The Best Pizza in America, According to the Pros

From New York City to Portland, Oregon, these are the best pies being sauced and tossed in the United States.Robert'sFinding the best pizza in America is a tall order. After all, when it comes to New York City pizzerias alone, there are roughly 2,000 clamoring for your attention across all five boroughs. A task of this caliber requires a coalition, and every year the international guide 50 Top Pizza sends out its armada of anonymous inspectors to scour the world with a fine tooth comb for the very best pizza. This year's list for the United States didn't snub the usual suspects, with New York City snatching three of the top 10 spots, but this year's honors also shone generously on some wild card candidates including a relatively new kid on the block that's bringing a taste of Naples, Italy, to Cleveland, Mississippi. For the acclaimed and unknown, the strictly traditional and gleefully experimental, below is the 2026 list of the best pizza in America, according to the pros at 50 Top Pizza.Una PizzaUna Pizza NapoletanaLearning the lore behind this Lower East Side pizza spot will only deepen your appreciation for their meticulously crafted pies even further. The saga begins 30 years ago in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, and ventures over the years to the East Village and San Francisco before finally landing at the restaurant's current home in the LES, the one and only “expression of Anthony Mangieri’s decades-long pursuit of pizza.” The payoff of those 30 years spent experimenting, playing with ingredient permutations, and cultivating an international following is the dedicated pizzaiolo's delightfully airy, leopard-spotted pies where the devil's in the dough. Should you land one of their coveted reservations, make sure to choose wisely and savor well—the restaurant reserves exactly one pie for each guest present at the reservation. The menu is minimal, with just six pizzas to choose from: the Marinara, the Margherita, the Bianca, the Filetti, the Cosacca, and a rotating special. Having taken home the top spot on the 50 Top Pizza list for three years, Una Pizza Napoletana defends its aptonym well.Address: 175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002Pizzeria SeiPizzeria SeiFrom first impressions alone, Pizzeria Sei deceptively simple: Just a counter, some stools, and probably the most beautiful pizza oven you've ever seen. The whole operation is right there in front of you, which immediately tells you they're not hiding anything. Owner William Joo, who trained at Providence and Ronan before opening his own place, delivers Neapolitan-style pizza executed with Japanese precision. The crust achieves that perfect balance of char and chew, and the toppings are minimal but impeccable. Don’t skip the antipasti, particularly the burrata or prosciutto. Keep it Italian—natural wines that won't compete with the delicate flavors they're building. The beer selection is small but thoughtful, all choices that make sense with wood-fired pizza. You're coming for pizza that respects the craft. No Instagram gimmicks, no fusion nonsense, just the best version of something that sounds simple but isn't. —Celeste Moure, contributing writerRead our full review of Pizzeria Sei here.Address: 8781 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035© 2022 Marc Fiorito // Gamma Nine PhotographyMarc FioritoTony's Pizza NapoletanaTony's Pizza Napoletana has quickly established itself as one of San Francisco's most beloved pizza joints. With salads, classic Italian dishes, and an impressive number of pizza styles, it'll appease even the pickiest eater. Classic American, classic Italian, California, Romana, New York, "Grandma," Sicilian, coal-fired, Detroit, St. Louis: Tony's Pizza Napoletana delivers a heady variety of regional styles in addition to its namesake Neapolitan (chef-owner Tony Gemignani's Neapolitan Margherita helped jump-start his career). The menu might be overwhelming—some have called it an "amusement park" for pizza—but you really can't go wrong, as long as you make sure to save room for the coccoli: sea-salt fried dough dumplings, almost like savory doughnuts, which come with a selection of sides and dips. Come with a small group, get your name on the list early, and get ready to indulge. —Lexi Pandell, contributing writerRead our full review of Tony's Pizza Napoletana here.Address: 1570 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133RazzaWhen tenured New York Times food critic Pete Wells anointed Jersey City's Razza as home to the best pizza in New York in 2017, the effect was something like throwing a Molotov cocktail