#1
9.7Top Tier
The best pizza in America? It might be… It could be… This 2024 James Beard semifinalist serves sourdough-based Neapolitan pizza from a relaxed space off Mozart Street. Rather than a 1000-degree wood-fired oven,…
Style guide
Best Neapolitan Pizza
A ranked guide to Neapolitan entries across The Slice Index.
Pizza as we recognize it today began in Italy. It emerged in Naples, where by the 19th century it had become a staple of the city’s street food. The story is when Queen Margherita visited Naples in 1889, pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito served her a pizza of tomato, mozzarella, and basil representing the red, white, and green of the Italian flag, and the “Margherita” pizza was named in her honor.
The style uses a soft, fermented dough baked very quickly at intense heat, traditionally in a wood-fired oven, producing an airy, blistered cornicione and a thin, tender center.
Naples has detailed rules governing what officially qualifies as true Neapolitan pizza, but I use the category much more broadly, essentially grouping the wood-fired pizza family here. This seems preferable to excessive taxonomy, particularly considering that actual Neapolitans happily put hot dogs and French fries on pizza. Some examples here closely follow the traditional rules; others experiment more freely. What matters is the result: a light, flavorful crust, proper fermentation, restrained balance, and a bake that produces char without simply burning the pizza.
Score keyTop Tier · 9.0+Great · 8.0–8.9Worth the Calories · 6.5–7.9All Pizza’s Good, Right? · Below 6.5
#2
9.5Top Tier
I sometimes say: the US has the most innovative chefs but not necessarily the best tomatoes*. Italy has the best tomatoes. So, an Italian pizzeria on top of their game is tough to beat. “Michael’s Ancient Pizzeria” is a legendary Italian restaurant. The Neapolitan original was founded in 1870…
#3
9.2Top Tier
I have long been a fan of Paul Giannone (“Paulie Gee”), who in 2010 gave up his office job to pursue his dream of opening a top tier pizzeria. In this he was quite successful & the original Paulie Gee’s in Gree…
#4
9.0Top Tier
We recently stopped by the soft-opening of @steelcitypizzaohio (the original location is in Middletown - the “Steel City” itself). The Hamilton outpost sits in the shadow of an old train bridge that evokes stro…
#5
8.9Great
Named for El Cerrito (‘the Little Hill’) this is another local pizza pop-up - Cincy Pizza Pop-ups being a really dynamic space recently. @littlehillpizza frequently appears at @westsidebrewing and @listermannbr…
#6
8.8Great
Brewer’s Fork (Boston) – The best pizza in Boston? For my last Boston review, I wanted to try a true New England style pizza. So I grabbed the Spicy Clam to go from Brewer’s Fork in Charlestown. New England is…
#7
8.6Great
So, I’m walking down Coldharbour Lane, head hung low, three or four in the afternoon. The sun is not out, but the Clash is playing. A Clash song really does begin playing when I emerge from the Tube in Brixton on a drear…
#8
8.5Great
I recall what a watershed moment it was in the community when A Tavola opened in 2011 - Vine Street had to be shut down to bring in the authentic Neapolitan wood fired oven (carved out of Mount Vesuvius, I beli…
#9
8.5Great
A repeat visit (always a good sign) to this “Neapolitanish” pizza pop-up. I reviewed @companionpizza last year as takeout pizza from Oakley Wines. This time, we tried them for a sit-down meal at @kingpigeoncinc…
#10
8.4Great
June Bug (Somerville, MA) is a serious addition to the Boston-area pizza scene from the thoughtful team at @field_and_vine. I might describe @junebugrestaurant as the kind of spot where Gordon Wood devotees get…
#11
#12
8.0Great
A gorgeous ‘gourmet’ Neapolitan pizzeria in Columbus’s Italian Village neighborhood, that happens to be run by a fellow named Gore. GoreMade/Gourmet prominently features a custom built wood-fired oven, imported…
#13
8.0Great
#14
8.0Great
A Neapolitan pizza, with Argentine influences. Pictured here is the “Pretty in Pepperoni” with and added. I tried @timberpizzaco based on the high rating given it by one of my favorite accounts: @dcpizzareviews…
#15
7.9Worth the Calories
A pizza truck that frequently pops up around downtown and various breweries/cideries, Wildfire produces 12” wood fired pies. The dough is cold fermented for at least 24 hours and then cooked (quickly) at 900 de…
#16
7.8Worth the Calories
A well-named Neapolitan pizzeria in Milford. We tried three pizzas at Joe’s: the Pepperoni (naturally), the Viva Las Vegas (an award winner from the Vegas Pizza Expo @pizzaexpo, which is quite a big deal), and…
#17
7.8Worth the Calories
#18
7.7Worth the Calories
This pizza truck regularly pops-up at local breweries, primarily @streetsidebrewery (where they serve on Mondays) & @listermannbrewing (where we caught them). Sidenote: Listermann is an excellent spot to try a…
#19
7.7Worth the Calories
#20
7.6Worth the Calories
An Americanized Neapolitan pizzeria in Ft Mitchell, Camporosso offers two styles: Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and ‘American’ New York-ish gas oven pizza. Pictured is the ‘American’. The crust is more airy/bubbl…
#21
7.6Worth the Calories
#22
7.5Worth the Calories
A “Goetta Grip” pizza topped with crumbled Goetta sausage & Grippos BBQ potato chips (the world’s greatest potato chip), available at this brewery+circus+Neapolitan pizza mashup. Bircus’s full circus brewery is…
#23
7.5Worth the Calories
#24
7.5Worth the Calories
#25
#26
7.3Worth the Calories
#27
7.3Worth the Calories
#28
7.1Worth the Calories
#29
#30
#31
6.8Worth the Calories
#32
6.7Worth the Calories
#33
6.1All Pizza’s Good, Right?
#34
6.1All Pizza’s Good, Right?
#35
5.9All Pizza’s Good, Right?
Incline Public House emphasizes its brick-oven pizzas, which it calls “Wood Stone pizzas.” As far as I can tell, this means the pizzas are baked in a gas oven made by the Wood Stone Corporation. Nothi…
Closed PizzeriasHistorical records are kept below open entries
#36
9.0Top Tier
“The Ancient Pizzeria of Michele” is a NYC outpost of the famous pizzeria in old Naples. The original was founded in 1870, shortly after Italian Unification and decades before the first American pizzeria (@lomb…
#37
8.7Great
Since opening in August 2022, College Hill’s El Camino Bakery has been one of our favorite spots in the city for coffee, baked goods, and Gustave Doré inspired decor. More recently, El Camino has started hostin…
#38
8.3Great
This might be America’s best-named pizzeria (with the possible exception of @joespizzanyc). Let me explain: Neapolitan pizzaioli strive to achieve a "leopard-spotted crust". That, of course, refers to a pizza c…
#39
7.5Worth the Calories
#40
7.1Worth the Calories
M Wood Fired Oven is located in East Hyde Park, next to the beloved Hap's Irish Pub. Lest one not believe the pizza is actually wood-fired: flames burn atop pedestals outside the entrance, while a pro…
#41
6.4All Pizza’s Good, Right?
#42
6.3All Pizza’s Good, Right?
#43
6.1All Pizza’s Good, Right?