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Which City Has the Best Pizza?

My friend and former editor, the brilliant Sam Sifton, developed the Pizza Cognition Theory, which postulates that the first pizza a person eats becomes the standard by which that person judges all pizza he or she subsequently eats.

According to Sam, "The first slice of pizza a child sees and tastes (and somehow appreciates on something more than a childlike, mmmgoood, thanks-mom level), becomes, for him, pizza. He relegates all subsequent slices, if they are different in some manner from that first triangle of dough and cheese and tomato and oil and herbs and spices, to a status that we can characterize as not pizza."

So by Sam's theory, if Pizza Hut was the pizza you first ate, every other pizza you subsequently ate would pale by comparison, because it wouldn't be Pizza Hut pizza. Sam is a smart fellow, but I believe that people ultimately understand that circumstances beyond their control dictated their initial pizza-eating experiences and preferences, namely where they lived and where their parents took them for pie. Furthermore, I believe that pizza discernment can be learned once we move away from home.

I wrote an entire book, Pizza: A Slice of Heaven, trying to move beyond Sam's theory. I ate a thousand pieces of pizza in 20 states and Italy and Canada trying to answer the question of what the best pizza city in the world was.

Naples, Italy, is of course pizza's ancestral home, and many traditionalists insist it is still the home of the world's best pizza.

Other Italians and world travelers say that the thin-crust pizza sold in Rome is their pizza paradigm.

New York City is where America's pizza culture began in 1905, when Gennaro Lombardi applied for a license to sell pizza at his grocery store on Spring Street.

Many discerning pizza lovers will tell you that New Haven, Connecticut, the home of Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern, is the only city worth eating pizza in.

Folks in Chicago and beyond will insist that they have the most fully developed and varied pizza culture in the world, ranging from the casserole-like deep dish pizza of Gino's East, to the thin-crust bar pizza of Vito & Nick's, to the Neapolitan-style pies at Spacca Napoli.

So I would like the good folks reading this to settle the issue once and for all by casting a vote in the first ever Slice–Serious Eats Pizza City Poll. After all, we do live in a pizzacracy (or would it be a pizzocracy?)

The best pizza city in the world is:

A. Naples
B. New York
C. New Haven
D. Chicago
E. Rome
F. Other (please elaborate)

28 Comments:

Crazy Ideaa, there is no best. Who has or what is the best pizza is probably the most subjective subject ever. I for one haven't met many pizza's I don't like, most chains being the exceptions. I can find great pizza in Omaha NE, Frank's and La Casa to name a couple. I have had great pizza in Rome, Sienna, Pisa, Venice and Florence. I have had great pizza in Portland Oregon, NYC, Boston, Chicago, Erie PA, Des Moines and Marshalltown Ia. Please let's spend our time extolling the vitures of our favorite pizzas and quit wasting our time arguing about who has the best.

Out of all the choices, I've had pizza only in Chicago, and that was from a Dominick's Finer Foods, which is a grocery store. Still, it was freshly handmade to-order in their deli and was ready to go when we hit the cashier's line. I was pleasantly surprised ... it was by far some of the best pizza I've had.

Again, as I've not been to the rest, I'm voting for "Other", and naming Ann Arbor, Michigan as my choice. Between Cottage Inn, Anthony's, the Pizza House and many other family-owned pizza joints, it's rather easy to find something you'll like. My fave is actually made in a tiny party/convenience store at the corner of N. Main and E. Summit St. They have a to-go-only kitchen that may be all of 8' x 10' where the lady makes pizza and hot sandwiches. The wonderfully hot and flavorful pizza she makes, especially the one that's enclosed, with the upper crust ... man, I could eat that stuff all day.

Going to chicago this weekend to eat pizza. What are the odds.
I have to say that I know the deep dish style well in the windy city but am looking forward to exploring my thin crust options.
Spacca Napoli, maybe?
Anyway, I vote for Phoenix. Purely based on Chris Bianco.
m

Naples, Italy

New Haven, CT

Kansas City. If the pizza theory holds, we're screwed. My two-year-old only knows classic Margherita, Naples-style and wood-fired. Not sure I can live up to that.

The first slice I ever had was some slightly above-average typical pizzeria pizza, and now I really don't like that type. So the theory is maybe more like a hypothesis.

Never been to Connecticut, I like some pizza in Austin, I really like some pizza in Chicago, but best I've had was NYC, decided when I was still living in my hometown and still eating Austin pizza when I knew there could be better. The theory is kind of ridiculous.

I like pizza.

F.

What- no love for Detroit?

