Where to grab a slice—or, let’s be honest, a whole pie.
There ’s a rationality everyone loves the pizza they grew up with . Thebest pizzeriasare one - of - form . They serve pizza pie you could blot on Instagram without a location ticket . They have specific flavors and texture that do n’t exist in the same signifier anywhere else in the worldly concern . They ’re the originator of a style or the place that master it . They have story behind them that inspire and space inside that transport you . And above all , they have incredibly passionate mass who have put their life into making a position where conjuration can occur with a small flour , sauce , and oestrus .
Pizza — even great pizza — is subjective . You may likea sealed pizzamore , but we do n’t cogitate you ’ll find many pizza shop well than the next list . These 28 spots are all very different , but each of them can make one helluva pie .
Apizza Scholl’s
Portland , OregonEvery town in America seems to have a pop neighborhood pizza place with classic colonnade games , but none of them serve pizza as absurdly great as Portland legend , Apizza Scholls . Scholl ’s serves thin encrustation , but it ’s definitely not New York style . The conclusion are puffier and more flavorful , the bottom is sturdier , and there ’s more cheese than you ’d expect on such a dialed - in pie . professional kale baker Brian Spangler has been a pizza pie rock candy star for more than 15 years . His plain pies are killer on their own , but his toppings are fantastic , too — especially the sausage . Spangler ’s also a man who live by a specific code : overloading ingredient ruin pizza . Oh , and that assembling of vintage arcade games Spangler on a regular basis splay ? That ’s belike the respectable I ’ve seen at any pizzeria as well .
Bufalina Due
Austin , TexasWhile every Austin topical anesthetic has a preferent greaser or barbecue position they will defend to the last as “ the absolute good , ” there is no such debate when it comes to Bufalina . This eminent - end , pizza - driven organisation is universally beloved by anyone lucky enough to try their Neapolitan - style creations . The soft , expertly formed pie here are a sexual love letter to all the possibilities that the combination of dough and ingredients can reach . The complex show of smell , like the one in the Garden Pie ( which turn back coconut milk , squash , corn whiskey , fennel hot sauce , and various herbs ) , will elevate a hangdog delight to fine cuisine .
See the top pizza shops in all of Austin .
Di Fara Pizza
New York , New YorkPerhaps the ultimate pilgrimage for anyone interested in NYC pizza lore , thisold - schoolhouse shopdates back to 1965 , when Italian immigrant Domenico DeMarco ( “ Dom ” ) spread what would become one of Brooklyn ’s most legendary pizza joints . A taste ofDi Fara ’s pizza is serve by the basic slice , but you ’ll need to mob on import Italian ingredients like soppressata , prosciutto , and broccoli rabe . The workshop ’s laud pizzaiolo recentlypassed awayafter decades at the helm of this iconic workshop , but the top - notch pizza that add up thanks to his fantabulous formula help to carry on his legacy .
See the top pizza shops in all of New York City .
Dino’s Tomato Pie
Seattle , WashingtonBrandon Pettit — already a pizzeria owner ofDelancey , one of Seattle ’s most dear spots of fire - kiss pie — missed the Jersey pies of his youthfulness . So Pettit did what any dough - ghost pizzaiolo would do : vivify the blood-red - lamped and morose pizza pie juncture of his retentivity into a cautiously crafted dive that pays homage to the Jersey pizza pie taverns he remember . At his Capitol Hill spot , find stocky Sicilian - style beset with caramelized cheese , zippy red sauce , topically sourced toppings , and maximal charwoman . Round pizzas , like the downplay yet perfect White Pie , also prevail here . Do n’t vamoose a grown pile of shareable salad or Actual Garlic Knots . And there are Negronis on - hydrant , just say .
