Pizza is one of the most beloved foods in America, and every region has its own way of making it special. From crispy thin crusts in New York to deep-dish legends in Chicago, the variety is truly jaw-dropping.
Whether you’re a lifelong pizza lover or just starting to explore beyond your local slice shop, this list will open your eyes to some of the most incredible pies this country has to offer. Get ready to add a few new spots to your must-visit list.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana – New Haven, Connecticut
Since 1925, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana has been turning out coal-fired pies that New Englanders swear by. The white clam pizza here is practically legendary — fresh littleneck clams, olive oil, garlic, and oregano on a beautifully charred, chewy crust.
No mozzarella, no red sauce, just pure flavor. It sounds unusual, but one bite and you completely understand the century-long devotion.
Frank Pepe helped put New Haven on the pizza map for good.
Sally’s Apizza – New Haven, Connecticut
Just down the street from Pepe’s sits Sally’s Apizza, and locals have been debating which is better for decades. Founded in 1938 by Salvatore Consiglio, Sally’s built its reputation on a tomato pie that lets the sauce do all the talking — no mozzarella needed.
The crust is thin, blistered, and slightly smoky from the coal oven. Sally’s keeps things simple and honest, and that no-frills approach is exactly what makes every visit feel like a special occasion.
Modern Apizza – New Haven, Connecticut
Modern Apizza opened in 1934 and quietly became the third pillar of New Haven’s famous pizza triangle. While Pepe’s and Sally’s grab most of the headlines, locals know that Modern holds its own with a slightly different style — thinner, crispier, and arguably more consistent.
The Italian sausage and peppers combo is a crowd favorite that keeps regulars coming back year after year. Parking is easier here too, which is a very real bonus in downtown New Haven.
Di Fara Pizza – Brooklyn, New York
For over 50 years, Domenico DeMarco made nearly every pizza at Di Fara himself — hand-cutting fresh basil over each pie with scissors, drizzling imported olive oil, and using a blend of Italian cheeses he selected personally. The result is a New York slice elevated to something almost spiritual.
Lines stretch out the door on weekends, and nobody really minds the wait. Di Fara is proof that one person’s dedication to craft can create something truly irreplaceable.
Lucali – Brooklyn, New York
Lucali doesn’t take reservations by phone — you show up, put your name on a list, and grab a drink at the bar next door while you wait. It sounds like a hassle, but the pizza makes it completely worth it.
Mark Iacono opened this Carroll Gardens gem in 2006, and the menu is refreshingly short: pizza and calzone, that’s it.
The thin, hand-rolled crust is topped with fresh tomatoes and basil. Simple, stunning, and absolutely unforgettable.
L’industrie Pizzeria – Williamsburg – Brooklyn, New York
Opened by French-born chef Renaud Culture, L’industrie Pizzeria brings a European sensibility to the New York slice. The burrata slice — topped with creamy burrata and a drizzle of olive oil — has become one of the most talked-about slices in all of Brooklyn.
The crust is light, airy, and perfectly crispy at the edges.
This tiny Williamsburg shop punches way above its weight. It’s the kind of place food lovers travel specifically to visit, and it never disappoints.
Joe’s Pizza Broadway – New York, New York
Ask any New Yorker where to get a perfect classic slice, and Joe’s Pizza will almost always come up. Founded in 1975 by Joe Pozzuoli on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village, Joe’s has since expanded but never lost its soul.
The cheese slice here is textbook New York: wide, foldable, with a crispy-yet-chewy crust and just the right ratio of sauce to mozzarella. At under $4 a slice, it’s one of the best deals in the entire city.
Prince Street Pizza – New York, New York
The spicy spring pepperoni slice at Prince Street Pizza has its own fan club — and for good reason. Those little cups of crispy, slightly spicy pepperoni sitting on top of thick Sicilian dough have made this SoHo spot one of the most Instagrammed pizza destinations in New York.
The square slices sell out fast, so getting there early is a smart move. Prince Street proves that one signature slice, done perfectly, is all a pizzeria really needs.
Totonno’s – Brooklyn, New York
Anthony Pero arrived from Naples in 1903 and eventually opened Totonno’s in Coney Island in 1924 — making it one of the oldest continuously operating pizzerias in the United States. The coal-fired oven still cranks out Neapolitan-style pies with hand-crushed tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, exactly as they always have.
Totonno’s survived fires, hurricanes, and a century of competition. That kind of staying power tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the pizza.
Lombardi’s – New York, New York
Lombardi’s holds the title of America’s first pizzeria, having opened in 1905 in Little Italy, Manhattan. Gennaro Lombardi brought the Neapolitan pizza tradition straight from Naples, and the restaurant has been serving fresh mozzarella pies from a coal-fired oven ever since.
