How have we not done this?
Being from Illinois, Chicago deep dish is near and dear to my heart. Those of you who have visited the Windy City may know that there is a turf war between Giordano's and Gino's East for the title of best deep Dish pie, but there is only one correct answer.
I tell people Gino's East is where tourists go to eat deep dish, while Chicagoans go to Giordano's. The Chicago special (Italian sausage, onions, green peppers) is my fave, and I add artichoke hearts and roasted garlic.
Admittedly, sometimes a deep dish pizza isn't what you crave. I have a special place in my heart for the Mellow Mushroom in Asheville, NC. I like Mellow Mushroom pizza in general, but the Asheville location seems to be tops in taste and atmosphere.
Comments
In Blacksburg, the Cellar is the best.
Yeah, I like the Cellar for pizza and I just like the atmosphere there too.
Backstreet's had some pretty rockin pizza too. Too bad its gone now.
I cooked and delivered for Backstreets while I was at VT. Great pizza, good guys ran the restaurant.
I do miss me some Backstreets.
Any Sal's location in the NRV. I'm lucky enough to live just a few mins away
from a brick oven pizza place called MK's Gourmet pizzeria at the lake.
Back in my day, the best pizza was at the London Underground, of all places. They had great food back then. The chili was always an adventure. Prime Rib Friday was the best deal in town for the best prime rib in town.
I've been there a couple times over the past couple years, and the food is still great, but I haven't tried their pizza in years.
ETA: Agree on Giordano's as well. I have never understood why there is ever a debate between NYC and Chicago style pizza -- I've eaten at several NYC joints that all claim to be the "original" whatever, and they all are just trading on tradition from what I can tell. Sauce sucks. Toppings are bland. Cheese is meh. Crust flavor is absent. I'll take Chicago style 10 out of 10 times, and Giordanos is the best I've had.
I lived in the Chicago area for 5 years, and I wholeheartedly agree that Giordano's is the best! I haven't had it in years, though.
I've eaten at a Mellow Mushroom in Myrtle Beach the past couple of years, and that was a damn fine pie as well.
Love Giordano's. Want to try Lou Malnati's, even though I keep hearing it as "Illuminati's."
But I also like the New Haven, wood fired stuff. Pizzeria Orso probably should be on French's "Best NoVa restaurants" thread. A shade better than Pizzeria Paradiso or Pete's Apizza.
I've yet to try Lou Malnati's myself, but I hear really, really good things about it. Like on par with Giordano's good.
I would definitely try the pie at a place called "Illuminati's".
I tried Lou Malnati's when I was doing training for work in Chicago, it was...ok. It's not really what I was expecting for my first "Chicago"-style pizza, like it didn't look like the pizza at the top of the thread. The sausage was really good though.
I dunno, for me absolutely nothing tops NY pizza.
oh wait...are we talking drunk or sober?
At 3 AM, how choosy can you be?
True for more than just pizza.
Drunken Gumby's will always have a special place in my heart and stomach. Sad that it's gone now.
I had friends who lived at TVC and Tech Terrace (RIP) - I'm still heartbroken that Gumby's is gone.
Fear not, fellow Hokies. My husband and I have grand dreams to reopen Gumby's when we win the lottery and move back to Blacksburg.
Pizza is one of my favorite foods ever. I will eat anything from the top gourmet pizzas around to a $5 Little Caesars carry out. Doesn't matter to me just gimme gimme! Please also note CiCi's pizza stopped letting me in in fear of going out of business.
I loved that cartoon! I'm probably going to have that theme song stuck
in my head all day now. LOL
In the DC area:
Pupatella (Ballston)
Italian Store (Courthouse)
Pete's (Clarendon, Columbia Heights)
2 Amys (Cleveland Park)
& Pizza (U Street, H STreet, K Street, Springfield etc.)
Etto (14th Street)
Seconded on Pupatellas. I get mine with no cheese (mushrooms, pepperoni, and sausage) so I believe that disqualifies me from the pizza discussion.
One of my best friends is a Cowboys fan and hates cheese.
I forgive him, so I shall forgive you.
Does he also hate America?
I hope not. It's difficult enough to overlook those two massive character flaws.
French - look at slide 46 here...
I've got to check that place out next time I'm in the neck of the woods.
