| Mel Cooley | Sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and basil pesto on a white pie | You like sweet, roasty flavors with a pesto finish |
| Grandma Bess | Organic San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, Parmigiano and mozzarella on a thin, square Sicilian crust | You want a square slice and a classic Italian profile |
| Emily Litella | Breaded eggplant, sweet red pepper pesto, ricotta and mozzarella | You’re an eggplant parm person at heart |
| Cleopatra Jones | Sweet Italian sausage, roasted peppers, red onions and mozzarella | You want a hearty meat pie without any jalapeños |
| Mr. Pink | Creole chicken, plum tomatoes, fresh garlic and mozzarella | You want a first taste of the Cajun side, minus the menu’s spicy flag |
| The Bayou Beast | Spiced shrimp, crawfish, andouille, jalapeños and mozzarella (marked spicy) | You want the full Louisiana boot on one pie |
A word on The Bayou Beast. Our site describes it as one of the two foundation pies from the original Two Boots restaurant and a favorite of founder Phil Hartman. If you only order one pie from the Cajun lane to understand what Two Boots is about, this is the one with the history behind it.
For meat-lovers, Super Newman (capicola, sopressata, sweet Italian sausage, ricotta and mozzarella) is the Italian-deli end of the menu, and The Dude, “our Cajun bacon cheeseburger pie,” brings ground beef, andouille, tasso ham, cheddar and mozzarella.
White Pies, Red Pies and the Top-Sauce Pie
On 2nd Avenue, the white pies earn a spotlight, because they solve a common family problem: the kid who “doesn’t like sauce.” Here’s how the three styles on our menu differ.
White pies skip the red sauce and let cheese, garlic and toppings carry the flavor. The Meg is the purest version, stacking four cheeses with roasted garlic and oregano. Larry Tate adds spinach, plum tomatoes and fresh garlic on that white base, so it reads lighter. Mel Cooley goes sweet and roasty. Then there are the white pies with more attitude:
- The Newman: sopressata and sweet Italian sausage on a white pie.
- Big Maybelle: Creole chicken, Zoe’s all-natural pepperoni and fresh garlic on a white pie.
- Night Tripper: sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and jalapeño pesto on a white pie (marked spicy).
- The Bird: Buffalo chicken, blue cheese dressing, scallions and jalapeños on a white pie (marked spicy).
Red pies are the classic setup: sauce or tomatoes underneath, cheese and toppings on top. Grandma Bess, Mr. Pink and Cleopatra Jones all sit in this camp.
The top-sauce pie flips the order. The Buckminster puts marinara over organic spinach, roasted garlic, parmigiano, provolone and mozzarella, so the sauce is the last thing your teeth meet. It’s a fun one to split with someone who usually orders red.
Vegan Specialty Pizza on the Upper East Side
Our vegan lane is built mostly on Daiya non-dairy cheese, and several pies are vegan versions of the named pies above.
- Vegan Larry Tate: organic fresh spinach, plum tomatoes and fresh garlic with vegan ricotta and Daiya. The natural partner for a regular Larry Tate on a family order.
- V for Vegan: artichokes, red onions and wild mushrooms with a criss-cross of sweet red pepper pesto and basil pesto, plus Daiya.
- Earth Mother: organic fresh spinach, roasted garlic, roasted peppers, wild mushrooms, red onion and marinara, with no cheese at all.
- Super Vegan: broccoli, artichokes, red onions, shiitake mushrooms, basil pesto, sweet red pepper pesto, Daiya and vegan ricotta.
- Vegan Tony Clifton, Vegan Cleo, Vegan Mr. Pink and The VCBGB round things out with wild mushrooms and vidalia onions, vegan sausage, and vegan chicken.
Need a side? The Vegan Calzone (Daiya, vegan ricotta, marinara) and the vegan House Salad work well, and the Marinara, Sweet Red Pepper Pesto, Basil Pesto and Jalapeño Pesto dippers are all vegan too.
Around 2nd Avenue: Matching a Specialty Pie to Your Upper East Side Day
The Upper East Side runs on routines. School pickup, a playground loop, a museum on a rainy Saturday, a building full of neighbors who know your order. Our shop sits right in that rhythm at 1243 2nd Ave, in the 60s.
A block or two east, St. Catherine’s Park on 1st Avenue at 67th Street is a go-to for neighborhood families, playground and all. It’s the kind of afternoon that ends with somebody announcing they’re starving, which is where a white pie and a Pizza Face come in. Pizza Face is our kid-friendly face pie, and it comes in a small size only, so it’s made for little hands.