History buffs and food lovers alike make the pilgrimage here. The pizza itself is excellent — classic, clean, and deeply satisfying.
Eating at Lombardi’s feels like touching the very origin point of American pizza culture.
Patsy’s Pizzeria – New York, New York
Patsy Lancieri opened this East Harlem institution in 1933, and it quickly became a neighborhood staple that transcended neighborhoods. Frank Sinatra was reportedly a devoted fan who had pies shipped to him across the country — now that’s a ringing endorsement.
The coal-fired oven produces a beautifully thin, charred crust with bright tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. Patsy’s doesn’t need gimmicks or trendy toppings to impress anyone.
It just makes really, really good pizza.
Pizzeria Bianco – Phoenix, Arizona
Chris Bianco started making pizza in a small grocery store in Phoenix back in 1988, and food critics eventually crowned him one of the best pizza makers in the entire country. His Rosa pizza — topped with red onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary, and Arizona pistachios — is unlike anything else out there.
Bianco mills his own flour and sources ingredients with obsessive care. In a state not exactly known for pizza, he built something genuinely world-class from scratch.
Una Pizza Napoletana – New York, New York
Anthony Mangieri is the kind of pizza maker who relocated his entire restaurant from New Jersey to Manhattan to San Francisco and back to New York, and his fans followed every time. Una Pizza Napoletana offers a short, carefully curated menu of Neapolitan pies made with extraordinary attention to detail — from the flour to the fermentation time to the wood-fired oven temperature.
Every element is deliberate. Eating here feels less like ordering dinner and more like experiencing a master at work.
Roberta’s – Brooklyn, New York
When Roberta’s opened in a Bushwick warehouse in 2008, the neighborhood was still pretty gritty and the restaurant had no heat in winter. None of that stopped it from becoming one of the most celebrated pizzerias in America.
The Bee Sting pizza — mozzarella, tomato, soppressata, chili, and honey — is a sweet-and-spicy masterpiece. Roberta’s also has a rooftop garden and a radio station.
It’s creative, chaotic, and completely original in the best possible way.
Emily – Brooklyn, New York
Emmy Squared and Emily share a family tree, but the Clinton Hill original has a charm all its own. The Emmy burger gets a lot of buzz, but the pizza here is what truly earns the devotion.
The Colony pie — mozzarella, honey, and pistachios — is one of those combinations that sounds weird until you try it, and then you can’t stop thinking about it.
Emily uses a wood-burning oven and high-quality ingredients that make every bite feel thoughtful and intentional.
Pequod’s Pizza – Chicago, Illinois
Pequod’s doesn’t just make deep-dish pizza — it makes a version with a caramelized cheese crust that has no real equal in Chicago. The cheese gets pressed against the sides of the cast iron pan and bakes into a crispy, slightly burnt ring that tastes absolutely incredible.
Beau Jo’s founder created the original recipe, but Pequod’s took it to new heights. Pizza fans who visit Chicago often rank Pequod’s above more famous competitors, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with them.
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – Chicago, Illinois
Lou Malnati’s has been a Chicago institution since 1971, and the Malnati family helped invent the deep-dish style itself. The buttery, flaky crust is the foundation of everything — it holds a generous layer of sausage, then cheese, then chunky tomato sauce on top.
Yes, the sauce goes on top in deep-dish. It’s a whole different experience from New York-style pizza, and Lou’s does it better than almost anyone.
You can even ship their frozen pies nationwide.
Giordano’s – Chicago, Illinois
Giordano’s takes Chicago pizza one step further with its famous stuffed pizza — two layers of crust sandwiching a mountain of mozzarella and your choice of toppings, all sealed under a thick blanket of chunky tomato sauce. The brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio brought the recipe from their mother in Italy, and Chicago has been grateful ever since.
A stuffed pizza from Giordano’s can take 45 minutes to bake, but the result is a gloriously filling, unforgettable meal.
Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria – Chicago, Illinois
Not everyone in Chicago eats deep-dish — in fact, most locals prefer the tavern-style thin crust that places like Vito & Nick’s have been perfecting since 1932. The crust here is cracker-thin and crispy, the sausage is fennel-heavy and delicious, and the whole pie gets cut into squares instead of wedges.
It’s called party cut, and it’s the real Chicago style that residents grew up eating. Vito & Nick’s is a South Side legend that deserves far more national attention.
Piece Pizzeria and Brewery – Chicago, Illinois
Piece Pizzeria is a bit of a rebel in Chicago — instead of deep-dish, it serves New Haven-style thin-crust pizza in the heart of a city that takes its deep-dish very seriously. Co-founded with input from Rick Bayless, Piece brews its own craft beers on-site and pairs them beautifully with their pies.