Pupatellas in Arlington, VA
Pete's New Haven style is the best in DC. Their toppings are excellent
I have been to every one of these except for Etto (which I will now have to try seeing how I live 5 minutes away). I can confirm that the others are good choices, with Pupatella being my favorite.
How can Mario's not be on this list??
The one in SE? Isn't on the list because I haven't been.
Pupatella is good, but my favorite is Lost Dog Cafe. Yes, they're mostly known for their sandwiches, but their pizza is delicious.
Also, if you ever venture as far out as Leesburg, the Fireworks Pizza out there is superior to the Fireworks that is in Courthouse.
Norfolk, VA off of little creek rd: Azalea Inn
I'm more of a fan of Del Vecchios, but it has definitely gone downhill recently, and I'm also partial to Cogan's spicy sauce every now and then.
Yeah,sometimes that spicy sauce hits the spot.
Cogan's is good. I like Y-NOT as well. All ingredients are brought in from New York.
Del Vecchios had definitely gone down hill the last time I was there. The best was when they had that location downtown and they used to do like dollar slices.
Regardless of the warnings of it going downhill, I need to try this place. I had never even heard of it
It doesn't exsist because pizza is ( and I'm quoting my 5th grade paper) "a slice of atomic bomb waiting to go off in your stomach from the grease and cheese". Pizza is a necessary evil so I can feed my kids some nights. Other than that it's garbage.
Man, some people just have no taste. Next there'll be some loudmouth extolling the virtues of cheeseless pizza
Yeah, we don't need any of those types around these parts....
Wait.
#TeamNoCheese
Boo this man.
Charleston, SC
Sit Down Restaurant Pizza:
1)EVO
2)Steel City Pizza
3)Andolini's
To-Go/Delivery:
1)Baroni's
(Coming Soon - Benny Palmetto's - Same owners that opened the best pizza in Blacksburg - Benny Marzono's)
I'm with you on the EVO (Pork Trifecta Challenge finisher here) but I cannot agree with the Andolini's. It is fine if you want a greasy slice, but better than Park Pizza? No way. D'Allesandro's and Paisano's are also good stuff. I loved PK's back in the day. Best pie in Blacksburg.
Oh man, the Pork Trifecta.. makes me want to leave work right now! I here you on Andolini's, I don't know why people would go there when they have EVO as an option. Honestly just felt like I was keeping it short if I didn't add a third, really could have just kept it at just EVO and the Pork Trifecta!!
Matchbox (several locations around DC) is pretty good
And when it comes to the Windy City, I have yet to have anything better than a Gino's North Deep Dish
I've only had Gino's North once. For me, they put way too much cheese on their pies. Don't get me wrong, I'm not like french, eating breadsticks and calling it pizza. But when it comes to low moisture part skim mozz, it's just there to make the toppings shine.
#TeamNoCheese
Some short thoughts on some places around Atlanta
Amazza- Wow really enjoy it great vibe food and beer.
Antico Pizza Napoletana really good, limited menu but a first rate pie.
Fritti the original hearth fired location- thin crust superb ingredients, great bartenders
Fellinis - everywhere but I find it greasy and leaden
I hear good things about Varisanos but haven't tried it.
I'm not a pizza person, but I think Antico's is incredibly overrated. Will have to check out Amazza and Fritti though.
Antico's gig is great ingredients simple but well executed and you have to enjoy the whole experience which can be different.
FYI they're doing Inman Park Restruant week this week and I know there's a special Fritti menu. Fritti also has the added benefit of good bartenders.
I usually prefer a thin, crispy crust, but I'm pretty open to any pizza as long as you don't ruin the pizza by putting fruit (pineapple) and/or vegetables (onions, peppers) on it.
I only enjoyed pineapple as a kid, so I'll concede that point. But onions? What's wrong with onions on pizza? Mushrooms and peppers too
I don't usually think of mushrooms as a vegetable since they're not a plant (I think of them as kind of in between a vegetable and meat) and I actually like them on pizza. But I don't really like peppers at all and the only way I like onions is if they're made into onion rings or something similar.
The only 'shrooms I ever liked were back in the 70's, man...
You and Physics down the hall
Onions absolutely ruin pizza.
I forgot about the end where he dissed Chicago hot dogs.
How dare he...
I really don't care for chardogs. Way too much non-hotdog stuff in there. As far as Chicago food staples, Italian beef >> Chicago style hotdogs.
