How can anyone really designate a particular pizzeria the “best in the state”? Money magazine and Yelp think they’ve figured it out.
In their joint project to name “the best pizza joint in every U.S. state,” Money and Yelp measured “best” with an algorithm that looks at the number of Yelp reviews and star ratings for each restaurant.
“Much like barbecue … pizza draws fans with strong opinions,” Allana Akhtar notes in the Money article that introduces the list.
Related: Uproxx ranks the best pizzas in each state.
“Of course, the way a pizza looks and tastes will likely differ depending on where you are (and who’s making it). Though there’s no right or wrong pizza, most U.S. pizza regions will defend their preferred variation to the end.”
We’re dubious about these kinds of lists, but we still find them as irresistible as cup-and-char pepperoni. So we’ll share the list with you:
Alabama: The Forge Pizzeria, Foley
Alaska: Little Mermaid, Homer
Arizona: Home Slice Pizza Company, Prescott Valley
Arkansas: MELD Kitchen + Sandwich Bar, Bentonville
California: Oaktown Café, Oakland
Colorado: Pickup’s Pizza Company, Eagle
Connecticut: Big Green Truck, New Haven
Delaware: Pomodoro Pizzeria, Bethany Beach
District of Columbia: Cucina Al Volo
Florida: Magdalenas Pizzeria, Tampa
Georgia: Pi-bytes, Stone Mountain
Hawaii: Live Fire Pizza, Kapaa
Idaho: Embers by the Lake, Hauser
Illinois: Stix n Brix Wood Fired Pizza, Chicago
Indiana: lechyd da Brewing Company, Elkhart
Iowa: Simon’s, Des Moines
Kansas: MOD Pizza, Olathe
Kentucky: Old School NY Pizza, Louisville
Louisiana: Bistro Italia, Baton Rouge
Maine: Coletti’s Pizza Factory, Biddeford
Maryland: Joe Benny’s, Baltimore
Massachusetts: Ciao! Pizza & Pasta, Chelsea
Michigan: Detroit Frankie’s Wood Fired Brick Oven, Lansing
Minnesota: Zuppa Cucina, Shakopee
Mississippi: TriBecca Allie Café, Sardis
Missouri: Melo’s Pizzeria, St. Louis
Montana: Monte Carlo Pizza, Glendive
Nebraska: Tasty Pizza, Omaha
Nevada: Smiling with Hope Pizza, Reno
New Hampshire: Tilton House of Pizza, Tilton
New Jersey: Double Zero Pizza, Fairfield
New Mexico: Straight Up Pizza, Albuquerque
New York: L’industrie Pizzeria, Brooklyn
North Carolina: Maggie Valley Sandwich Shop, Maggie Valley
North Dakota: Fireflour Pizza + Coffee Bar, Bismarck
Ohio: Cozzeria Pizzeria, Elyria
Oklahoma: Giorgio’s Pizzeria, Shawnee
Oregon: Oregon Wood Fired Pizza, Eugene
Pennsylvania: Luna Rossa, Milford
Rhode Island: Nice Slice, Providence
South Carolina: Tato’s Pizzeria, Mauldin
South Dakota: Independent Ale House, Rapid City
Tennessee: Skyking Pizza, Kingston Springs
Texas: Ashay’s Pizza, Houston
Utah: Dixie Pizza Wagon, Hurricane
Vermont: Williamsville Eatery, Williamsville
Virginia: Brothers Pizza & Grill, Lynchburg
Washington: The Strait Slice Pizza, Port Angeles
West Virginia: Pies & Pints Pizzeria, Fayetteville
Wisconsin: Dolce Vita, Kenosha
Wyoming: Pizza Carrello, Gillette
