Pizza. Even when it's bad, it's still pretty tasty, but when it's at
its best, there are few things better. In the interest of directing you
towards more of those transcendent pizza experiences, the entire network
of Thrillist editors has put its collective food knowledge together to
give you the 33 best in the whole damn country, representing styles from
the deepest of deep dish to the thinnest Neapolitan, from square-cut to
triangularly sliced. Will you disagree with some? Probably, but that's
what makes America great. Along with all the delicious pizza. Check out
the picks below, and keep track of the ones you've had on
this handy checklist.
Antico, Atlanta, GA
What you're getting: The San Gennaro
From the small-batch dough, San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes, fresh
mozzarella sourced from Campania, and Grande Forni ovens (handmade in
Naples), it isn't hard to figure out why ATL crowds consistently line up
outside the Home Park trattoria before it's even open (when the dough's
gone, they're closed). The money move (also the doughy move!) is the
San Gennaro, loaded with savory salsiccia, sweet red pepper, bufala, and
cipollines.
Via 313, Austin, TX
What you're getting: "The Detroiter"
Just like the fiscal balance of their native city, Detroit ex-pats Via
313 are always in the red -- sauce that is! The metal pans from which
this duo of trailers slings square Detroit-style pies (more on them
later) were formerly used to hold parts in auto factories. They're doing
their home city proud with meticulously mastered crust is fluffy on the
inside and caramelized with a crunchy layer cheese on the bottom and
sides, and The Detroiter ups the ante with two types of pepperoni
(smoked and natural casing).
Matthew's Pizza, Baltimore, MD
What you're getting: The Crab Pie
There are plenty of fine ways to top Matthew's doughy, buttery crust,
but this is Maryland, and you're getting a crab pie, because what other
state are you going to trust to perfect the union of crab and pizza,
with a balanced harmony of cheese, crustacean, and spice? That was
rhetorical. This pizza could not exist anywhere else.
Galleria Umberto, Boston MA
What you're getting: Two Slices
Get here before noon. Please. And don't worry about decisions. You don't
have a choice: just get two slices of pie (there's only one, and it's
Sicilian, and it's fantastic), maybe some arancini if you want to get
crazy, and a domestic beer; drop $7; and there you go. Because Umberto
is only open until the dough runs out (and it usually does by 2p or
earlier, most days), you know you're getting a fresh slice that isn't
sitting under a heat lamp, and you know its going to be light, and airy,
and on a focaccia-style crust. And you know it will be glorious.
Santarpio's, Boston, MA
What you're getting: Italian Cheese, Sausage, & Garlic
You've seen it on your way to Logan -- the sign sticks out inviting you
to pull off at the last minute, postpone your flight, and head into
Eastie for a simple pie that's been around as a pizzeria since the 1930s
and is still owned and operated by the Santarpio family. And you should
probably do that just to get their thin-crust sausage pie. Now, look,
people complain about this place: the crust is tough and dusted with
cornmeal, the waiters are surly, menus are just kind of a thing you may
or may not get at some point, but all of that fades away once you bite
into that pie and realize that the glorious combo of homemade sausage
and cheese and sauce and bread is well worth missing any flight to
Philly.
Di Fara, Brooklyn, NY
What you’re getting: Regular Cheese Pie
Meet Domenico DeMarco. He will be making your pizza today. Actually, he
will be making everyone’s pizza today -- and there are plenty of
everyones. Even if you manage to navigate your way to Midwood, Brooklyn,
by the noon opening time, you’re still likely destined for a two-hour
wait. At least you can spend part of it watching the man operate the way
he has since 1964. He’s got toppings, but there’s really no need to
corrupt the six cheeses, San Marzanos, olive oil, basil, and oregano.
You can get a slice... sometimes. It’s weird. Play it safe and snag an
entire pie to go -- you just stood for two hours, so that burned at
least a million calories.
Juliana's, Brooklyn, NY
What you're getting: Margherita Pizza
First there was Grimaldi’s, and everyone loved it. Then, Patsy Grimaldi
sold it to a customer, and everyone still loved it. Then, that new owner
moved it next door, and everyone still loved it! Then, Patsy Grimaldi
came out of pizza-tirement, opened Juliana’s in the original Grimaldi’s
location that still housed the ovens, and
everyone still loved Grimaldi’s.
