When in doubt about where to find the best pizza in any given city, you can take a chance on crowd-sourced sites like Yelp—where the reviews are often more like petty grievances about a server’s minor error or an order that arrived late to the table—or you can simply ask the real experts: local chefs.
That’s exactly what Eat This, Not That has done for its new survey, “Where to Get the Best Slice of Pizza in America, According to Chefs.”
Professional chefs know quality pizza when they taste it, even if they’re not pizzaioli. And unlike Yelp reviewers, they’re far less likely to gripe about a restaurant’s slow service on a particular day—they know how busy and shorthanded a kitchen can get.
Related: How Giorgia Caporuscio is taking New York’s Don Antonio to the next level
Here’s what chefs from New York City, Chicago and Seattle to Racine, Wisconsin, and Portland, Maine, would recommend to pizza-loving visitors to their cities and anywhere else they might roam in a quest for the perfect slice:
L’Industrie, New York City: Recommended by Fiore Tedesco, owner of Bambino in Austin, Texas
Ian’s Pizza, Madison, Wisconsin: Recommended by Sean Pharr of Mint Mark, Hanks and Muskellounge in Madison
Tivoli, Seattle: Recommended by Renee Erickson of Sea Creatures in Seattle
Wells Brothers Pizza, Racine, Wisconsin: Recommended by Kevin Coulter, chef at the Hotel Verdant in Racine
Umberto’s, New Hyde Park, New York: Recommended by Matthew Accarrino, chef at SPQR and Mattina in San Francisco
Providence Pizzeria Co., Oklahoma City: Recommended by Eric Smith of The Crown in Oklahoma City
Rosalee’s Pizzeria, Longmont, Colorado: Recommended by Shawn Bergin of Bakery Four in Denver
Pequod’s, Chicago: Recommended by Dan Jacobs of DanDan and EsterEv in Milwaukee
Joanie’s Pizza, Chelmsford, Massachusetts: Recommended by Brendan Pelley of Xenia Greek Hospitality
Serious Pie, Seattle: Recommended by Tyler Fenton of Reilly Craft Pizza and Fentonelli’s Pizzeria in Tucson, Arizona
Pizzeria Beddia, Philadelphia: Recommended by Mario LaPosta of Da LaPosta in Newton, Massachusetts
Pearl’s Pizza, Lexington, Kentucky: Recommended by Lawrence Weeks of North of Bourbon and Ensō in Louisville, Kentucky
Tiny Champions, Houston: Recommended by Michelle Wallace of B’tween Sandwich Co. in Houston
Roma Pizza, New York City: Recommended by Bobby Will of Thistle & Grouse in Portland, Maine
Totonno’s, Brooklyn, New York, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix and Los Angeles: Recommended by Michael Lomonaco of Porter House Bar & Grill in New York
L&B Spumoni Gardens, New York City: Recommended by Rich Parente of Clock Tower Grill in Brewster, New York
Imo’s Pizza, St. Louis: Recommended by Aaron Phillips of Lazy Betty in Atlanta
Spacca Napoli, Chicago: Recommended by Amando Auleley of The Smith Chicago in Chicago
Maruca’s Tomato Pies, Seaside Heights, New Jersey: Recommended by Anthony Mangieri of Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City
Oven & Shaker, Portland, Oregon: Recommended by Tyler Malek of Salt & Straw in Portland
Velma, New York City: Recommended by Joseph Bliffen of Silver Apricot in New York City