Piping hot and free
Never been to Chicago but I'll throw my hat in the ring for Mary Angela's in Richmond and this place near Clearwater Beach called Mike's- they have the best white pizza I've ever had and also a pretty amazing selection of craft beer on tap.
LOL, I was there about 2 years ago. Mike's Deli or something like that.
Spent the week in Ocala without pizza and good craft beer. We stay at Clearwater Beach for the weekend to be closer to the airport and hang on the beech, so we ran around near Clearwater hitting little breweries and somebody turned us on to pizza there. I think it was the guys at the Dunedin brewery.
Honestly the best pizza I've had in the past couple years was out of a wood-fired trailer oven that had set up in the parking lot of Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers in Roanoke last year. They were called Primo Wood Fired Pizza. They were at the summer beer festival at the VT alumni center as well.
I'm thinking you need to do more research. You have two constants you should try to control for.
As your name is HokieBone12 and not BeerControlOffense, Controlling for Beer may be out of the question. So I'd try some different pizzas while drinking beer and see if they measure up to Primo's.
Generally, I drink beer when I eat pizza. Particularly with the addition of Mellow Mushroom and their 60 taps in Blacksburg.
60 taps!?
Oh I am definitely going there next time I make it down to Blacksburg.
I wouldn't bother going there. I have YET to hear a good thing about the Mellow Mushroom in BBurg. Multiple bad things, nothing good.
I've been there about 5 times and enjoyed myself immensely each time.
Edit: also should note than this is the first I've heard of anyone being unhappy with their meal/experience there, except maybe for the wait times. And if you didn't expect a long wait time at peak dining hours at a brand new pizza place (with 60 taps) in a college town, that's your own fault (not 'you' specifically obviously).
Somehow anytime this topic comes up Benny Marzano's in Blacksburg is brought up. I'm sorry, but big pizza does not equal good pizza. It's not bad, but I can think of a bunch of places off the top of my head that are miles above Benny's.
Top 5 in Blacksburg (Alphabetically, because I would have to do a blind taste test to rank honestly.)
The Cellar
Ceritano's
PK's
Sal's
The Underground
Benny's is absolutely spectacular at 2 AM on a Friday night.
Still doesn't mean it's anywhere close to the best pizza in Blacksburg.
Eagerly awaiting Joe's response to this.
I still have fond memories of ordering a Gumby's "Damnit" without cheese and then sauntering down the stairs to pick it up. Man, I was jealous of my cousin's apartment.
I have a hard time imagining you sauntering.
Greenville, SC
Barley's Taproom. Hands down the best pizza in town. Doesn't hurt they also have 70+ beers on tap. None of which start with the words bud, miller or coors.
Distant runner ups:
BOVA
Frankie's NY Pizza.
True on the beer. Sad to say I have never had pizza there because, well they have so many beers.
In manassas, Va Tonys Pizza near Liberia Ave has great deep dish. Also, when we were kids we would do friday nights in old town Alexandria, eating first at Armands Chicago Pizzeria, then heading to Murphy's Pub to listen to the Irish Breakdown. Good times!
I grew up on Tony's. Regular pizza is pretty good, nothing super special. But it's where everyone hung out in high school. Good meatball sub, too, but that's probably a topic for another thread...
Mellow Mushroom in Charlottesville has good pies.
Ciro's Pizza in the Shenandoah Valley will always be my favorite.
Ciro's in Waynesboro!! Used to see if I could eat a whole large for lunch while working at Roses in High School.
New York Pizza in Vinton.
Loved it back when I loved greasy pizza. I know its from the whole real cheese NY style thing, but when it takes 2 napkins per slice to get rid of the puddles on the top, its time to splurge for better napkins.
Ed's Pizza would be my vote in Bristol, TN.
Love Ed's when i am in town. Ed is gone now but Charlotte is still running the place after all these years. I have fond memories of being a kid and Ed letting me help make our pizza and he always put credits on the Donkey Kong machine for me. Ah memories.
I'll check that out when I go home for the Battle at Bristol. Thanks for the tip.
Via 313 in Austin, Texas. Detroit Style Pizza; so good.
RIP Backstreet's. The huns and I had a $7 first date there on their Monday night pepperoni pizza deal. While I love Mellow Mushroom, it just won't be the same without the cracked green booths.