Let them. But you should sit down at Juliana’s with nary a wait, order
up Patsy's blessedly simple Margherita, and, while you're at it, grab a
White Pie with mozz and garlic, and entertain yourself looking at the
suckers on the down-the-block Grimaldi’s line outside. Also good to
know: Patsy is a boy.
Roberta's, Brooklyn, NY
What you're getting: The Family Jewels
Roberta’s pizza is so good, it may be responsible for an entire
neighborhood. When it opened in 2008, Brooklyn’s Bushwick was nothing
more than a series of run-down warehouses. Five years later, it’s a
series of run-down warehouses that everyone wants to overpay to live
next to! While the menu has expanded, and it now houses a 12-seat
tasting-menu spinoff in the back, the still ramshackle joint’s small,
cheap (enough), and always-creative pies (including the Jewels, with
mozz, Parm, heirloom tomatoes, garlic, basil, and prosciutto bread
crumbs) continue to run the show.
EVO, Charleston, SC
What you're getting: Mushroom & Sweet Onion
An acronym for "Extra Virgin Oven", it's no shock they spend so much
time hand pulling... their mozzarella. HEY-O! But for real, they do go
that extra mile, and it shows in pies like the pesto-sauced mushroom
& sweet onion laden with local 'shrooms and red peppers.
Coalfire, Chicago, IL
What you're getting: Prosciutto Pizza
Their 800-degree coal ovens (get it?!) produce a distinctly charred
crust that, nonetheless, maintains a remarkably satisfying chewiness.
Get yourself their prosciutto pizza, in which a generous layer of
thin-sliced pork goodness is carefully layered on top
after it comes out of the oven, leading to contrasting temperatures but uniform deliciousness.
Lou Malnati's, six locations throughout Chicago, IL
What you're getting: The Chicago Classic
Deep-dish has a tendency to ignite strong feelings everywhere. New
Yorkers will steadfastly insist it "isn't pizza", meanwhile my brother
will threaten to disown me for picking Lou's over
Giordano's.
I like to think a tomato-topped slice with just the right amount (in
this case, the right amount is a lot) of cheese and a whole damn layer
of sausage can heal all disputes. Oh, also it's on "buttercrust". Just
whisper it to yourself. Buttercrust.
Vito and Nick's, Chicago, IL
What you're getting: Sausage Pizza
Native Chicagoans hold this style -- square cut, thin, slightly crisped
crust -- just as (if not more) near to their hearts as the
more-celebrated deep dish, and Vito & Nick's has been turning it out
flawlessly since 1932. You'll be ordering the sausage and be pleased to
find an abundance of fennel-y pork wads tucked under the blanket of
melted cheese. Wash it down with a pitcher of Old Style, the only thing
they have on tap.
Buddy's Pizza, Detroit MI
What you're getting: Pepperoni Pizza
As the pioneers of the square cut, caramelized-crusted Detroit style
thanks to the work of a well-meaning human raised by elves,
Buddy's achieves its singular flavor with Wisconsin brick cheese. Your
pepperoni will be tucked under said cheese to prevent charring. You will
taste the wisdom in this decision.
Supino: Detroit, MI
What you're getting: Red, White & Green
Proving Detroit can also compete in the thin-crust game, Supino's hybrid
American/ Neapolitan pies benefit from an Eastern Market location,
snagging fresh ingredients to build creations like Red White & Green
(calm down, Christmas elves): a spinach and roasted red pepper white
'za, which is given a briny bite with a generous helping of capers and
richness from creamy ricotta.
Little Vincent's Pizza, Huntington, NY
What you're getting: A Slice With Cold Cheese
Cheese: without it, pizza is just sauce-bread. So why not put it on
twice? That’s what the Strong-Island accented madmen at Little V’s do,
as long you ask for it. So ask for it. The thin slice with a sweet-ish
sauce goes into the oven for a re-heat like normal, but when it comes
out, a hand dives into a plastic bin of cold mozzarella and splashes a
secondary layer on top. Let it sit for a minute so it starts to melt
just a bit. Never in pizza history has it been more essential to fold a slice.
Razza Pizza Artigianale, Jersey City, NJ
What you're getting: The Santo
This is the best Neapolitan pizza that you better not call Neapolitan
pizza. The crispy edged wood-fired pies at downtown Razza's serve up
nothing but seasonally harvested New Jersey-everything, from the locally
milled flour to the wild yeast that eats it before
you devour fresh mozz, house-made sausage, and shaved onions baked in a secret sauce-blend of heirloom tomatoes.
