The 40 Best Pizzerias in America

Papa’s, established in New Jersey in 1912, claims to be America’s oldest continuously owned, family-owned pizzeria (though it moved from Trenton to Robbinsville in 2013). The Azzaro family cooks made-to-order tomato pies (cheese and toppings first, then sauce) that typically come well done. But you shouldn’t leave without trying a true original. Papa’s mustard pizza is first brushed with spicy brown mustard, adding an even more pronounced tang to its saucy pies.

Pizza maestro Anthony Mangieri has crisscrossed America, first taking New York by storm, then departing for San Francisco, and returning nine years later — in 2018 — to Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Neapolitan-style pizza is no longer anything novel in America, but Mangieri’s pies continue to set a standard with their incredibly light, tall, dinghy-rim crusts, making them one of the more iconic pizzas in New York City.

Regina is Boston pizza royalty with a history that goes back to 1926. There are now 13 locations in Massachusetts and one in Connecticut, and some say that expansion has come at the cost of quality. Nothing’s wrong at the original location in the winding streets of the North End, however, where the dark crust is paired with juicy cheesiness.

Chef John Hall worked in several esteemed New York City restaurants before coming to Birmingham to open a pizzeria with a friend in an old post office. Pies are topped with house-made mozzarella and cooked in a handmade wood-fired brick oven, which yields crisp, thin, char-edged pies.

For years, D.C. was a pizza wasteland. That’s changed recently, and Timber Pizza Company is one reason why. Partners Chris Brady and Andrew Dana started in 2014 by towing an oven to local breweries and farmers markets, and went brick-and-mortar in 2016. Saying “Cheese, Please” scores you a red pie with a blend of provolone and fresh mozzarella, but their most famous pizza may be the Green Monster with pesto, fresh mozzarella, feta, zucchini, and kale.