PIZZA

When someone says “they have the best pizza”, the “best” is always very subjective. There are so many different styles of pizza from all over the world. There is traditional thin, crispy New York slice to the softer brick oven Napoletana, to the gourmet pizzas of today which include sweet and savory toppings like Buffalo chicken, apples, walnuts, even blue cheese in place of mozzarella. We won’t even talk about the Chicago style deep dish pizza. It is good, but for us in the NYC Metro area, that is more of a focaccia lasagna.

This is a personal ranking of all the pizza that I have ever eaten all over the world. My rating system is fairly simple. I taste a pizza, if I like it more than any other pizza I’ve ever had, it goes to the top of the list. If it is the worst slice of pizza I’ve ever had, it goes to the bottom of the list. Here is the list in order from my personal favorite to those I probably won’t ever try again. “The best” is completely subjective. If you don’t like Neapolitana style pizza, you most likely are not going to like my top choices. If you are more of an “American” traditional pizza person, read the notes next to it. There are some places that are starting to call the traditional American style slice “old school” or “old world” or even “old fashioned”. This is nonsense. It’s not. It is just a fancy way to call it something its not to sell more of it or make it sound more appetizing. It’s either Traditional, Specialty, or Neapolitan.

The other major issue is consistency. If it not the same every visit, it does not mean that it is bad, it is just means that I can’t put it at the top of the list as a “sure fire” or solid hit every time. There are pizzerias that have been around for decades. They are not great, but they are solid, and consistency is the reason. So many places on here could be in the top ten, if it were not for the consistency or lousy service or attention to customer care. We updated this list into two categories, dine in and take out. Some of the dine in might provide take out, but that pizza will typically never be the same once you get it home.

Lastly, since the economy is not what it once was, certain pizzerias who call themselves restaurants decide to charge more for pizza since it is always in demand and it helps subsidize their dining menu. You might even call it gouging in some instances (I recently paid $34 for a pizza which is $10 more that any other one and the same 10 mile radius). All these tactics will also play a role, not in the quality of the pizza, but if I will ever return. You cannot charge $5-10 more for the same pizza/quality just because your business is hurting and that is the only way to make it up. And, digital transactions such as credit cards or Apple Pay, etc. are the price of doing business. Not charging more money if you do not have cash. It probably takes more time to go to the bank than to pay the credit card companies time to process it and put it in the bank for you. Sometimes, you are even better off making pizza it at home just as easily with more control over the quality of ingredients.

*Updated April 3, 2026*
While I’ve tried hundreds, I “reset” the list every 2-3 years due to obvious variables like owners,
staffing, newcomers who deliver better, etc. Rude and/or inconsiderate staff get dismissed all together
no matter how good the quality. This list reflects from the Pandemic of 2021 onward.