Pizzeria Picco, Larkspur, CA
What You're Getting: "The Specialized"
Larkspur is the type of place that you wish you lived, one of those
mythical Marin towns filled with redwoods and old timey movie theaters,
and attractive old people who are weirdly fit. And Pizzeria Picco is yet
another reason to resent them. The more casual side of the crazy
popular Picco restaurant, PP (!) crafts Neapolitan thin crust 'zas in a
wood burning oven using crazy fresh ingredients and hand-pulling their
mozzarella, and just kind of dominating the pizza scene north of SF.
It's hard to go wrong in your selections here (the Son of Yeti w/ leeks,
thyme, garlic, three types of cheese and hen of the woods mushrooms is
divine), but the money move is the Specialized, essentially an upscale
version of the classic pepperoni and sausage pie. Oh, and get the
Strauss soft serve with olive oil and sea salt to finish the meal. It's
like eating magic mixed with joy.
Mozza, Los Angeles, CA
What you're getting: Burrata & Squash Blossom
When super-chefs Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton joined forces to
defeat that evil Wolfgang Puck!
open a pizza joint, everyone in LA was all like, "But pizza in LA
suuuuucks!" But then after eating their bubbly, moist-crusted creations
and getting a belly full of burrata, everyone was all like, "But pizza
in LA suuuuuuucks! EXCEPT PIZZERIA MOZZA." The LA 'za scene may have
improved thanks to a litany of imitators, but they remain the tops.
Frank Pepe, New Haven, CT
What you're getting: The White Clam Pie
Dating back to 1925, FP's credited with pioneering the New Haven style: a
Neapolitan replica thin-crust pie cooked in coal-fired ovens and served
on baking trays with a charred flour bottom. Once you've braved the
wait, order the White Clam Pie, bringing together freshly shucked
littlenecks with chopped garlic, grated cheese, oregano, and olive oil.
That's right. Most of Pepe's most famous pies come without tomato sauce
and with little/no cheese. But it all works. Oh, does it work.
Pig Ate My Pizza, Minneapolis, MN
What you're getting: The Piggy
From a group of wildly talented Twin Cities chefs who shuttered an
insanely successful higher-end operation and got nto the pizza game,
this fantastically named joint is as pork-forward as its name suggests,
including this decadent creation loaded with pepperoni, bacon,
prosciutto, and further fine charcuterie all piled on top of a
decadently thick brioche crust.
Pizza Delicious, New Orleans, LA
What you're getting: The Hot Sopressata
This
Incredible Hulk-named Bywater-by-way-of-Long-Island slice
shop's responsible for introducing NOLA to New York-style
pinch-and-folds, but they only serve up two a day of their 20+ specialty
thin crusts, none more crushable than their massive pile-up of sweet
marinated peppers, pickled red onion, and hotter-than-the-oven spicy
cured sopressata.
Motorino, New York, NY
What you're getting: The Prosciutto di Parma Pie
Just to be different from most of the cool kids in New York, Motorino
started in Brooklyn, then moved to Manhattan. It’s still there, in the
East Village, but it also just returned to its Williamsburg roots with a
second location. There’s also one in Hong Kong, naturally. No New
Yorker would dare call their thin, charred-yet-chewy pies “traditional”,
but only the biggest sticks in the sauce wouldn’t call them delicious.
Get the prosciutto and you'll see why.
Prince St Pizza, New York, NY
What you're getting: A Slice
There are a million Ray’s Pizzas in New York. But there is only one
Original Rays. Actually, that’s completely untrue; there’re a million of
those too. But there was only one actually-original Ray’s. It’s gone,
but now Prince St Pizza sits in its location, and it’s maybe the best
slice joint in a city that runs on them. The standard slice is
everything a pizza-eater looks for: it’s chewy and just doughy enough,
with the kind of cheese you have to grab and twist off with some bites,
lest it continue stretching forever. And they're not pizza, but don’t
sleep on the prosciutto rice balls. Or do; they’re probably quite
comfortable.
Pizzaiolo, Oakland, CA
What you're getting: Gypsy Peppers, Housemade Sausage & Ricotta Salata (Seasonal)
One of the OGs of the Cali/Neapolitan, wood-burning-oven style so
popular in NorCal, Oakland's Pizzaiolo, from chef Charlie Hallowell, has
been around since 2005 and continues to see people line up everyday for
his ever-changing creations. A recent trip saw a gorgeous gypsy pepper,
sausage, and ricotta salata pizza, but the menu changes day to day, so
the best move is usually just to get the pizza alla Pizzaiolo and let
him have his way with you and your taste buds.
