Perhaps it goes without saying, but the best pizza in the U.S. is a hotly contested subject. New Yorkers will, of course, shout from the rooftops that you can’t beat New York City pizza. And while their point is well taken, there are plenty of other Northeasterners (namely, the Bostonians) that are willing to endlessly debate that point.
While the pizza battle in the Northeast is long-standing, there are plenty of newer shops scattered throughout the country that are dishing up some pretty amazing pies—wood-fired, thin crust, thick crust, you name it. Sure, the West Coast doesn’t hold a candle to the New York pizza legacy, but they do attract top-talent chefs that have brought their expertise straight from Italy. And maybe because they aren’t tied to old-school pizza tradition, the West Coast is open to pizza experimentation that—however unorthodox to New Yorkers and Bostonians alike—has yielded some incredible results.
So, who really has the best pizza in the U.S.? Try these 13 favorites and take your pick.
Joanne Ciccarello/Getty Images
Santarpio’s, Boston, Massachusetts
Ask any true Bostonian where to find the best pizza in the city, and they will say—without even stopping to think—that it’s in East Boston. Still family-owned, the dynastic shop first opened in 1903, and though the pizza is legendary, it has always preserved the local-haunt feeling. Santarpio’s has now expanded and has a second location in Peabody. Still, for the true experience, wait in line at the Eastie location to dig into ‘Tarps’ classic mozzarella, garlic, and sausage pizza.
Courtesy Serious Pie
Serious Pie, Seattle, Washington
They call themselves a “pizzeria with a bread baker’s soul” and their pie dough is handmade over multiple days and topped with farm-fresh veggies and high-end imported cheese. Their herbs and vegetables are from their farm in Prosser, Washington, and their charcuterie is made in-house. So, really, it’s hard to go wrong at Serious Pie (with locations in downtown and Ballard)—especially with the expansive selection of craft beer to pair with your pizza. Their specialty is the seasonal mushroom pizza, because it’s topped with mushrooms foraged in the Pacific Northwest.
Courtesy Little Dom's
Little Dom’s, Los Angeles, California
A Silver Lake-adjacent LA institution, Little Dom’s is a known hot spot of Jon Hamm and James Marsden, among many other A-list Hollywood celebs. Their classic margarita is perfect as is—though adding house-made sausage and arugula certainly doesn’t hurt. And of course, their breakfast pizza is wildly popular during weekend brunch. Topped with house-made tomato sauce, a sunny-side-up egg, mozzarella, and speck, it was featured on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
Jason Varney/Courtesy Pizzeria Beddia
Pizzeria Beddia, Philadelphia
Unlike most of the best pizza shops in America, which require an hour-plus wait, Pizzeria Beddia accepts reservations—the caveat, of course, is that reservations book out a month in advance. A former hole-in-the-wall joint that only served 40 highly coveted pies a night, Pizzeria Beddia now has grown up into an elevated Fishtown haunt. But the pizza is still every bit as good, and Joe Beddia’s pizza legacy is alive and well in Philly.
Courtesy Lou Malnati's
Lou Malnati’s, Chicago, Illinois
A deep dish pizza sanctuary, Lou Malnati’s is no longer just one shop—there are now 57 in the Chicago area. Nonetheless, the quality remains, from their flaky deep dish crust to the California plum tomato sauce. If you have to choose one pie, go with the Malnati Chicago Classic, which has their signature lean sausage and enough Wisconsin cheese to feed the entire crowd at Wrigley.
Courtesy Timber Pizza Co.
Timber Pizza Co., Washington D.C.
The Neapolitan-inspired pizzas at Timber Pizza Co. first started gaining traction when they were served out of a mobile oven at D.C.-area farmer’s markets. The demand was so high in D.C. that they opened a brick-and-mortar pizza pie shop in Petworth in June 2016. When chef Dani Moreira founded Timber Pizza Co., she’d already studied at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at New York City’s Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park. In addition to elevating the pizza with her fine dining experience, she’s originally from Argentina and deliberately adds a slightly South American twist to the pies.