Eleventh Street Pizza
Miami , FloridaEleventh Street Pizza is a creation of convenience from restaurateur and chef David Foulqiuer , who opened up a to - go store when his old restaurant , Fooq ’s , suffered a pandemic - induced closing . The large , Brooklyn - style PIE became an instant sensation , mixing a virtuoso , spicy sauce with a crust that strikes the perfect blend of crispy and doughy . It ’s enough to support the pizza , but not so much to weigh it down . There ’s also traditional Sicilian pizza pie , where thick pan - cooked slice are top with onion plant , love apple , herbs , and no Malva sylvestris . In a city where it ’s often out of the question to separate hype from the real deal , Eleventh Street deliver , point us all that sometimes when a projection terminate , it can lead to something greater .
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Emilia’s
Berkeley , CaliforniaOn a hushed street in Berkeley , the one and only employee of Emilia ’s Pizzeria quietly serve the beneficial pizza pie in California . Emilia ’s can best be described as “ ember oven - esque , ” even though owner Keith Freilich is cooking in a gasolene oven that runs much hotter than most . His pizza pie is a nod to the classical marijuana cigarette Freilich worked at back in New York like Grimaldi ’s , but the gall is more sylphlike and flavorful , and his blend of fresh and senior cheeses is more refined . It does n’t taste like the classics it fall from — it in reality savor much better . Emilia ’s has a tiny footprint and there ’s only room for one table in the spot , so it ’s primarily a takeout food operation .
Flour + Water Pizzeria
San Francisco , CaliforniaThe original Flour + Water restaurant has nifty Neapolitan pies and even better pasta , but when Thomas McNaughton made the determination to open up a pizza shop , he knew he had to change things up . lawful Neapolitan does n’t move well . you could set a timer when it comes out of the oven and you ’re prosperous if it survives for five minutes . This incarnation of Flour + Water keeps McNaughton ’s notoriously high standards for ingredients , but drops the leopard spots in favor of bulbous , bready gall that ’s build for the long catch . Though pizza pie ( red and lily-white ) is the reason you ’re likely sound to this pizzeria , there are other tasty thing on the menu , including mozzarella marijuana cigarette that are well - seasoned and gooey and just crispy enough on the outside , a dyad of salad , and soft serve for which you emphatically postulate to save way .
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Good Pie
Las Vegas , NevadaRecently , Vegas has become apizza scenethat is worthy of some of the heaviest - hit pizza metropolis in the area . It ca n’t all be credited to lifelong pizzaiolo Vincent Rotolo and his shop Good Pie , but it certainly changed the game . What started as a tiny pizza pie workshop in Pawn Plaza in early 2018 , has grown into its very own sit down - down restaurant and taproom with a walk - up windowpane serving hot piece in the exceedingly happening Arts District . Good Pie specializes in a bunch of different pizza pie styles , from the giant foldable triangles of its Brooklyn style to three distinctly unlike straight pies — the thin and chewy Grandma , the fluffy - but - not - too - thick Sicilian ( it is the goldilocks aster of the three hearty styles ) , and the densely lively Detroit with its caramelized cheese freshness .
See the top pizza pie store in all of Las Vegas .
Loui’s
Hazel Park , MichiganLoui ’s lives in the shadows ofBuddy ’s , the primogenitor of Detroit stylus pizza pie , the vaguely Sicilian pizza that ’s currentlypopping up around the body politic . The pizza are made in aluminum pans with Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the elbow room to the edge . The sauce goes on the very top , but you ’ll really be intimate it ’s Detroit when you see the gloriously burnt , caramelized bound . you may indicate over which space has beneficial squares , but Buddy ca n’t guard a carburetor to Loui ’s experience . What seems like thousands of bottles that once held Chianti adorn the erectile legal profession with schmaltzy luminance and a staff that seems like it ’s been there for decennary serving an uninhibited diversity Detroit style . There ’s more cheese , more grease , and a definitely un - organic sauce that somehow makes the rest of the flavor pop out more .
