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We're sure this one will get you talking: Yelp just released its list of the 100 best pizza spots in the U.S. and, shockingly, New York does not top the ranking.
Compiled based on Yelp Elites' shared favorites ("our most passionate and trusted reviewers and influencers," the company explains in a statement), the survey, which you can browse through in full right here, crowns Pequod's Pizzeria in Chicago as the very best of its kind in America.
We can't say we're surprised: Pequod's Pizzeria has, after all, appeared on two seasons of the massively popular TV show The Bear.
Interestingly enough, however, the location deals with its own fair share of critics who are constantly debating whether the pies that Pequod's slings out should qualify as traditional Chi-town deep dish pizza.
"We call it pan pizza, but really, it’s just our pizza: a unique take on traditional Chicago pizza," said General Manager Sean Asbra to Yelp. "It’s thick, with a soft bready center, a crispy bottom and a caramelized cheese crust around the edge."
We'll let Chicagoans argue about that while moving on to analyze the New York spots that make an appearance on Yelp's list.
At number three is the iconic Lombardi's, considered by many to be the very first pizzeria to open in the United States back in 1905.
Yelp Elite reviewers quoted in the press release pay tribute to the spot's "throwback, warm and welcoming" aesthetic and its "old school Italy feeling." We would like to add that the menu items on offer are consistently good, earning the destination the fanbase it enjoys.
Prince Street Pizza, which now boasts locations in Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego as well, also makes the ranking at spot number seven, with Olio e Più, the excellent West Village trattoria following at number eight. We suspect that Olio e Piú's custom-built, 1,000-degree wood-burning brick oven that was important from Naples has a lot to do with the restaurant's popularity. (Fun fact: according to Executive Chef Danilo Galati, the oven produces pizzas in 60 to 90 seconds, reports the press release.)
We'd be remiss not to mention the other New York spots that made it to the top 100: Di Fara Pizza (#16), Rubirosa (#25), Bleecker Street Pizza (#28), Juliana's (#30), John's of Times Square (#31), Kesté Pizza & Vino (#43) and John's of Bleecker Street (#46).
Below, find the top 100 best pizza joints in the US according to Yelp Elites:
1. Pequod’s Pizzeria, Chicago, Illinois
2. Bestia, Los Angeles, California
3. Lombardi’s Pizza, New York, New York
4. Mama D’s Italian Kitchen, Newport Beach, California
5. Base Camp Pizza Co., South Lake Tahoe, California
6. Secret Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada
7. Prince Street Pizza, New York, New York
8. Olio e Più, New York, New York
9. Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman, Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii
10. CUCINA urbana, San Diego, California
11. Home Slice Pizza, Austin, Texas
12. Serious Pie Downtown, Seattle, Washington
13. Bronx Pizza, San Diego, California
14. il Canale, Washington, DC
15. Golden Boy Pizza, San Francisco, California
16. Di Fara Pizza, Brooklyn, New York
17. Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, Chicago, Illinois
18. Masa of Echo Park, Los Angeles, California
19. Hideaway House, Sedona, Arizona
20. Cheese Board Pizza, Berkeley, California
21. Pizza Rock, Las Vegas, Nevada
22. Naples Ristorante E Bar, Anaheim, California
23. Joe’s Farm Grill, Gilbert, Arizona
24. Moose’s Tooth, Anchorage, Alaska
25. Rubirosa, New York, New York
26. Barbuzzo, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
27. Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, Chicago, Illinois
28. Bleecker Street Pizza, New York, New York
29. Cibo, Phoenix, Arizona
30. Juliana’s, Brooklyn, New York
31. John’s of Times Square, New York, New York
32. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco, California
33. Russell House Tavern, Cambridge, Massachusetts
34. Domenica, New Orleans, Louisiana
35. Fat Olives, Flagstaff, Arizona
36. Esther’s Kitchen, Las Vegas, Nevada
37. 600 Degrees Pizzeria & Draft House, Georgetown, Texas
38. Pizzeria Paradiso, Washington, DC
39. The Alchemist Cafe, Wilton Manors, Florida
40. Maui Brewing Company, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
41. The Parlor, Phoenix, Arizona
42. The Salty Pig, Boston, Massachusetts
43. Kesté Pizza & Vino, New York, New York
44. Spacca Napoli, Chicago, Illinois
45. Rocco’s, Seattle, Washington
46. John’s of Bleecker Street, New York, New York
47. Dough Pizzeria Napoletana, San Antonio, Texas
48. Osteria Marco, Denver, Colorado
49. Jupiter Pizza & Waffle, Sugar Land, Texas
50. 2 Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria, Washington, DC
51. La Famiglia Giorgio’s, Boston, Massachusetts
52. Fort George Brewery + Public House, Astoria, Oregon
53. Apizza Scholls, Portland, Oregon
54. DERU Market, Kirkland, Washington
55. Prato, Winter Park, Florida
56. Noble Crust, St. Petersburg, Florida
57. Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut
58. Casa Di Amore, Las Vegas, Nevada
59. Cafe Pesto Hilo Bay, Hilo, Hawaii
60. Beaver Street Brewery & Whistle Stop Cafe, Flagstaff, Arizona
61. Evel Pie, Las Vegas, Nevada
62. Pisa Lisa, Sedona, Arizona
63. Federal Pizza, Phoenix, Arizona
64. Santarpio’s Pizza, Boston, Massachusetts
65. Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House, Bend, Oregon
66. River Rock Roasting Company, La Verkin, Utah
67. J. Dolan’s, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
68. Vinnie Van Go-Go’s, Savannah, Georgia
69. Centro Woodfired Pizzeria, Cedar City, Utah
70. CRUST, Miami, Florida
71. Little Deli & Pizzeria, Austin, Texas
72. Eddie & Sam’s N.Y. Pizza, Tampa, Florida
73. Taste of Chicago, Addison, Texas
74. Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap, Alexandria, Virginia
75. The Obstinate Daughter, Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
76. Marco’s Coal Fired – Ballpark, Denver, Colorado
77. BAR, New Haven, Connecticut
78. Anthonino’s Taverna, Saint Louis, Missouri
79. Surly Brewing, Minneapolis, Minnesota
80. Antica Forma, Moab, Utah
81. Antico Forno, Boston, Massachusetts
82. Picco Pizza & Ice Cream, Boston, Massachusetts
83. Urban Crust, Plano, Texas
84. Pizzeria Lola, Minneapolis, Minnesota
85. Mystic Pizza, Mystic, Connecticut
86. Da Big Kahuna’s Pizza, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
87. Razza, Jersey City, New Jersey
88. Pinthouse Pizza, Austin, Texas
89. Big City Tavern, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
90. Vivo Italian Kitchen, Orlando, Florida
91. Calo Pizzeria Restaurant & Lounge, Chicago, Illinois
92. Pieous, Austin, Texas
93. Woody’s Woodfired Pizza & Watering Hole, Golden, Colorado
94. Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub, Medford, Oregon
95. Old School Pizzeria, North Las Vegas, Nevada
96. Luigi’s Pizzeria, Houston, Texas
97. Amano, Las Vegas, Nevada
98. Coalfire Pizza, Chicago, Illinois
99. Silver Beach Pizza, Saint Joseph, Michigan
100. Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza, Clearwater, Florida