at New York's long-reigning throne. Nearly a decade on, the incendiary take that launched a thousand reservations remains well-warranted. Naturally leavened, carefully wood-fired dough acts as the ideal canvas for chef Dan Richer's locavore approach to picking toppings. While some establishments take a purist approach to their pies, seeking to come as close to the Neapolitan tradition as possible, Razza shines in all the distinctly New Jerseyan ways it deviates. We're talking sauce made from New Jersey heirlooms, hazelnuts sourced from Rutgers University's renowned hazelnut breeding program, and mozz ripened from local water buffalo milk. For pizza pilgrims and locals simply looking for a dinner spot that will wow out-of-towners, there's no better reason to hop over the Hudson.Address: 275 Grove St, Jersey City, NJ 07302Edited in Tezza with: Wildflower, Temperature, Saturation, & NovagloTruly PizzaTruly PizzaIn the broader conversation of SoCal, heavy hitters like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Palm Springs tend to dominate the discourse, but this year, when it comes to pizza, Dana Point, California's Truly Pizza finds itself up there with the best of them. The surrounding sleepy, surfer town vibes set the stage as the restaurant is a multi-story, completely outdoor concept that immerses its patrons in an experience akin to dining al fresco somewhere along the Med. Turning our attention to the pies themselves, the menu is comprised of not one but two specialties: the hearth-baked American Artisan Round Pizzas, and American Artisan Square Pizzas Truly Pizza touts with the quality of being “light as a feather.” Toppings are guided by seasonal availability, an intuitive philosophy to follow in California where what's best is typically what's fresh. They're also not afraid to dip into the realm of fusion with signature pies like the Umami Mushroom pairing local funghi with toasted sesame oil, bonito flakes, and green onion—yum.Address: 24402 Del Prado Ave, Dana Point, CA 92629Francesco Martucci MiamiMiami's Wynwood Art District is trendy before all else, so the fact that it lays claim to the best of the best of pizza from Caserta, Italy, as one of its culinary imports is rather unsurprising, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. Time-honored technique helmed by the restaurant's eponymous pizzaiolo joyfully collides with Miami maximalism in creations like the $55 A5 Wagyu + Funghi Assoluti that layers table-side torched A5 wagyu carpaccio with fried organic mushrooms, crispy onions, fior di latte, and a roasted cherry confit, or the less eye-watering-ly priced Le 7 Consistenze della Cipolla, which interprets the humble onion in seven different forms—creamed, fermented, crispy, burnt, onion mayonnaise, onion jam, and onion gel. For the true run of the gamut that goes beyond the pizza, consider springing for the ambitious $180 tasting menu, which includes amuse-bouche, 'O Calzone C'a Scarola, Tortelli Cacio e Pepe, the aforementioned Le 7 Consistenze della Cipolla pizza as well as the Futuro di Marinara pizza, A5 Wagyu alla Brace, house-made Sichuan pepper gelato, and petit fours to top it all off.Address: 10 NE 27th St, Miami, FL 33137Don AntonioDon AntonioAs this NYC pizzeria is seated in the heart of the always swarmed Hell's Kitchen, you'd be forgiven for thinking Don Antonio is just another tourist trap, but in a city that is as great for pizza as New York, you're bound to come across many of its gems aren't so hidden. Come for the authentic to the Old World Neapolitan pies, and stay for their iconic calling card, La Montanara. With roots as an Italian street food, these are their fried-then-fired pizzas that take on a delicate crunch from the flash-frying process. For insistent, true-to-form devotees, Don Antonio is a great place to spread the gospel of Neapolitan pie as their menu contains several vegetarian and vegan-friendly options. The restaurant's Hell's Kitchen address and walk-in only policy also makes this one of the best pre-show meals to grab right off of Broadway, or to bring the whole family to after a long day romping around Times Square.Address: 309 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019Jay's Artisan PizzeriaWhile the Big Apple tends to reap in most of the applause, don't sleep on the pizza Upstate. Jay's, like many great pizzerias, nods to the dish's Neapolitan provenance, but it stands out from the pack for showing just as much love to the pan-fired Detroit style of making pizzas. The pies here go against the grain in more ways than one—located in the Buffalo area, these aren't the typical thick crusted, cup-and-charred pepperoni