Lovely’s 50/50
Portland , OregonTalk to pizza pie multitude about the chef they ’re most excited about and Sarah Minnick ’s name is guaranteed to come up . Minnick is the co - proprietor of Lovely ’s 50/50 , a pizza parlor that quickly became a Portland institution . Lovely ’s pie are n’t just seasonal , they ’re all dependent on what she like at the farmer ’s market that hebdomad . That means element and flavor you ’ve never had on a pizza before like roast Brassica oleracea gongylodes , apricot , and even marigold petals , along with a revolving blend of senior , funky cheeses . You have n’t had anything like her agrestic dough , either . It ’s a of course leavened , whole grain diverseness that ’s as solid and wheaty as pizza gets . After dinner party , Lovely ’s 50/50 has one more illusion up its arm . The other half of the 50/50 is ice cream made from the same organic fertilizer , farm - tonic ingredients Minnick uses in her pizza .
Mission Pizza Napoletana
Winston - Salem , North CarolinaFounder Peyton Smith set out to bring Neapolitan pizza to the barbeque - crazed dweller of North Carolina . Smith spend age perfecting his craft out of a wood - fired oven mount on a trainer . Today , the 2022 James Beard Semifinalist is lauded for his pies topped with crushed tomato , a pinch of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks , and a mizzle of premium olive oil , the way of life that Jupiter intended . After a fleeting pass through an infernal 900 - degree oven , Mission Pizza ’s pies come forth with a crust that is implausibly fluffy and crispy at the same time , with the sodding amount of charred “ leopard spots ” on the bottom . Dressed with both traditional and inventive toppings , it ’s enough to make a Carolinian eschew smoke porc — at least for a repast or two .
Mozza
Los Angeles , CaliforniaMore than 15 years ago , Nancy Silverton unlock the mystery to make outstanding pizza pie in Los Angeles . As the beginner of LaBrea Bakery and the cleaning lady who change the way Americans reckon a baguette , Silverton developed a lolly recipe based on her favorite bread and then put the best ingredients she could find on top of it . Mozza has a unfeigned baker ’s crust that uses a mixture of bread and rye flour and some barley malted milk to give a slight fragrancy to the puffy freshness . And not everyone can bust LA ’s husbandman ’s markets for squash racquets flower or knows which nooks and cranny of Italy to intrude around to get hold the best olive oil of the season . In the years since Mozza open up , Silverton has gainedeven more acclaimas one of the country ’s skilful chefs . But beyond a few weak try in Los Angeles , nobody else has tried to copy her signature style . possibly it ’s a polarity of respect , but more probable they just ca n’t . Nancy ’s that good .
See the top pizza spots in all of Los Angeles .
One Speed
Sacramento , CaliforniaFun fact : Over 90 % of America’s — and one third of the world’s — canned tomato plant come from the farm around Sacramento . AndOne Speedis the realisation of that potential . This unassuming bicycle - themed pizza restaurant in East Sacramento cranks out pies that not only stand above anything in the Bay Area , they could go toe - to - toe with any in New York City . One upper ’s menu changes by what ’s in season at surround farms , a very California take on pizza make that harkens back to the older world . The New Jersey Tomato Proto-Indo European with soppressata salami , herbed mozzarella , parmesan , crushed Lycopersicon esculentum , Basil the Great , and garlic oil tastes like a dinner scene in a gang movie .
Pepe’s/Sally’s
New Haven , ConnecticutIs it cheating to meld two dissimilar places ? Perhaps . But Pepe ’s and Sally ’s are at the very top of pizza shop in their class , legend that have served oblong , chewy coal oven New Haven apizza for a combined 175 age . They ’re also a block aside from each other and even descend from the same folk . Of naturally , the giving comeback to that argument is that the two spot excel at radically different Proto-Indo European . Pepe ’s white clam pizza is fabled . The classical portmanteau of grated romano cheese , brisk ail , olive oil , and parsley perfectly highlight the fresh clams in an absurdly simple fashion . But Sally ’s tomato pie is a beautiful mix of tangy canned tomatoes with a dust Pecorino Romano and fresh herb . It highlights the flakey char , which is more present at Sally ’s . So if they ’re not in reality the same , should they really be heel together ? consume them back to back for what could possibly be the best pizza Nox of your life and give thanks us afterward .
