Best Pizza in Unexpected Places

By Food & Wine
Updated August 30, 2017
Photo © tvol
Some of the country's best pies can be found in cities other than New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Here, F&W names the best places for pizza in cities you might not expect, including an old auto-repair garage in Kentucky—Additional reporting by Alessandra Bulow
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Ann Arbor, MI: Mani Osteria

Credit: Photo courtesy of Mani Osteria

Adam Baru worked under restaurateur Danny Meyer before returning to his hometown to open his first restaurant. Wood-fired ovens turn out pies like the Farmers’ Market, loaded with local vegetables. maniosteria.com

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Miami: Harry's Pizzeria

Credit: Photo © John Kernick

Chef Michael Schwartz has always been great with a wood-burning oven; now he’s making pizzas in one at his new Design District outpost. His go-to cheese is Trugole, which melts like mozzarella but is more stretchy and gooey. harryspizzeria.com

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Detroit: Buddy's Pizza

Credit: Photo courtesy of Buddy's Pizza

This fabled pizzeria specializes in Detroit-style square pies like The Super (with pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, green peppers and ham), and even uses some of the same seasoned pans from when they opened more than 50 years ago. buddyspizza.com

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St. Paul: Punch Pizza

Credit: Photo courtesy of Punch Pizza

Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods and an F&W contributing editor, names this “insanely good Neapolitan pizzeria” one of his top five best pizza spots in the country. His favorite salame e funghi pie is topped with salami from a secret source, earthy mushrooms, fresh garlic, Fontina cheese and dried oregano. “Eating it uncut is the way to go,” Zimmern says. punchpizza.com

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Portland, OR: Ken's Artisan Pizza

Credit: Photo © Adam Kuban

The wildly popular—and still going strong—bacon-topped pies and Monday Night Pizza events at Ken’s Artisan Bakery prompted supertalented baker Ken Forkish to open a stand-alone spot in 2006. kensartisan.com

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Austin: The Backspace

Credit: Photo courtesy of The Backspace

The wood-burning oven heats to 1,000 degrees, producing a super-blistered crust at this spot behind Parkside restaurant. The chefs spent months developing a special dough to stand up to the heat. thebackspace-austin.com

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Detroit: Supino Pizzeria

Credit: Photo © Hane C. Lee

Located in the beautifully restored public Eastern Market, this cozy checkerboard-floored pizza shop serves terrific pies at long wooden tables with metal stools. The signature Supino pie is topped with roasted garlic, black olives, creamy ricotta, mozzarella and finished with a drizzle of chile oil. supinopizzeria.com

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Minneapolis: Pizzeria Lola

Credit: Photo © Richard Fleischman

“Yes, it’s true, Minnesota has the best pizza in America,” says TV star and chef Andrew Zimmern. “Better than New York City and Chicago put together.” The Minnesota resident might be a bit biased, but his favorite order makes a case for thinking outside those major pizzaiola hubs: The Sunnyside is topped with guanciale and leeks that have been caramelized in the cured pork fat and finished with a hint of cream. A sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese and two fresh sunny-side up eggs complete the recipe. pizzerialola.com

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St. Louis: Pastaria

Credit: Photo © Greg Rannells

St. Louis-style pizza is usually characterized by the use of Velveeta-like Provel cheese on crispy, thin-crusted square slices. Here, Gerard Craft, an F&W Best New Chef 2008, serves Neapolitan-style pies and makes toppings such as pepperoni in-house. Craft spent time in Italy before opening the restaurant and incorporates seasonal ingredients, as in one fall pizza topped with caramelized brussels sprouts, mozzarella, creamy béchamel and lardo (a.k.a. pork fat). pastariastl.com

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Santa Monica, CA: Stella Rossa

Credit: Photo © Anjali M. Pinto

Mathematician-turned-chef Jeff Mahin tested 30 dough recipes before he settled on his salty, puffy crust. He’s no traditionalist, topping his pies with purple kale, chèvre and fennel. stellarossapizzabar.com

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Yountville, CA: Redd Wood

Credit: Photo © Nick Vasilopoulos

Richard Reddington, who runs the elegant Redd down the street, goes casual at this industrial-chic Napa trattoria. The focus is on salumi, antipasti, well-priced wines and rustic pizzas with crispy, ultra-thin crusts. “It’s a place for an impromptu meal or a reprieve from wine tasting,” says Reddington. redd-wood.com

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Oakland, CA: Pizzaiolo

Credit: Photo © Deborah Sherman

For chef-co-owner Charlie Hallowell, a Chez Panisse alum, seasonality and local ingredients are key—even the flour is milled in Oakland. The menu changes daily but the signature marinara pie is a constant. pizzaiolooakland.com

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Larkspur, CA: Pizzeria Picco

Credit: Photo © Adam Kuban

Pizzeria Picco’s wood-fired Neopolitan pies, like the margherita with house-pulled mozzarella, are rumored to be super star chef Mario Batali’s favorite. Another draw: the quirky olive-oil-and-sea-salt-topped soft serve ice cream. pizzeriapicco.com

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Portland, OR: Apizza Scholls

Credit: Photo © John Sowell, Roseburg, Ore

Pizzaiolos Brian Spangler, Dan Roberts and Jon Ullrich are so exacting about their craft that they mix their dough by hand daily and won’t let customers put any more than three toppings on the nicely charred pies. The signature Apizza Amore pie is topped with tomato sauce, both fresh and aged mozzarella, pecorino romano, grana padano, extra virgin olive oil, cured pork shoulder and fresh basil. apizzascholls.com

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Portland, OR: Oven and Shaker

Credit: Photo © John Valls

Pizza and cocktails get equal thought at this serious pizza bar. The Neapolitan-style pies pair with cocktails in three categories: Fresh, Dry and Strong. ovenandshaker.com

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Louisville, KY: Garage Bar

Credit: Photo courtesy of Garage Bar

Chef Michael Paley, owner of local favorite Proof on Main, serves Italian-meets-Southern pizzas—like Margherita topped with country ham—inside a renovated auto-repair garage. garageonmarket.com

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Asheville: Cucina24

Credit: Photo © Jennifer Altman

Southern Italy meets the Deep South at Brian Canipelli’s restaurant. On the menu: handmade pizzas alongside Southern dishes like chicken-fried grouper and collard greens with bacon. cucina24restaurant.com

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Port Chester, NY: Tarry Lodge

Credit: Photo courtesy of Tarry Lodge

Superstar chef Mario Batali usually opens his famous restaurants in major cities, but this terrific enoteca-pizzeria is located in a quiet suburb about 50 minutes outside New York City. Unexpected toppings include meatballs with jalapeños and Fontina cheese, and burrata with pancetta and chile oil, as well as luxe combinations like the guanciale pie with black truffles and an oozing egg. tarrylodge.com

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Washington, D.C.: 2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria

Credit: Photo © tvol

2Amys follows the strict standards of VPN, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, like using “00” flour, milled to an extremely fine grain for it's delicious dough. The signature Two Amys pie is topped with plum tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. 2amyspizza.com

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