State College PA: Faccia Luna
Lombardi's in NYC is the best pizza I have ever had in my life... Although it is expensive, I may have died and went to heaven while eating it... Needless to say, the next time I go to The Big Apple, I'm going there again. 10/10 would recommend if you're not short on money
Second the vote for Lombardi's. I've had their pizza. Best pie I've ever had, and it's not even close.
As I pointed out in French's best places to eat in NOVA thread and as HammerTime said above, & Pizza is some bum sauce. Probably the best pizza I've ever had in my life.
Also a buddy of mine is a huge OSU fan and took me to a bunch of Buckeye games when we were in high school, and the pizza places scattered around Columbus are to die for. Massey's, Rubino's, and Donatos are absolutely delicious, especially if you're a big fan of pepperoni and cornmeal. I know they have Donatos little personal pizzas in the Air & Space Museum in the Smithsonian, but these are not nearly as good as the real thing in Ohio. I've never thought much of Ohio and would absolutely hate to live there, but they sure do know pizza.
I now have to take whatever you say about food with a grain of salt, Donatos!??!?!? Really? It's cardboard thin. I lived in Ohio for 7 years and every time I was forced to eat it I died a little inside.
Funny you say that because Donatos was my favorite of the three, though all of the ones I mentioned were thin crust. I'm usually not much of a fan either, but I made an exception for these.
If your ever in KC, Minsky's is the best pizza around.
Does Pot Roast count? It doesn't have cheese, and it is delicious.
No, but you could make an argument for pies to count
Franklin Square, NY
Carmela's pizza, On Hempstead turnpike. Then to top it off get a napoleon from Buttercookie.
Another vote for Carmela's. Although I been there in 20 years, I remember it well. The Centurion on Nassau Blvd was not bad either.
Man you've been a user for 4 years and this was your first comment? Leg for you good sir/madam and hope to see you posting more!
Either of the two Chicago styles. Either super deep dish, or super thin crust with a party cut.
Giordano's introduced a thin crust a year or two ago and it is on point.
You know, since we're all talking about pizza... here is the official review of the Bacon Wrapped Pizza from Little Caesar's
This guy cracks me up.
Oh my gosh, Daym Drops is the G.O.A.T. Completely forgot about this dude. His McRib (aka McSlab) review had me dying!
I know its a bit touristy but Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge was really good. In NOVA I would have to go with Faccia Luna.
The best pizza in the world is Frank Pepe's in New Haven, CT. This is not debatable. New Haven, CT offers the best selection of pizza of any city, and Pepe's is the best of said selection.
The worst pizza in the world is Benny Marzono's. That, also, is not debatable.
Did a roadtrip to Frank Pepe's and Maine Lobster over a weekend my junior year. It was well worth the trip
Here in ATL, there's a few that I go out of my way for. There's a place called "Vintage Pizza" near the Chamblee MARTA station that is top shelf. Another one close by as well called "Bambinelli's". Then one closer to my house over in John's Creek called "Vera Zano."
There are Mellow 'Shrooms everywhere. They're a decent go to when you don't want to drive too far.
Ippolito's in Suwanee is very good too. As is Pepperoni's in Duluth (walking distance from my office).
I also had a guy that grew up making pizza in his parent's NYC pizza joint teach me how to make NY style pizza. Mine comes out as good as anything you can buy in a restaurant. Crust, sauce, etc. - all from scratch. Only place I can think of that had me beat was Lombardi's in NYC.
Best pizza in Blacksburg is at Ceritano's. As close to the pizza in Naples as I have had in the US. In RVA I like Mary Angela's or Ariana's (same owner's and essentially the same pizza) and Frank's Ristorante in the Stony Point Shopping Center (not the mall) is also excellent. Don't get me started on the how overrated Bottom's Up is; I would rather have Papa John's.
I used to go to Bottom's up a lot. It was good.
They changed something around 2005-6 and I did not like it as much.
Their Margherita pizza was outstanding.
I guess I'm just not into that thick crust. I've never had a Chicago deep dish pizza but I am #teamthincrust for sure
Moon Dog Brick Oven in Abingdon, VA has the best pizza I've had in the Bristol area. Right off I-81 too.
After reading every single comment, I have a few thoughts:
1. Pizza is like sex. Even if its bad, its still pretty good.
2. I miss the shit out of gumby's.
3. Lou Malnatis is delicious.
4. I'm hungry.