Pequod’s
Chicago , IllinoisThere ’s Graeco-Roman deep mantrap likeLou Malnati ’s , there ’s stuffed pizza likeGiordano ’s , and there ’s pan , like Pequod ’s . When we ’re really hunger a bowel dud , Pequod ’s is the atomic option . This OG deep dish slinger attend to up pantry pies lade down with savory toppings and land up with its signature caramelize crust . Pan pizza pie pioneer and legendary character Burt Katz launch Pequod ’s before he later on open his own stead ( Burt ’s , of course ) , but since his overtaking in 2016 , Pequod ’s seems to be the place where his legacy remain inviolate . The shop in Lincoln Park has the trade good , but visiting the original Morton Grove localisation is an immersive experience . It ’s like you ’re in someone ’s basement - turned - barroom that encounter to serve one of the most soulful , over the top dishes of all - time . It all feels very Chicago and very Burt , and that ’s a bang-up jazz group .
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Pizza Brain
Philadelphia , PennsylvaniaWhen Pizza Brain spread out in 2012 , it was touted as the firstPizza Museum . There is real account in Brian Dwyer ’s monumental solicitation of memorabilia , but more than that , it was a monitor how much fun pizza is and how it ’s intrinsically tied to community and pop culture . All the toys and records and classic photos are still there , but customer are n’t there because of the past , but for the groundbreaking pizza pie of today . The shop attend to “ American pizza ” with a golden browned gall from a brick oven . A playful , seasonal computer menu features bánh mì pies , lamb curry , and low country boil – themed pizzas with andouille sausage , shrimp , pureed potatoes , and odorous maize . These do n’t sense like gimmicks though , partly because the crew is talented and partly because the intention behind it is so pure . Pizza Brain has been a invariable for Philly ’s pizza landscape even as the city seems to have more option than ever before .
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Pizzana
Los Angeles , CaliforniaDaniele Uditi grew up in an artisan kale broil family and work at one of the very best pizza parlor in Italy . To some , that may be a dream , but he found the inflexible Neapolitan code restrictive . So when he moved across the populace to find a new life in Los Angeles , he threw the rules out the window and made something wholly original . On first coup d’oeil , Pizzana may look like even Neapolitan , but lift up a slice and you ’ll find there is n’t anything soupy or floppy about this pizza . The Earth’s crust is delicate , but it ’s also more crisp and flavoursome than a traditional Neapolitan Proto-Indo European thanks to a hand - mixed dough that is gently fermented and baked slenderly longer at a low oven temperature . Uditi also uses special cool racks and serving plates that give vent the bottom of the gall so the slices keep on their structural unity . Try the Neo - Margherita , a deconstructed version of the classic , or the Cacio e Pepe Proto-Indo European . bequeath it to an Italian to reinvent Italian pizza .
Pizzeria Bianco
Phoenix , ArizonaNearly 20 years ago , Pizzeria Bianco was already known as the best pizza in the state . If you ’re Chris Bianco , a Jedi master of pizza , you reach out beyond Arizona and inspire a horde of burgeon pizzaiolos around the nation to make the good pietheypossibly can . To really empathize the pizza pie renaissance of the last decade , trek to where it all started . Bianco cultivates relationships with local husbandman and producer who treat the land the right way and , in turn of events , provide the expert component . At Pizzeria Bianco , the tangy mozzarella Malva sylvestris his team makes in - family forge absolutely with his organic California tomato plant , which impeccably partner off with the dough his buddy make from local straw . If you have any dubiousness , try the Rosa , a rustic mix of Parmigiano Reggiano , red onion , rosemary , and Arizona pistachios .
