Around where I live (the Cincinnati/Dayton, or CinDay, corridor), the top honor unquestioningly goes to Troni’s in Kettering (http://www.yelp.com/biz/tronis-pizza-and-restaurant-dayton), followed by Dewey’s (http://www.deweyspizza.com/). And if I’m in the mood for “Dayton style” pizza (thin, crispy, almost cracker-y crust, cut into tiny squares), I’ll always, always pick Marion’s (http://marionspizza.com/) over local favorite Cassano’s Pizza King (yeah, right, “king”… maybe at one time, but not now; http://www.cassanos.com/). And if I ever get a hankering for the pizza I loved most as a wee lad, but as an adult, grew to recognize that it was styrofoam-quality crust topped with decent toppings and about five and a half pounds of cheese, I venture back into Shaddock’s Pony Keg (http://tinyurl.com/y7bepsy). And the less said about inexplicable Cincy favorite LaRosa’s the better (http://www.larosas.com/).
The best pizza I’ve experienced for myself in my area is Pizza Luce. I always get the Athena (Greek pizza), for it is delicious. I’m sure there are other restaurants that have equally tasty pizza, but I’ve not been to them.
Gino’s for me here in Toledo. The little hole-in-the-wall one on the south side, not the franchised ones. It’s pricey–15-20 bucks a pie, but Oh My Word!
There’s a place here in Phoenix called Pizzeria Bianco which has been rated the best pizza in America and if I’m not mistaken, the best pizza in the world, many times by many different publications. Foodie snobs CANNOT STAND that (and I think it’s awesome :p), since Phoenix isn’t generally considered a hipster foodie city.
For my money, though, I really like a place near downtown called Mama Mia’s. Two oversized slices of New York style pizza and a can of soda for 4 bucks, no tax. And it’s damn tasty.
Here in my little town in middle TN, the best pizza comes from David’s Pizza. Thin, cracker-like crust and quite possibly the best sauce that I’ve ever eaten.
Around here, it’s Mackenzie River Pizza, which is apparently becoming a chain. Their standard things like pepperoni and cheese are good enough, but their “Back 40” nonconventional pizzas are absolutely excellent. Of course they’re the most expensive pizza in town, but it’s worth it.
I always stop into Marion’s when I am visiting the folks. Sometimes I’ll grab a Cassanos or Ron’s Pizza as well. Its a taste of home that I can’t miss.
Out here, there is a lot of good pizza. Everyone has their own favorite.
A lot of people rave about Taconellis. Never been. You have to call ahead and reserve the dough. Frankly, pizza is not something I plan out 24 hours in advance and then drive all the way to Port Richmond to eat.
Sometimes we will grab a pie at the Pizza Shack or Celebre’s before a Phillies game. Both are in South Philly and are quite good.
In Sacramento, that would be Zelda’s. Chicago-style deep dish. A former co-worker of my wife’s, who was from Chicago, once said it was the best pizza he’d had since leaving home.
Mombo’s - Also very good NY style pizza, and they sell by the slice. There is something just not quite right about their cheese, but overall it is damn close to perfect NY pizza.
Russian River Brewing Co. - Really, really tasty thin crust pizza. What I think of when I think of ‘bar pizza’. And since it’s served with the best beer in the US, it’s hard to go wrong here.
A few years back I flew out to Philadelphia for a long weekend to catch Bob Dylan at the Spectrum—After the show, I met up with some other folks and we all went to get some pizza on South Street (I had only been to Philly before as a kid, so I don’t think I had visited South Street). We (there were about 10 of us) must have passed about 10 different pizza places, but the guy with us who was from Philly kept insisting on this one particular spot. We finally got there and it was just a real hole-in-the-wall type joint, but it was absolutely mobbed (and this was around midnight) with no place for anyone to sit.
We ended up taking the pizza to go and ate it on the hood of a car in the street—It was some of the best pizza I have ever had (I have spent a lot of time in NYC) but can’t remember the name of the place…
I know I don’t have many details, but any idea where I was at???
A few years back I zipped down to Santa Rosa for a Los Lobos-Buddy Guy show at the Luther Burbank Center, and afterwards we all went to the Russian River Brewing Co. for some pizza and spot of ale—Exceptional food and brews, and a really friendly staff as well…
The best pizza in Tel Aviv is Tony Vespa, which sells Roman-style pizza by weight. The crust is incredible - just the right balance between crunchy and chewy. They have two branches, one of which is at the top of Rothschild Blvd., a three minute walk from my house. I take my son there for lunch every Friday after preschool.
They don’t do delivery, though. A couple of monbths ago we were so tired we actually ordered from Dominos. My son grabbed a slice, stuffed it in his mouth, chewed it for a couple of seconds and said, “Daddy, I think there’s something wrong with my pizza.” Good kid.
