When the pandemic arrived two years ago, customers turned to convenience, affordability, and comfort—three words that couldn't describe the pizza industry any better.
In the first four months of 2021, U.S.-based pizza concepts saw a 27 percent increase in foot traffic, according to Zenreach. That includes a 41 percent jump in New York, a 42 percent hike in Illinois and a dominant 77 percent rise in California.
50 Top Pizza, which prides itself as the most influential guide in the pizza sector, spent the past year visiting numerous pizzerias in the U.S.—using anonymous inspectors—to determine the 50 best restaurants in the country. The most important criteria was the quality of the dough and raw materials used for toppings. Other considerations include service, wine and beverage lists, and attention reserved for the customer.
The results were revealed during an award ceremony on June 14 at La Devozione in New York City. Among the top 50, the most common market was NYC with nine restaurants, followed by Portland and San Francisco with five each.
The top 15 are part of 50 Top Pizza's 100 best pizzerias in the world, which will be officially announced at Palazzo Reale in Naples, Italy, on September 7.
"It has been an emotional return to the United States. After two complicated years, it was truly significant to be able to meet the best 50 American pizza makers in New York, one of the great pizza capitals in the world," three 50 Top Pizza project curators, Barbara Guerra, Luciano Pignataro, and Albert Sapere, said in a statement.
The following slides showcase the 50 best pizzerias in the U.S., according to 50 Top Pizza.