Not only were Little Caesar's and Dominos founded in metro Detroit (and really- how much more American can you get?) but there's the local chain Dolly's, Hungry Howies, Pizza Popolis AND

(drum roll)

BUDDY'S!

Buddy's Pizza is a gift from God.

Buffalo, NY - home of LaNova Pizza, among others....there is a pizza place on nearly every corner...how could you go wrong?

I'm with hskrsedge. You can't really compare all the different pizzas to each other. That's like asking which country has the best food. Italian food is good, Thai food is good, Mexican food is good, they're all just different. I grew up in North Texas, and I've had great pizza at Mama's in Fort Worth and J&J's in Denton, at Gino's East and others in Chicago, at several places in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, at Serious Pie in Seattle, and they're all completely different. I live near Boston, so my favorite, naturally, is Boston pizza. Regina, Emma's, The Upper Crust, Santarpio's, Supreme, there are some good pizzas here. I couldn't even really say which one of those is my favorite (except I probably could: Regina) because even they are so different. The best thing about all of them is that I don't have to drive 3-4 hours to get a pizza. But one thing is certain: my favorite is definitely not the one I grew up with (Pizza Hut or Domino's or Mr. Jim's or something).

Hmm...much as I just want to shout Chicago! from the rooftops, I don't think you can really compare the Deep-Dish--which Chicago IS the freakin' best at--to, say, the ultra-thin Roman pizzas.

But hell, who wants complexity in this already complex world?

Chicago!

I'm afraid I have to differ with most of the other commenters so far. I think you can differentiate between cities and their pizza. I have travelled far and wide for good pizza, and have some sense of what one can find in other US cities.

Where I live, Boston/Cambridge, good pizza is available, but superlative pizza, not so much. (Sorry, but it is true. Regina's in the North End is the best around, but even there you have to order right and get it on a good night. Upper Crust? Bleh. Santarpio's? Okay, I guess, but really its own thing. Emma's? "Gourmet" blah, though the crust isn't bad.) Boston is still waiting for its truly great pizza, and I might have to bring it myself one of these days.

Best city, I dunno. There are a few. I'd take a Pepe's tomato pie any day over just about any other place, though Di Fara's in Bkln is a real close second.


Village Host in Belmont, CA is my favorite. Grew up eating the mushroom and sausage pizza and still love it everytime I'm back home. I live in NYC and Lombardi's is pretty fantastic but Sam might have it right.

I may have to agree with the pizza cognition theory. I grew up outside of Trenton, NJ. I've travelled the world and would have to say the tomato pies at Delorenzo's (Hudson Street of course!) in Trenton,(while not technically "pizza") are the best. Now i'm stuck in Washington, D.C., a pizza wasteland in my opinion. (the overrated 2 Amy's while it has a D.O.C. rating, doesn't come close to Trenton (or NYC).

Having grown up in the environs of Buffalo NY, I have to say that I have never had pizza anywhere in the states as great as the pizzas from all of the family-owned pizzerias around town. Now that I live in the South, good pizza is the one thing I miss the most.

By some accounts the best pizza is in Phoenix, AZ or LA. So I have no idea where the best pizza city is. I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza culture of NYC. It seemed like most people had an opinion and cared to some extent about where their pizza came from, something that definitely cannot be said for the DC metro area. I would also think that NYC has a higher density of pizzerias per square mile than almost any other city.

Two votes for Buffalo. Trust me on this-- Buffalo pizza is dreadful. It is doughy, and gloppy, and the sauce is too sweet. I was appalled when I moved here, and one of the first things I do when I hit NYC is to get a slice of the real deal.

B.) N to the Y to the C.

New York is the best.
I've also had New Haven and Chicago.
New Haven: went to Frank Pepe's was amazed at how unimpressive the pizza was. Just really unremarkable and greasy.
Chicago: have only had deep dish. I'll go with Ed in his book where he says that Chicago pizza is tasty but it's not "pizza."

Laugh if you will, and it has been 15 years, but New Bern & Moorehead City NC. Two brother's that trlocated from NYC - Mario & Luigoi. Luigi ran Mario's (my favorite) and Mario ran Luigi's. Great calzones as well.

NYC.
My problem with the Pizza Cognition Theory is that it implies that people cannot appreciate a BETTER pizza if it is from a different area. Me, I'm from New Jersey and I appreciate some good New Jersey and New York Style pizza more than any other kind, but I have found many others from many other places who have concluded that New York Style pizza is truly the best. For those people I created the New York Pizza Finder Web Site (And I will be adding Mario & Luigi in New Bern and Moorehead City right away!)