Stogie Joe's, Philadelphia, PA
What you're getting: The Square Pie
Red-sauced bakery pies are as much a South Philly staple as being
ejected from a Phillies game, and, just like Phillies fans, Stogie Joe's
takes it to the next level, serving their square pies upside-down with
their signature spicy-sweet tomato sauce floating above the cheese
blanketing a Sicilian-style crust.
Apizza Scholls, Portland, OR
What you're getting: The Apizza Amore
Apizza has more rules than a YMCA pool -- no call-in orders, no more
than three toppings, and if they run out of dough you're outta luck --
but there's a reason people line up around the block for the very chance
of getting it: the charred, ciabatta-esque crust is the perfect vessel
for ultra-fresh cheese and house-cured meats. Get the Amore and taste
the glory of their spicy cured pork shoulder.
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix, AZ
What you're getting: The Rosa
People travel significant distances to endure equally significant waits
to dine at this pizza oasis in the Arizona desert that's spawned a
mini-empire in Phoenix. Or maybe they're just making a side-trip because
their grandparents live there. Either way, one of the biggest reasons
is The Rosa: red onions, pistachios, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a whisper
of rosemary. Sounds simple enough, if a little odd, but the whole is
much greater than the sum of its parts.
Conte's, Princeton New Jersey
What you're getting: Pepperoni & Onion
This is that-pizza-place-you-grew-up-with in its truest form: trophies
from local sports leagues, cheap-ass Rolling Rocks, wooden bowls and
cafeteria silverware... But the slices bring more than nostalgia -- the
pepperoni and onion has a perfect crispness with just the right amount
of grease, with those smaller-than-normal little slices of meat curling
up around the edges so that each one has delicious glisten housed in
what is essentially a tiny meat bowl with slightly crispy edges.
Bob & Timmy's, Providence, Rhode Island
What you're getting: Pizza 1
A less-heralded school of pizza cookery is the grilled pizza of Rhode
Island, popularized by just-missed-the-cut Al Forno but distinctly
nailed by this joint (er, joints -- there're two now), whose
thin-yet-flavorful crust serves as the blanket for a bevy of fresh
toppings, though all you really need to blow your tongue-mind is the
Pizza 1 and its layer of Parm and Romano that gets a little extra funk
from crumbles of gorgonzola.
Pastaria, St. Louis, MO
What you're getting: Brussels Sprouts Pizza
It might
sound like STL star chef Gerard Craft's joint is a
pick for pasta, but you'd be a fool to sleep on the meticulously
prepared, bubbly-crusted pies, like this bechemel-based Brussels sprout
number with lemon, mozz, and lardo. Mmm... lardo.
Ragazza, San Francisco, CA
What you're getting: Amatriciana
Here's how to do Ragazza correctly: go there, put your name in (no
reservations, except for parties of seven or more on their patio), walk
across the street to fantastical dive bar The Page. Have many drinks and
laughs, check your phone to see when your table is ready, come back,
order the Amatriciana with pancetta, chillies, pecorino, and oregano.
Ask for an extra farm egg on top. Rejoice in the splendor of the
Cali-style Neapolitan thin crusts. Finish dinner. Go back to The Page to
celebrate.
Serious Pie, Seattle, WA
What you're getting: Penn Cove Clams, Pancetta Tesa, Chiles
Proprietor Tom Douglas, as you may have gathered from the name, is
serious about his pie. As in, hand-shucking clams every morning. Tom
perfected SP's slightly sweet, almost pastry-like crust at his bakery
around the corner, and it's so good, almost anything would taste amazing
on it, but you wanna spend your clams on the 'za topped with diced,
fresh-shucked ones from the Puget Sound's premier bivalve purveyor.
Seriously (see what we did there?!) this pie can't be missed.
2 Amys, Washington, DC
What you're getting: Margherita Extra
The quaint Neapolitan crew doesn't mess around when it comes to abiding
by the D.O.C (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) rules passed down by
the from the Italian government (Mussolini thankfully no longer runs
things) to get that formal seal of approval. What does that entail?
Well, when making their go-to Margherita in their wood-burning oven, the
dough can only contain soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water, and sea
salt and toppings include only Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di
bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh basil or dried oregano.
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