It’s happening again: another summer’s day, another list of the best pizzerias in the U.S., guaranteed to drive up business for those selected and grousing among fans of those that weren’t.
But The Infatuation says its 2024 list, “18 of the Best Pizza Places in America,” isn’t meant to “settle any debates.” Think of it as a guide to the website’s “favorite slices and pies from all over the U.S.”
“Aside from incorrectly guessing someone’s astrological sign or literally anything political, pizza styles and preferences are among the most controversial topics out there,” the July 17 article reads. “This seemingly simple combination of dough, cheese and sauce sparks Yankees vs. Red Sox-level rivalry between regions across the country.”
Related: What’s your pizzeria’s pain point? Get the solutions at PMQ’s Pizza Power Forum, September 4-5 in Atlanta
Such best-pizzeria lists have become something of a summertime ritual. 50 Top Pizza and The New York Times released their own competing guides on the same day last month. What made the Times’ list stand out: Pizza fans will have to journey to smaller, out-of-the-way towns around America to find them.
That’s not the case with The Infatuation’s new ranking. Here, it’s mostly major-city pizzerias—New York, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Los Angeles—or, at least, pizzerias in the major cities’ suburbs. But every best-pizzeria list is worth a look because it provides insights into the factors that media reviewers consider when they commit to their favorites for the year.
Topping this year’s list is Bufalina in Austin, Texas, with a score of 9.4. Writing earlier this summer for The Infatuation, reviewer Raphael Brion described Bufalina as “Austin’s original cool kid pizza-and-natural-wine spot” that’s “irrepressibly charming.”
“The pizzas are classically Neapolitan, with options like marinaras and margheritas, but we can’t help but order the spicy red pie with double garlic, double Parmesan, and chili flakes,” The Infatuation states. “If you’re in the mood for something a little less traditional, there are very delicious options like a creamy white taleggio pie with sausage and scallions.”
New York City’s famous L’Industrie Pizzeria, specifically in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood, claimed the No. 2 spot and a rating of 9.2. L’Industrie, we’re told, “sets the standard for a great New York slice at both their original spot and location in the West Village.
“Each bit of blistered thin crust puffs, then crunches, and has a sourdoughy tang thanks to a long fermentation process,” The Infatuation raves. “Minimal tomato sauce and spot-on oven temperatures ensure the layer of rich mozzarella stays perfectly in place, while a stream of orange grease drips down your wrist. Each slice is topped with giant basil leaves and grated Parmesan and toppings like velvety burrata, slightly sweet pepperoni or soppressata. This is simply the best single slice in NYC.”
At Alfreda, a Washington D.C. pizzeria with a 9.0 rating, the “crispy sourdough crust…always has a nice brown finish and a crunchy bite. Topped with gooey mozzarella and a slightly acidic tomato sauce, the plain pizza is even leagues ahead of most D.C. pizza. But when you add toppings like thick, salty pepperoni, the subtly sweet Pennsylvania sausage and the pickled chilis, it’s almost impossible to stop grabbing the next slice.”
Meanwhile, Pizza Jawn (8.8), located in Philadelphia, “serves incredible round, grandma, or Detroit-style pizzas for pickup and delivery only. Each one has a perfect black ring of char marks that line the crust, giving the chomping experience a bubbly, blistery finish.”
And L.A.’s Quarter Sheets offers “full-on ’90s birthday party nostalgia, but with even better pizza. Their inch-high, focaccia-like crusts crackle and snap like that one cereal that has elven brothers as mascots. Inside, a pillowy middle soaks up sweet red sauce that’s striped across the top. The words ‘crunchy’ and ‘gooey’ don’t even begin to cut it.”
That covers the top 5. Here’s a look at the full list of The Infatuation’s best U.S. pizzerias for 2024:
Bufalina, Austin
L’Industrie Pizzeria, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Alfreda, Washington, D.C.
Pizza Jawn, Philadelphia
Quarter Sheets, Los Angeles
Antico Pizza Napoletana, Atlanta
Miami Slice, Miami
Pequod’s Pizzeria, Chicago
Outta Sight Pizza, San Francisco
Gold Tooth Tony’s, Houston
Razza, Jersey City
Buddy’s Pizza, Detroit
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven, Connecticut
Dino’s Tomato Pie, Seattle
Pizzeria Bianco Downtown, Phoenix
Cart-Driver, Denver
Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, Oregon
Fidela, San Juan, Puerto Rico