TAKE OUT PIZZA RANKINGS

Amore Mio (Aruba) Sicilian owners, and it shows, as this was very authentic and delicious pizza, probably the best outside of Italy)
Razza (Jersey City NJ) Even people from NYC come here, the secret is the dough.
Keste (Manhattan NY) My cousin from Sicily said this was the best in USA outside of Italy
Blue Steel (Bloomfield NJ) Delicious deep dish pan pizza
La Pizza (Roseland NJ) True Sicilian owners who know their craft
Square (Elmwood Park NJ) The best thick crust focaccia style pizza I ever had
Tony D’s (Caldwell NJ) Consistent and delicious for more than 20 years, every day the owner Tony D is there.
Angeloni’s (Caldwell NJ) The “Thinny Thin” is not only paper thick (literally) its the most delicious.
Sette (Totowa NJ) Expensive, often overcooked, but still the crust and taste beats most.
Coca Little Spain (Manhattan NY) They will say it is NOT Pizza but whatever it is, its the best Coca or Pizza around in NYC
Dough Artisan (Fairfield NJ) Great Neapolitan pizza, but note this is their 2nd location, not their original, sometimes that plays a factor with kitchens, ovens, etc.
Ah Pizz (Chain) Very good pizza for a chain.
Pizza Terminal (Verona NJ) Depending on who is behind the oven, the quality varies, it is always good, but not always great, depending, but still better than most.
Pizzatown (Elmwood Park NJ) Good old school thin crust pizza
Francesca’s (Elmwood Park NJ) Good pizzeria pizza, a cut above average
Valentino’s (Flanders NJ) You are definitely coming here for their regular round pizza, which is very good. However, their specialty pizza “Grandma” fell short, not on the crust but the sauce which was more like tomato paste plastered on way too thick, and the cheese which slid off with each bite.
Warwick Winery (Warwick NY) Pretty good pizza for a winery who is just serving food to satisfy visitors drinking their wines and spirits.
New York (Chester NJ) best in NW Jersey I can find to date. Good, thin crust, tasty tomato sauce on the Margherita.
Giancarlo’s Bakery (Ledgewood NJ) not bad for a bakery, best in the area so far.
Vinoteca (Rutherford NJ) This is a wine bar, but the flatbread is not bad to eat while tasting their 30+ wines
Bar Dough (Manhattan NY) Good pizza for a theatre district place.
Benmarl Winery (Marlboro NY) Basic Neapolitan pizza, nothing special, but still better than most.
Mandara’s (West Caldwell NJ) Grandma pizza – $34 with tax (paid cash), most expensive pizza to date.
De Novo Flatbread (Upper Montclair NJ)
Rusillo’s (West Caldwell NJ) Quality varies, sometimes it’s good, other times not so good.
Forte (Caldwell NJ) Typical pizzeria pizza.
La Famiglia (Caldwell NJ) Typical pizzeria pizza
Amaro’s (Ledgewood NJ) (thick stewed tomatoes too chunky, too much cheese and garlic, good crust)
Franco’s (West Caldwell NJ) (Grandma had thick stewed tomatoes which were too chunky, and way too much garlic, but good crust.)
Reno’s Pizzeria (Wharton NJ)
Frank Anthony (Byram NJ) Not bad for a chain
Fortissimo (West Orange NJ) Typical pizzeria pizza, but their Grandma is not bad at all.
Biga (Cedar Grove NJ) Too much cheese, and the pizza maker did not understand English or Spanish when I asked for the pizza to be cut in 8 (he didn’t listen to the bilingual waitress either)
Three Brothers (Oak Ridge NJ) Unfriendly owner who questioned my taking a photo and did not allow me to use the restroom until I ordered something – quick stop during work travel.
Vincenzo’s (Budd Lake NJ) Not good but better than most in the area.
Kirkland Cauliflower Gluten Free: sadly, this is the barometer or benchmark. Pizza is either better or worse than this. If this is listed as something I much rather eat than when is listed below, you been warned. In all honesty, this frozen pizza is not bad at all, and at a fraction of the price, if not reliable.
Sal’s Pizza (Netcong) Pale, undercooked, very thin crust which was a plus, but the cheese was like liquid
Frank Anthony’s (Verona NJ) Square Margherita dough undercooked, almost like bread.
Carlo’s Cucina (Byram NJ) Overcooked crust, cheese undermelted on top, cracker like flour for crust.
Hollywood Pizza (Fairfield NJ) Thinny Thin was supposed to be square, it came round, was overly greasy and not nearly as close to the Angeloni Thinny Thin. Was charged $22 for something that was $17 on the website.
Blessed Pizza & Wings (Stanhope NJ) – I would definitely go back for the wood fired wings, but the Margherita pizza had poor quality cheese, undercooked tastesless crust, too many chunks stewed tomatoes, only a mere drizzle of pesto (no basil).
Borino’s (Verona NJ) Typical pizzeria pizza
Bencotto (Boston MA) Worst pizza I ever had, even over cafeteria or frozen. I have photos and even the waiter said it looked a little underdone “little” meaning hardly cooked. He was being generous.

PIZZA

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