pizzas the region is better known for. The novelty alone is reason enough to visit, especially as it includes a hand-built, brick Pavesi oven diners can watch in action from the open kitchen. Add on timeless flavors and pies intentionally served uncut to make reheating at home easier, and you have the makings of a neighborhood classic. For a black sheep that's doing things differently and doing them well, Jay's is just the place to stop by for when you're looking to refresh your palette from all those New York City pies.Address: 2872 Delaware Ave, Kenmore, NY 14217RibaltaRibaltaUnion Square is a corner of New York City that's not wanting for another trendy restaurant that's all but impossible to get into, but Ribalta is a neighborhood that's earned its stripes since its founding circa the height of Lena Dunham's unapologetically millennial masterpiece Girls. It doesn't get more urban urbane than this, with their own site putting it best as just the spot where, “the heart of Naples meets the energy of New York.” The pies here don't reinvent the wheel, and Ribalta gets the subtle yet reassuring stamp of approval from the regular presence of Italians who stop by for an authentic taste of home. If you're bringing a crew of picky eaters, there's 25-plus pizzas on the menu with a bounty of toppings made for every mood, and if there still happens to be something missing, four of the pies—specifically the Margherita Rossa, the Margherita Bianca, the Pala Margherita Rossa, and the Pala Margherita Bianca—can be altered with custom toppings ranging from boiled eggs to hot dogs to appease even the most idiosyncratic appetites.Address: 48 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003Courtesy of Robert's Pizza & Dough Co.Robert's Pizza and Dough CompanyAt Robert's, they love dough responsibly, and take dough very seriously—a solemn vow for a place that's as fun as this Chicago pizza joint. If you were seeking a slice of the Windy City's famous deep dish pies, you might want to head over to Lou Malnati's or Pequod's. The standard here is an airy, triangular slice that cracks when folded—but crucially does not break—a bite that lands right at the fulcrum between a crunch and a chew. Atop this very seriously crafted dough, funky flavor combos abound. Highlights include duck prosciutto, fennel pollen, Brussels sprouts, and trillium flower that embody a spirit that just about anything can qualify as a pizza topping so long as you're bold enough to try it. Though if you find yourself still tutting at the idea of pineapple on pizza, rest assured that familiar favorites like cheese and pepperoni still have their place on the menu.Address: 465 N McClurg Ct, Chicago, IL 60611Rory DoyleLeña Pizza + BagelsAlong the Mississippi Delta, halfway between Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi, one of the country's finest pizzerias opens for dinner Thursdays through Saturdays and on the first Sunday of every month in a town with a population hovering around 12,000 residents. The element of surprise is a sort of secret ingredient at Leña, which means “firewood” in Spanish, a wink at co-owner and head pizzaiola Marisol Doyle's Mexican heritage. With certification from the elite Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and training at the Scuola di Pizzaiolo outside Naples, chef Doyle leads with her high-level pizza acumen, drawing up a weekly rotating menu with inspired offerings such as one week's Vietnamese-inspired pie topped with crispy pork belly, garlic confit, and chili sauce. And should you find yourself in Cleveland, Mississippi, on a Saturday morning, stop by Leña for one of their equally inventive bagels. You truly never know what you're going to get here, and that's precisely this pizzeria's beauty.Address: 331 Cotton Row, Cleveland, MS 38732Ken's Artisan PizzaKen's Artisan PizzaIn Portland, Oregon, one of America's great hubs of all things weird, you can expect that the pizza comes with its own quirks, too. As Ken's themselves describes their practice, they're serving up Italian pizza with an American accent, an inflection that owes mainly to the short supply chain between Portland, Oregon's great natural bounty of foods that supplies what ends up on top of your pizza. Everything from local produce to house-made pickles to premium heritage pork raised at a nearby farm might adorn your slice, and you'll find that, that American accent permeates all parts of the menu. Take desserts, which features a S'mores Semifreddo that marries the campground classic with an airy, Italian dessert.Address: 304 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214Why Everyone Will Be Going to Osaka in 2025