The Best Pizza in America
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Shutterstock
Are you team California, New York, Chicago, or Detroit?
From the saucy deep dishes of Chicago to the wood-fired masterpieces of California, we’re hunting down the best slices in America. We might be a little obsessed with finding the best pizza, but we couldn’t decide between these iconic pies from across the country.
We’re not alone in our obsession, either. Americans eat a staggering 100 acres of pizza every day. And some of that pizza even has pineapple on it! So which pizzerias make the best ‘za in the nation? We’re going coast to coast to find out.
California pizza is in a class all its own. With more eclectic–and often healthier–toppings than your traditional slice, along with a thin, wood-fired crust, it’s delicious and different. In Southern California, Pitfire Pizza has turned wood-fired artisan pizza into an art form.
Think outside the pizza box with flavors like the PB&J, which includes pineapple, Canadian bacon, and jalapeno for a zesty, sweet, and savory experience. Locals swear by Honey Bear, a pie topped with three different kinds of cheese, trendy Calabrian chiles, and sausage paired with honey and bee pollen. The internet only recently caught on to drizzling honey on hot pizza, but Pitfire Pizza had it figured out long ago.
Folks with dietary restrictions will find plenty of options here, too. Gluten-free crust and vegan mozzarella made in-house mean that no one will be left out of this pizza party.
Everybody has an opinion about who makes the best pizza in New York. We could argue about that until we starve–but I’d rather swing by Di Fara Pizza for a classic New York slice. Opened by Dom Di Fara in 1965, this beloved local pizza parlor is a Brooklyn institution. Dom himself is still in the kitchen at the original location, crafting pies with ingredients straight from Italy.
The best thing about New York Style pizza is that you can usually get one oversized, foldable slice a la carte. That’s the case at Di Fara Pizza, but don’t skip out on the full menu if you’re looking to feed a crowd–or just have some delicious leftovers. The Di Fara 50th Anniversary pie can’t be missed, with its combo of sausage, semi-dried cherry tomatoes, meatballs, wild onions & fresh garlic.
You’ve never had deep-dish pizza unless you’ve tried it Detroit Style. While PizzaPapalis offers New York and Chicago pies, they specialize in this homegrown favorite. These pizzas start with a thick, chewy layer of dough that gets fried on the bottom as it bakes in a metal pan. Add tons of cheese and plenty of toppings, and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing dish.
“Crowd” is the keyword here, as PizzaPapalis serves up massive, rectangular pizzas that can feed you and all your friends. Just look at those crispy, caramelized edges! The Mama Mia pie, pictured above, is loaded with housemade meatballs, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onions, dolloped with rich marina sauce on top.
If you want the real Chicago Style deep-dish experience, skip the chain restaurants and go to Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co. Their house specialty is the Pizza Pot Pie, which has been on the menu since 1972. These delicious flavor bombs are stuffed with homemade sauce, fresh garlic, onions, green peppers, plum tomatoes, and mushrooms, all wrapped up in Sicilian-style triple-raised dough. Oh, and the small version weighs half a pound!
Their oven grinders–sub sandwiches that are toasted in the pizza oven–are fabulous as well. But honestly, if you’re going in search of the country’s greatest pizza, skip the subs and go for the Pizza Pot Pie.