Head west and you hit Museum Mile along Fifth Avenue, where a day of galleries leaves everyone hungry and a little opinionated. Up toward 86th Street there are errands and a lot of walking.
| UES occasion | Specialty pick | Add-on |
|---|---|---|
| After the St. Catherine’s Park playground | The Meg plus a Pizza Face for the youngest | Garlic Knots with marinara |
| Picky eaters and a parent who wants vegetables | Larry Tate (and Vegan Larry Tate if needed) | Caesar Salad |
| Refuel after a Museum Mile day | Grandma Bess | Eggplant Parm sliders |
| Errand run around 86th Street, eating on the go | A slice to go, plus a Bombini | Basil Pesto dipper |
| Quiet night in on a 60s side street | The Bayou Beast for the adventurous, Mel Cooley for everyone else | Cajun Ranch dipper |
| Building get-together or a book club | The Buckminster and The Newman | Chocolate chip cookies |
| Plant-based guests in the mix | V for Vegan or Earth Mother | Vegan House Salad |
About those Bombinis: they’re savory Cajun hand pies, only on the menu at our Manhattan locations, which makes them a small Upper East Side perk.
If you’ve read our earlier guide, From Slices to Specials: The Upper East Side Pizza Experience, think of this post as the deeper dive into the “specials” half of that title.
Ordering Specialty Pies for an Upper East Side Crowd
Birthday parties, office lunches, a building meeting that needs a peace offering. Specialty pies work for groups because the names do the explaining.
Here’s a simple mix-and-match formula for a group order:
- Start with one white pie. The Meg or Larry Tate keeps the sauce-skeptics happy.
- Add one red pie. Grandma Bess or Mr. Pink covers the classic crowd.
- Add one adventurous pie. The Bayou Beast, The Dude or Animal Collective (spinach and artichoke dip, a dash of cayenne, scallions and mozzarella) gives the table something to talk about.
- Add one vegan pie if anyone eats plant-based. V for Vegan or Vegan Larry Tate.
- Fill the gaps with sides. Garlic Knots, Chicken Parm, Meatball Parm (made with andouille meatballs) or Eggplant Parm sliders on house-made garlic knots, a Caesar or House Salad, and a few dippers.
On our menu pages, whole pies are listed in 10″, 14″ and 18″ sizes, so you can scale up or down depending on the headcount. For larger events, our Upper East Side catering page is the place to start planning. And for desserts, the house-baked chocolate chip cookie and the Gluten-Free Brownie both travel well.
Conclusion
Specialty pizza on the Upper East Side doesn’t have to mean the same supreme pie with a different logo. At Two Boots on 2nd Avenue, it means named pies that mix Italy and Louisiana on a crisp cornmeal crust, from The Meg to The Bayou Beast, plus a vegan lane, a Pizza Face for the kids and Manhattan-only Bombinis.
Find us at 1243 2nd Ave, and start your order from our locations page.
FAQs
What counts as a specialty pizza at Two Boots Upper East Side?
At Two Boots, a specialty pizza is any named pie on the menu with a set topping combination, as opposed to a plain cheese pie or a pie you build yourself with Create Your Pizza. Examples include The Meg, Larry Tate, Grandma Bess, Mr. Pink and The Bayou Beast. “Specialty” isn’t a formal menu heading; the menu groups pies as Veggie, Meat and Vegan.
Which specialty pies are white pies?
Several pies on our menu skip red sauce. The Meg is “our very white pie” with provolone, parmigiano, ricotta, mozzarella, roasted garlic and oregano. Larry Tate, Mel Cooley, The Newman, Big Maybelle, Night Tripper and The Bird are also listed as white pies. Night Tripper and The Bird are marked spicy on the menu.
Are there vegan specialty pizzas at the Upper East Side location?
Yes. The vegan lineup includes V for Vegan, Earth Mother, The VCBGB, Vegan Cleo, Super Vegan, Vegan Tony Clifton, Vegan Larry Tate and Vegan Mr. Pink. Most use Daiya non-dairy cheese, while Earth Mother has no cheese at all. There’s also a Vegan Calzone and a vegan House Salad.
What should I order for kids?
Pizza Face is our kid-friendly face pie and comes in a small size only. Many families also pair it with The Meg or Larry Tate, which are milder white pies, and an order of Garlic Knots with a side of marinara.
What are Bombinis, and can I get them on the Upper East Side?
Bombinis are savory Cajun hand pies. They’re available only at our Manhattan locations, which are the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side and the West Village, so yes, you can add them to an Upper East Side order.
Can I order specialty pies for catering or a group?
Yes. Mix a white pie, a red pie, an adventurous Cajun pie and a vegan pie, then add knots, sliders, salads and dippers. Our Upper East Side catering page has the details for planning larger orders, and you can order online through the Order Online button on our locations page.