I'm a native New Yorker, and I've been to Italy, but not to Naples. I did have some mind-blowing pizza in Sorrento, though. From personal experience and out of personal pride I'm going to have to vote New York. As for Chicago, well, my Chicagoan boyfriend hates it when I say this, but I've just never understood Chicago style pizza. It doesn't seem right to me. It's not bad, but I swear it's not pizza. (The major point of contention in my relationship is Italian food.)

I rarely get to travel; and when I do, it's with the family--so meals are usually sandwhiches or some bland, pathetic northern (all of my extended relatives live up north, while I grew up in Louisiana and Texas) attempt at southern homestyle cooking. I can't say anything about where the best pizza might be found.

Locally; people swear by Napoli's, but I found it nothing special. The crust was barely better than Cici's, and it's only visible quality was quantity--of ingredients and the size of the pie. The best pizza I've had was at Carmine's, off of Spring Valley and Montfort in North Dallas. I'm not a fan of crust* but theirs was good, and the sausage on the pie was real slices of spiced sausage--not that crappy hamburger looking junk that normally shows up on the pizza scene. Strangely enough, the second best pizza I've had was at a Chinese buffet of all things. It was a pepperoni pizza with a fluffy crust, with cheddar interspersed with the usual mozzerella. I can't remember the name of the place, but it's found at the intersection of Skillman and Audelia. Third best pizza? At another buffet, simply called 'Pizza Buffet'; owned by an Asian family, but the chef is an Italian transplant from NYC. I particularly loved his stuffed pizzas and calzones. None of the pizza was bland or possessing of the usual 'overcooked' quality that I usually find on just about any buffet item.

*Regarding the 'first pizza' theory--doesn't apply to me. My first taste of pizza was homemade pizza. My mom would toss some homemade crust brushed with vegetable oil onto a pan sprinkled with cornmeal, spread some canned sauce, sprinkle mozzerella, arrange pepperoni, and bake. Sounds pretty nice, right? It was gross. There was wayyyy too much cornmeal on the crust, the sauce was little more than red water, and the dough was atrociously mealy. It was like eating hard flour. Thus began a lifetime of usually only eating the toppings off a slice of pizza and trashing the rest.
Impending hatefest for my wastefulness coming my way in 5...4...3...2...1...
:P


Best pizza city is Buenos Aires, Argentina. Even in the lowliest of places, the ingredients are always fresh. The city sports the most variety of pizza I have seen anywhere in the world. Grilled pizzas, pan pizzas, thin crust, thick crust, al tagglio, al metro, by the slice, whole pies only. Best pizza I ever had was in Naples, in the back of the McDonalds by the train station, but as far as a city goes, B.A. has too much going for it to not take the prize.

New York is best -- truth made manifest with a sprinkling of grated romano.

I was born and raised in New Haven. So with out a doubt I am an true follower of CT "Apizza" as we call it. Pepe's is my favorite. Nothing comes close to the Euphoria of waiting in line for the most mouth watering White Clam Apizza on this God given Planet! I am also a believer in that the pizza you grow up eating is the only pizza you truely love. I haven't found anything like Pepe's in my travels.

This is all really silly. Pizza is Pizza. I don't care what kind it is, Pizza is just plain fun to eat, and what's wonderful about it, is that there are so many different styles out there. It has a lot of variety, and I totally dig that about pizza. It is singly my favorite fast food. Whether you are from Chicago (Which I am), New York or Italy, at it's core is a fun food to eat. I absolutely love Deep Dish Pizza, like Gino's East, but I don't eat that all the time. I actually also like thin crust pizza's and generally I think most Chicagoans eat thin crust more often than not. I've had pizza in New York and although the flavors are different, it's still very good. If nothing else, it has the novelty of being new. I've always liked the fact that when you order a whole pizza in new york, it comes in pie shaped slices. Here, we do the square shaped slices, producing more pieces. The deep dish pizza is my favorite style, because you are just stuffed by it. The crust is so thick and crunchy that it's a major part of the experience. They tend to be monster sized, but two slices of that, small slices, will fill you up completely. They also use very fresh produce, producing what I've always thought were exceptionally flavorful pizza. To me this is pointless to make it a contest, because pizza is meant to be shared and enjoyed. Instead of focusing on the "who's best" angle, I'd rather appreciate the fact we are so lucky for the large variety of styles out there. Pizza is never boring because of this variety we all get to enjoy really good pizza anywhere we go. I'm sure New Yorkers can appreciate our thick crust pizzas.

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