In the early 1950s, tavern owner Cosimo Fricano (known as Gus) decided that his menu needed a boost. After seeing a sign that said “pizza” near Wrigley Field in Chicago, he returned home determined to introduce this new item in his own business—but met with little enthusiasm from those around him, including his Sicilian … More

Anyone who has ever been to New Haven, Connecticut, fi nds out pretty quickly that there’s something special about the pizza you fi nd there. First of all, it’s not called pizza; it’s called apizza (pronounced “a-beets”), and there’s a huge sense of pride surrounding the creation of every pie that comes … More

In the small mining community of DuQuoin, Illinois, Alongi’s is a true survivor: Sicilian immigrant Guy Alongi started his business during the height of the Great Depression, in 1933, and his family continues to weather difficult economic times in the present day. However, even through hardship, the business has seen remarkable success as an independent family restaurant, serving more … More

11:22am The battle between New York and New Haven pizza has raged for years, with New Haveners insisting that the apizza (pronounced “a-beets”) that comes out of New Haven would win any contest against a New York pie—some even claiming that Italianborn New Haven transplant Frank Pepe invented pizza in America. While the … More

The Bluff City is known for many things: Beale Street, The King, blues music and barbecue. Our mission was to view all of Memphis’ glory from a pizza perspective. After strolling the streets of downtown and savoring slices at the gates of Graceland, we found that Memphis has yet another draw—great pizza! … More

After young Frank Pasquarella and his wife, Noreen, visited Miami on their honeymoon, they fell in love with the city and decided to relocate from Ohio and open a pizzeria. On Valentine’s Day in 1955, Frankie’s Pizza opened in southwest Miami; two years later, it moved to its current spot, a building on Bird … More

Most pizzeria operators have to work through certain obstacles—a less than ideal location, uninspired employees or excessive competition. But Dan Fiacco, manager of Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria in Anchorage, Alaska, has a unique business hindrance: the state’s notorious dark winters. From November until March, the sun doesn’t come up until about 10 a.m. and promptly sets … More

When people think of Chicago, they undoubtedly think of deep-dish pizza: layers of toppings piled high and baked into a bucket of crust that customers need a knife and fork to dig into. The source of this often imitated (and, some would say, never duplicated) style? Pizzeria Uno, which opened its doors in 1943 … More

With PMQ’s New York Pizza Show right around the corner on March 9 to 11, New York was the obvious choice for our first Slice of the City, a new department that explores pizzerias across the country. Our goal was to hit all five of New York’s boroughs in one day, visiting … More

In 2002, two former smoothie-chain franchise owners came together with one common goal: to open a quick-casual restaurant that would offer the highest-quality food representing the greatest cities in America—New York pizza, Memphis pulled pork, Philly cheesesteak and more. Corey Balzer and Geoff Gaskin took this unique business strategy, teamed it with great music, and … More