The white pizza with mashed potato topping is a local favorite that sounds bizarre but works brilliantly. Piece rewards adventurous eaters who are willing to color outside the lines.
Buddy’s Pizza – Detroit, Michigan
Buddy’s Pizza invented Detroit-style pizza in 1946, and the world is still catching up. The square pies are baked in blue steel automotive parts trays — a very Detroit detail — which creates a uniquely crispy, lacy cheese crust around the edges.
The sauce goes on top of the cheese, and the thick, airy dough has an almost focaccia-like texture inside. Detroit-style has exploded in popularity nationwide over the past decade, but Buddy’s original is still the gold standard.
Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant – Eastpointe, Michigan
Gus Guerra, the man who created Detroit-style pizza at Buddy’s, later opened Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant in Eastpointe and brought his recipe with him. That makes Cloverleaf a direct link to the very origin of one of America’s most exciting regional pizza styles.
The atmosphere is classic Michigan bar — unpretentious, welcoming, and totally comfortable. The pizza is thick, cheesy, and deeply satisfying in that specific way only a truly original recipe can be.
History tastes delicious here.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana – San Francisco, California
Tony Gemignani is a 13-time World Pizza Champion, and his North Beach restaurant is basically a museum of great pizza styles under one roof. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana offers Neapolitan, New York, Sicilian, Detroit, and even New Haven-style pies — each baked in a different oven designed specifically for that style.
The commitment to technical excellence here is genuinely mind-blowing. If you can only visit one pizzeria in San Francisco, this is the one that covers every base with flying colors.
Golden Boy Pizza – San Francisco, California
Golden Boy has been feeding late-night crowds in North Beach since 1978, and its square Sicilian slices have become a San Francisco rite of passage. The clam-and-garlic slice is particularly beloved — it’s rich, savory, and just unusual enough to feel memorable.
The tiny cash-only counter is always packed, and the slices are served on paper plates with zero fuss.
Golden Boy is the kind of place that reminds you pizza doesn’t need to be fancy to be absolutely perfect.
Pizzeria Delfina – San Francisco, California
Craig and Annie Stoll opened Pizzeria Delfina in the Mission District in 2005 as a more casual sibling to their acclaimed restaurant Delfina. The pizzas here are rooted in Neapolitan tradition but embrace California’s incredible produce — seasonal toppings, fresh herbs, and local ingredients make each pie feel alive and vibrant.
The sausage pizza with fennel and Calabrian chili is a standout that balances heat and richness beautifully. Delfina is proof that California and Italy make excellent culinary neighbors.
Apollonia’s Pizzeria – Los Angeles, California
Apollonia’s brought serious New York-style pizza energy to Mid-City Los Angeles and quickly earned a devoted following. The slices are big, foldable, and loaded with flavor — exactly what a great New York-style slice should be.
But Apollonia’s also leans into creative combos that feel distinctly LA, mixing bold flavors with high-quality ingredients. The lines here can be long on weekends, but regulars know the slices are worth every minute of waiting outside on the sidewalk.
Gjelina – Venice, California
Gjelina on Abbot Kinney Boulevard is one of those LA spots that somehow manages to feel both effortlessly cool and deeply serious about food at the same time. The pizzas here are thin, blistered, and topped with unexpected combinations — think caramelized onion with gorgonzola, or squash blossom with ricotta.
Everything feels seasonal and considered. Gjelina is technically a full-service restaurant, but the pizza menu alone justifies the trip to Venice.
It’s California creativity at its most delicious.
Cane Rosso – Dallas, Texas
Jay Jerrier opened Cane Rosso in Dallas in 2011 with a mission to bring certified Neapolitan pizza to Texas, and he absolutely delivered. The oven was imported from Naples, the flour comes from Italy, and the San Marzano tomatoes are the real thing.
Texas might not be the first state you associate with Neapolitan pizza, but Cane Rosso changed that conversation entirely. The Honey Bastard pizza — topped with soppressata and local honey — has become an iconic Dallas dish all on its own.
Home Slice Pizza – Austin, Texas
Home Slice Pizza opened on South Congress Avenue in 2005 and instantly became an Austin institution. The vibe is fun and nostalgic — think neon signs, vintage decor, and the unmistakable smell of a proper New York-style pie coming out of the oven.
The whole pies and by-the-slice options are consistently excellent, and the meatball sub isn’t too shabby either. Home Slice captures the spirit of a classic New York pizzeria and transplants it perfectly into the heart of Austin’s most beloved street.