Torresigner/Getty Images
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco, California
You’ll find Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco’s Little Italy (in North Beach), where the pizzas are fired in an oven brought over directly from Naples. Founder Tony Gemignani has a slew of awards, including his win for the Best Pizza Margherita at the World Pizza Cup in Naples. Many of the ingredients on Tony’s pies are either imported from Italy or grown in his rooftop garden. He imports products from Naples each week and most herbs used in the restaurant are from the garden.
Thomas McGovern/Courtesy Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven, Connecticut
Serving up coal-fired pizzas since the 1920s, Frank Pepe started in New Haven and has since expanded to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York state. The pizza that put them on the map is their white clam pie, with fresh clams, grated cheese, garlic, oregano, and of course, liberal amounts of extra virgin olive oil. As the story at Frank Pepe goes, this became their signature pie because Frank also served raw Rhode Island little neck clams fresh as an appetizer—before raw clams rose to popularity on the New England foodie scene. (That being said, the clams on the pizza are, of course, steamed.)
Courtesy Totonno's
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano, Coney Island, New York
Totonno’s has been operating in the same Coney Island spot since 1924 despite re-openings following two major fires and devastation from Hurricane Sandy. Their pizza is nationally acclaimed and has been praised by the James Beard Foundation, Zagat, and The New York Times as some of the best pizza in New York City. To top it off, the shop was recently featured on Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil. Each pizza has a perfectly crisped crust that only comes from nearly 100 years of expertise and good olive oil.
Courtesy Pizzeria Bianco
Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix, Arizona
Heralded as some of the best pizza in America by culinary talent like Rachel Ray and Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Bianco was founded by James Beard Award winner Chris Bianco in 1988. The Phoenix pizzeria, which has two branches and two Pane Bianco sister shops specializing in split focaccia sandwiches, even ships nationwide on Goldbelly. Pizzeria Bianco fans can peruse chef Bianco’s book, Pizza, Pasta, and Other Things I Like and should stay tuned for his upcoming Los Angeles restaurant, a collaboration with the founder of Tartine Bakery.
Arandall/Courtesy Roberta's
Roberta’s, Brooklyn, New York
Roberta’s started as a Brooklyn favorite in Bushwick and has now garnered a nationwide following, expanded to Manhattan and Los Angeles, and become known as some of the best pizza in the U.S. They specialize in Neapolitan pies, which can even be shipped via Goldbelly. Roberta’s is famous for their original pizza with mozzarella, parmigiano, caciocavallo, oregano, and chili, and their Bee Sting pie with sopressata, chili, honey, and basil.
Courtesy Apizza Scholls
Apizza Scholl’s, Portland, Oregon
Apizza Scholl’s pizzas are in high demand and limited supply in Portland, Oregon. The 18-inch ‘zas are “baked on the darker side” for a perfectly crispy crust, though they’ll bake it lighter (or even without cheese) on request. Come for the revelatory crust, stay for the homemade meatballs and house-cured bacon. We’d recommend trying the Pig & Pineapple for a bacon-covered pie, or the Paulie Gee for fans of sopressata and the Sopranos.
Courtesy O4W Pizza
O4W Pizza, Duluth, Georgia
In the Atlanta metro area, you’ll find a brilliant pizza shop where you can order based on the type of pizza you prefer, be it Sicilian and Neapolitan-style. O4W's square, 16-inch pizzas, affectionately named “Grandma pie,” are their signature offering, with a base topping of fresh mozzarella, homemade marinara sauce, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, basil, and pecorino. You can then make your Grandma pie a veggie square, downtown pie, or spicy Italian, each of which pile various delectable accoutrements onto these already perfect pies. But it doesn’t stop there—O4W also has a menu of Sicilian pizzas, Detroit pizzas, old-fashioned thin crust ‘zas, and classic round New Jersey or Connecticut-style pizza.
