What is the best pizzeria in the world?

Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples is the most-cited pizzeria on earth. Da Michele has served two pizzas (Margherita and Marinara) since 1870; the Condurro family has run it for five generations. Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali is the modern Naples VPN benchmark. Frank Pepe in New Haven (since 1925) is America's most-cited pizzeria; the white clam apizza is the single most-cited slice in the United States.

What is VPN-certified pizza?

Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN) is the protected Neapolitan pizza designation. To qualify a pizza must be made with Type 00 flour, San Marzano DOP tomato, fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, sea salt, and extra-virgin olive oil; cooked in a wood-fired oven at 485 Celsius for sixty to ninety seconds; and finished with a charred edge of two to three centimetres. Pizzeria Da Michele, Sorbillo, Antico Pizza Napoletana Atlanta, Pizzicletta Flagstaff, and Pizzeria Locale Boulder are all VPN-certified.

What is New Haven apizza?

New Haven apizza is a regional Connecticut pizza style that began at Frank Pepe in 1925. The technique uses a coal-fired or oil-fired oven at 480 Celsius, high-protein flour, low-hydration dough, and minimal cheese. The signature Frank Pepe white clam apizza (raw shucked clams, garlic, oregano, olive oil, no cheese) is the institutional New Haven order. Sally's Apizza (1938), Modern Apizza (1934), and Zeneli Pizzeria all carry the New Haven apizza tradition.

Who invented Chicago deep-dish pizza?

Ike Sewell invented the Chicago deep-dish at Pizzeria Uno on East Ohio Street in 1943. The format inverts the layering (cheese on the bottom, sauce on top), uses a buttery cornmeal crust pressed into a deep cake pan, and bakes for forty minutes at 230 Celsius. Lou Malnati ran the Pizzeria Uno kitchen for two decades before opening his family flagship in 1971. Pequod's added the famous caramelized cheese rim (cheese pulled up the sides of the pan and burned during the bake) in 1992.

How hard is it to book Lucali Brooklyn or Pizzeria Bianco?

Lucali Brooklyn: cash only, no reservations; queue from 4 PM Saturdays for a four-hour wait. Pizzeria Bianco: 8 to 12 weeks for prime-time Friday and Saturday tables. Roberta's Brooklyn: 8 to 12 weeks. Frank Pepe and Sally's Apizza: walk-in only with queue from 5 PM. Da Michele Naples: numbered ticket queue from 11 AM with a 90-minute Saturday wait.

RFK Editorial · The Worldwide Pizza Authority

Top 50 Pizza Restaurants Worldwide

Q: Who is the only pizza maker to ever win James Beard Outstanding Chef?

Chris Bianco at Pizzeria Bianco Phoenix won James Beard Outstanding Chef in 2003, the first and only pizza maker to ever win the award. Bianco's American Neapolitan technique uses stone-ground organic flour, San Marzano DOP, and a wood-fired oven; the Wiseguy (smoked mozzarella, fennel sausage, onions) and Sonny Boy are the most-cited single pizzas in modern American pizza.

Published May 2, 2025 · Updated July 28, 2025

From Da Michele Naples (1870) and Sorbillo to Frank Pepe New Haven (1925), Lucali Brooklyn, Pizzeria Bianco Phoenix (the only pizza maker to ever win James Beard Outstanding Chef), Pizzeria Mozza LA, Roberta's Brooklyn, Pizzeria Uno (the original Chicago deep-dish since 1943), and the global VPN-certified outposts. Naples VPN, Roman al taglio, New Haven apizza, Brooklyn modern, Chicago deep dish, Detroit-style square.

50 Pizzerias 28 Cities 10 Countries Authority Score 9.7

Methodology

We assess every pizzeria on this list against six structural variables: pizza style (Neapolitan VPN, Roman al taglio, Roman thin-crust, New Haven apizza, NYC slice, Brooklyn coal-fired, Brooklyn modern wood-fired, Chicago deep dish, Chicago tavern, Detroit-style square, American Neapolitan), oven type (wood-fired, coal-fired, electric deck, deep-pan, steel-pan), dough fermentation (length, hydration, flour provenance), the pizzaiolo's training lineage, the consistency of the room over time, and the cultural authority within the regional pizza tradition.

No restaurant on this list serves a generic pan-pizza menu, and no restaurant on this list mixes regional pizza traditions in a single kitchen. Da Michele is treated as Neapolitan VPN. Frank Pepe is New Haven apizza. Pizzeria Uno is Chicago deep dish. Lucali is Brooklyn modern. Emily NYC is Detroit-style square. Each style is a separate culinary tradition with its own oven, its own dough, and its own ranking criteria; we treat them as parallel rather than competing.

VPN certification is noted but does not determine ranking. James Beard Outstanding Chef (Chris Bianco, 2003), Gambero Rosso Three Spicchi, and the Italian regional pizza accolades are referenced as objective marker variables. The hardest-to-book pizzerias (Lucali, Roberta's, Pizzeria Bianco) are flagged separately in the booking lead-time field rather than influencing the score grid.

Naples and Italy: The Pizza Authority

Pizza was invented in Naples and Italy still defines the highest authority for the genre. Antica Pizzeria Da Michele has served Margherita and Marinara since 1870. Gino Sorbillo runs the most consistently institutional VPN-certified pizzeria on Via dei Tribunali. In Rome, Gabriele Bonci's Pizzarium sharpened pizza al taglio to gourmet level with 72-hour fermentation; Pizzeria Baffetto holds the Roman scrocchiarella thin-crust register since 1953; 180g Pizzeria carries the modern Roman tonda. Gustapizza in Florence, 081 Lecce in Salento, and Verucchio in Capri complete the eight Italian rooms that anchor the global pizza authority.

Cities: Capri · Florence · Lecce · Naples · Rome

Antica Pizzeria Da Michele

Forcella, Naples · Neapolitan VPN · $$

Pizza 1870 Naples institution

The most legendary pizzeria on earth. Da Michele has served two pizzas (Margherita and Marinara) since 1870. The Condurro family has run it for five generations; the Eat Pray Love location pilgrimage doubled the queue.

Food10/10

Ambience9/10

Value10/10

Pizza style: Neapolitan VPN

Oven type: Wood-fired, Stefano Ferrara oven, 485 Celsius

Dough fermentation: Type 00 flour, 8-12 hour cold ferment, San Marzano tomato

Signature pie: Margherita and Marinara only (the original two-pizza menu)

Dough provenance: Caputo 00 flour, San Marzano DOP tomato, fior di latte mozzarella

Award lineage: Vera Pizza Napoletana protected designation

Address: Via Cesare Sersale 1, Naples

Founded: 1870

Pizzaiolo: Condurro family

Best pie: Margherita Da Michele

Booking lead: No reservations; numbered ticket queue starting 11 AM

Pizza price: 10 to 18 EUR per pizza

Dress code: Casual; expect to wait two hours on Friday and Saturday

Read the full pizza guide → View restaurant page →

Sorbillo

Centro Storico, Naples · Neapolitan VPN · $$