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Pizzicletta
Flagstaff , ArizonaPizzicletta is a tiny pizzeria have by Caleb Schiff , a former geologist who fell in love with Neapolitan pizza 10 geezerhood ago while biking across Italy . Today , he ’s manipulate up one of the most refine , naturally leaven pizza pie in the country , on a bustling retarding force in Flagstaff . Pizzicletta is tiny , with room for just 15 athirst customers , and the card is even small at just five pizzas , but there are enough add - ons on special to keep it fresh . Schiff make an astonishing margherita , but get more adventurous with the Amore oi Mari — a salty , creamy substructure of marscapone and pecorino romano set the leg for peppery arugula , thinly chopped prosciutto , and a mizzle of Meyer lemon olive oil . Schiff installed a second oven in nearbyDark Sky Brewery , which sport a heavy selection of beers on tap and five novel pie on the menu .
Razza
Jersey City , New JerseyEvery Nox there ’s a sealed energy in the line on Grove Street in Jersey City . They ’re all waiting to get into Razza , a charming neighborhood place that just so befall to serve the very best pizza in the land . Going to Razza always feel like an event , and that ’s all due to the obsessive focus and dedication ofchef - owner Dan Richer . He ’s baffle a beautiful forest - burning oven in the dining way , but he ’s not out to make cheffy , flowery pies . He just wants to make nutrient that taste as unspoiled as humanly possible , and in this case it ’s pizza pie . Perfectly crisp with a tender , flavorsome crumb and crave - worthy topping , Razza ’s pies exude the terroir of the tomatoes or the fresh ingredients from the farms Richer sour with . He could tell you about the year of experimentation he went on to make that piece on your plate sodding . But he ’s even happier if you ’re just loving the food .
Roberta’s
New York , fresh YorkRoberta’sburst onto the Bushwick dining aspect and set up a local NYC pizza renaissance more than a decade ago — and it ’s grown more dear with every passing class . Choose from a roll of expertly crafted options like the Famous Original , swipe with crimson sauce , melty mozzarella , sharp Caciocavallo and parmesan , and a sprinkle of chili bit and oregano , or project your own with twenty - some - funny toppings . Along with multiple Big Apple localisation , they ’ve also ready up workshop in Nashville , Houston , and Los Angeles .
Santarpio’s Pizza
Boston , MassachusettsThis is when you forego both niceties and toppings and wordlessly snarf the practiced cheese pizza in town . The gas and toll money is more than worth spending to reach this Eastie centenarian mainstay ( forgo the Peabody outlet , unless you ’re far afield and desperate ) , which start as an Eastie bakery in 1903 and serves barbecued dear and steak skewers in add-on to pizza pie . Bonus point go to the inimitable people - watching and the $ 5 glass of house wine .
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Scarr’s
New York , New YorkOwner and pizzaiolo Scarr Pimentel mature up in slice joints at the peak of Manhattan . As an adult , he learned the art of NYC pizza pie craft at top spots like Joe ’s , Artichoke , and Lombardi’s — so when he noticed the crumbling quality of slice joint in recent years , Pimentel learn up on how to open his own lieu . Scarr’sutilizes only the finest ingredients for each Proto-Indo European that get going out the door , and it ’s perhaps best known for the key signature constituent Edward Durell Stone - milled flour that create an airy , yielding fomite for wiry high mallow and flavor - packed pepperoni . With stained glass light fixture , booths that are reminiscent of bowl alleyway seating room , and other ’ LXXX - inspired kitsch , Scarr ’s process up a graceful back - to - basics gash alongside raw vino and hoopla - inducing merch .
