Who doesn’t love pizza? Whether or not you’ve made it to Italy to try this beloved dish at its birthplace, the truth is there are amazing pies all over the world (and, not to mention, plenty of regional pizza styles across the United States). That’s why 50 Top Pizza, an online guide created and curated by journalist Luciano Pignataro and Italian culinary experts Barbara Guerra and Albert Sapere, hosted the 50 Top Pizza World 2022. The prestigious pizza award ceremony was held in the birthplace of modern pizza: Naples, Italy.
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Italian Pizza Experts Name the Top 100 Pizzerias in the World
This year, the award ceremony searched for 100 of the greatest pizzerias worldwide for the first time. Out of that top 100, the US did rather well, with 15 pizzerias ranking alongside 40 Italian pizzerias, 25 in other parts of Europe, 15 in the Asia-Pacific area, four in South America, and one in Africa. And Una Pizza Napoletana in New York was a dead tie for first place with I Masanielli – Francesco Martucci — a pizzeria in Caserta, Italy.
“The most important cities for pizzas in terms of quality are Naples above all, then New York, Tokyo, and São Paulo,” reads a press release. “We are delighted because this journey around the world to capture the current pizza panorama was particularly rewarding.”
Una Pizza Napoletana has perfected the contemporary Neapolitan style pizza, and the award committee praised his attention to leavening, the fresh and quality products, and the fantastic service. Guests can expect a pizza with a thick crust but a smaller dough loaf and fresh cold cuts served on a chopping board.
The judges chose Tony’s Pizza Napoletana as the second best pizza in the US, located in San Francisco. Owner Tony Gemignani has perfected the leavening and uses solely artisan products for pizza toppings. This pizzeria has traditional Neapolitan pizza, but also styles like pan pizza and Roman-style pizza, both trendy in the US.
For the third best pizza in the US, Pasquale Cozzolino and Rosario Procino were awarded 11th in the world for their pizzeria Ribalta NYC. The classic cartwheel Neapolitan pizza uses only quality ingredients. Guests can also enjoy a 3.3-foot-long pan pizza, as well as spaghetti with tomato sauce and an authentic pasta Genovese, which is made with an onion and meat sauce.
The top 25 best pizzerias in the world
- I Masanielli – Francesco Martucci — Caserta, Italy, tied at number one with Una Pizza Napoletana — New York
- Peppe Pizzeria — Paris, France
- 50 Kalò — Naples, Italy
- Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria — Naples, Italy
- I Tigli — San Bonifacio, Italy
- Francesco & Salvatore Salvo — Naples, Italy
- Seu Pizza Illuminati — Rome, Italy
- La Notizia 94 — Naples, Italy
- Tony’s Pizza Napoletana — San Francisco
- Ribalta NYC — New York
- Fratelli Figurato — Madrid, Spain
- 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar — Melbourne, Australia
- Bottega — Beijing, China
- 50 Kalò London — London, England
- The Pizza Bar on 38th — Tokyo, Japan
- 180g Pizzeria Romana – Rome, Italy
- Dry Milano — Milan, Italy
- Cambia-Menti di Ciccio Vitiello — Caserta, Italy
- Bæst — Copenhagen, Denmark
- Sartoria Panatieri — Barcelona, Spain
- I Masanielli – Sasà Martucci — Caserta, Italy
- Pizzeria Peppe – Napoli sta’ ca” — Tokyo, Japan
- Le Grotticelle — Caggiano, Italy
- Qvinto — Rome, Italy
Of course, pizza styles vary by region in Italy, just like in other parts of the world. Still, places that focused on Neapolitan pizza were most awarded.
For the full list, check out 50 Top Pizza.