In Details magazine, Ed Levine recently laid out a list of the best pizza places in the country at the moment. The criteria for the best pie changes from person to person and city to city, but Ed's criteria - crisp but tender crusts, fresh mozzarella, high-quality tomatoes, and a touch of salt - are standards that every pizza lover can agree on and should expect from their pies. Ed's list includes: PIZZERIA BIANCO, Phoenix, NY
- DI FARA, Brooklyn, NY
- TOTONNO'S, Brooklyn, NY
- UNA PIZZA NAPOLETANA, New York, NY
- FRANK PEPE PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA, New Haven, CT
- SALLY'S APIZZA, New Haven, CT
- AL FORNO, Providence, RI
- PICCO, Boston, MA
- 2 AMYS, Washington, D.C.
- PUNCH NEAPOLITAN PIZZA, St. Paul, MN
- NOSTRANA, Portland, OR
- SERIOUS PIE, Seattle, WA
- MOZZA BAR, Los Angeles, CA
- PIZZERIA PICCO, Larkspur, CA
- PIZZAIOLO, Oakland, CA
There are only two small problems with the list, although the lack of inclusion of The Cheese Board is just my own bias and perhaps should not be counted. The real problem is that , aside from the St Paul pizzeria, the only restaurants listed are on either cost. Now, the South isn't necessarily known for their piazza, but there are plenty of Chicagoans who are willing to, loudly, defend their city's top pizzerias. It could be that the best pizzas are only found towards the country's coasts, or perhaps there just haven't been any volunteers willing to take Ed around to the best that the midwest has to offer to see if it holds up to his standards.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-29-2006 @ 3:34PM
Jason said...
Ah Lou's. I really miss that place. (in Austin now) I love both deep dish and thin crust. I am also surprised Chicago wasn't mentioned.
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10-29-2006 @ 3:44PM
Rob Brooks-Bilson said...
Just an FYI, Pizzeria Bianco is in Phoenix AZ, not Phoenix NY. Also looks like you have a formatting problem.
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10-29-2006 @ 4:32PM
Ryan said...
I live in the Twin Cities and eat at Punch regularly. They've become somewhat of a chain in town with multiple locations.
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10-29-2006 @ 5:28PM
KL said...
those places may all be good, but these kinds of lists are always a bit pretentious. in order for one to say that "these are the best pizza places in the US," you've got to try every one.
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10-30-2006 @ 4:11AM
James said...
I'm trying to recall a pizza place in NY where some old man makes the pizza and sometimes you have to wait quite a while just to get a couple of slices. Anyone knows the place? It's been written up before.
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10-30-2006 @ 6:52AM
dirtgirl said...
James - the one you're thinking of is the one rated #1 on the list, Di Fara pizzeria in Brooklyn. I haven't eaten at every pizza place in America, but I can say pretty confidently that it's the best there is.
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10-30-2006 @ 7:15AM
bdw said...
I live in New Haven. Sally's and Pepe's are excellent, but there are a few others that are at least as good. That said, I've never had pizza anywhere else that's nearly as good as it is here. An oven that reaches 600 degrees seems to be required, and one of the best around here claims to reach 900. This gives a quick, hot bake, crisping the dough and melding the ingredients without burning them. No way you can do that in your kitchen.
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10-30-2006 @ 2:07PM
Michele said...
I agree dirtgirl, Di Fara's is THE best pizza known to mankind.
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10-30-2006 @ 3:13PM
allison said...
mozza is not even open to the public yet, so how can it possibly be the one of the best US pizza places. even if Levine has tasted Mozza's pizzas (they've been having a lot of tasting parties), I don't think you can accurately review a restaurant that isn't open yet. who knows how they will treat the regular people vs. those who are chosen to attend the special parties.
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10-30-2006 @ 6:54PM
Adam said...
Ah Lou Malnati's...my one regret in choosing to live abroad. Clearly any list without Lou's is a joke, unless you're restricting the conversation to thin crusts.
No decent "American" pizza in Japan.
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10-30-2006 @ 6:59PM
rev dave said...
yes, it's shocking no chicago pizza places are on that list. I'm a chicagoan and not a huge fan of the deep dish heart attack style pizza anyway, but there's some amazing thin crusts in town. My suggestions: Pat's Pizza, Spacca Napoli (naples style 'za), and if you have to add a deep dish the only real choice is Lou Malnati's.
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12-13-2006 @ 1:50PM
pizzaman said...
TOTONNO'S,has a new store in manhattan
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