Slim & Husky’s
Nashville , TennesseeSlim & Husky ’s calls itself a “ pizza pie - beeria , ” and it does indeed do up some keen pie and cold craft draft . But , more significantly , this chain started by three friends who fine-tune together from HBCU Tennessee State University prey underserved neighborhoods , often near college . The decor inspire by ’ 90s hip - hops - inspired carte feature pizzas named Rony , Roni , Rone ! , the PREAM ( Pizza rule Everything Around Me ) and the vegan Nothin’ but a “ V ” Thang . In just four years , Slim & Husky ’s has expanded to nine locations , including the only Black - owned eating house in Nashville ’s business district tourist territorial dominion . give back is vital to its mission , whether it ’s employing vicinity shaver and offer scholarships to hardworking teenage employees or host local electoral debate at the shop .
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Spacca Napoli
Chicago , IllinoisWould you believe some of the good Neapolitan pizza in the entire rural area is made by a Jewish hombre from Chicago ? Spacca Napoli possessor Jonathan Goldsmith is a societal worker change by reversal pizzaiolo who revere Italian polish . He ’s fluent to the point where he unconsciously drops Italian into everyday conversation , so it should n’t be a surprise to larn he trained with the masters of pizza pie in Naples . That ’s most unmistakable in his dough . Every sight is hand - mixed at Spacca , so the pizza come out as light and pillowy . The topping are traditional , but he ’s always experimenting with ingredients like ancient cheeses he picked up on inquiry trips to Italy . Goldsmith never stops experiment with his dough to see if he can reach novel altitude , and based on his caterpillar track record , he probably will .
Tribute Pizza
San Diego , CaliforniaLaunched in 2016 by a bona fide pizza nerd , this intimate neighborhood spot situated in a former stake authority pays homage to beloved Proto-Indo European from pizza shop across the state , likeRoberta’sin Brooklyn , Pizzeria Biancoin Phoenix , and the nutrient court inCostco(no jest ! ) . Owner Matt Lyons finely tuned every detail of the operation to plough out the in effect potential pizza , include sourcing a specific brand of flour , splurge on a 1,500 - pound wood - fired Renato oven , and installing a inverse osmosis system to make the water just correct . Tribute gets fillip point for always coming up with extensive and delicious vegan and vegetarian options , and for special touches like dish out Miller High Life in actual champagne bottles sitting inside a stainless steel ice bucket .
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Vito & Nick’s
Chicago , IllinoisThe unfeigned pie in Illinois is something much tight to Vito and Nick ’s , the urban center ’s first square cut , tavern - style pizza . Vito and Nick ’s opened as a measure in 1923 and started slinging pie in 1946 , and it has n’t convert much since . The crust is firm enough to support a healthy coating of mozzarella and agency too much additional - fatty fennel sausage , but it ’s more pliant and less crackery than the stock bar Proto-Indo European . redundant points for the shabu cold Old Style beer blissful disinterest in the passing of time .
Zoli’s
Addison , TexasJay Jerrier had bang-up winner with his VPN - certified Neapolitan pizzeria Cane Rosso , but when he wanted to do something less formal he brought New York transplant Lee Hunziger in to handle the oven . Zoli ’s wait on up top - shelf slices and Sicilians that do n’t seem too far removed from the East Coast even though they ’ve beget shops in Texas . But Zoli ’s really radiate when it squeeze its heritage and goes off script . Soppressata marmalades embellish more than a few pie , while brisket and barbecue sauce get in the pen with pepperoni on the Meat Fight pizza . “ Everything is liberal in Texas ” may be a cliche at this power point , but Zoli ’s embraces it with specials like the double - gall Meatzilla , load up with a shocking amount of pepperoni , meatball , soppressata , and sausage . Sometimes “ too much ” is just the right amount , and Hunziger and Jerrier have paved their own lane in the pizza macrocosm — including their newest Dallas offshoot , Thunderbird Pies .
Di Fara Pizza|Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Bufalina
Eleventh Street Pizza
Flour+Water
Pizzeria Mozza
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Pizzana
Pizzicletta by Caleb Schiff
Roberta’s
Scarr’s|Photo by Cole Saladino for Thrillist
Spacca Napoli Pizzeria