You know pizza must be the world’s greatest food when The New York Times keeps looking for excuses to report on it. The esteemed newspaper has once again sniffed out some of the best pizzerias in the U.S. and the world—this time with help from its readers.
The Times last month released its survey of the 22 best pizza spots in the U.S. and included several small-town independent shops that rarely get noticed by New York food critics. That article drew more than 1,000 responses from readers with opinions of their own, which inspired The Times’ latest best-of list: “15 of Our Readers’ Favorite Pizza Places Around the World.”
It spans the globe from DĂĽsseldorf to Rio de Janeiro, from Lithuania to Kathmandu, but several deserving U.S. pizzerias also made the cut.
Hideaway Pizza is actually a chain with 22 stores in Oklahoma and Arkansas plus one in Texas. But it’s the original location in Stillwater that got the nod from Times reader William Hochhaus of Los Angeles, who loves his pie topped with mushrooms, olives and onions. “The pizza is really, truly the best I have ever eaten from New York to Italy and all over the United States,” Hochhaus proclaimed. “If you were looking for a category that might convince a skeptic as to why this really is the best pizza—it is the best slice for eating the next day. The leftovers (if you are lucky enough to have any) taste better than any other I have ever eaten cold.”
Conor Rayl of Las Vegas, meanwhile, believes the Detroit Lakes, Minnesota location of an 11-store chain called Zorbaz is “the greatest Mexican-Italian pizza joint in the world.” Rayl opts for The Lowden with pepperoni, jalapeños and a tomato-peanut base.
Mineo’s Pizza House in Pittsburgh is Stephen Quigley’s favorite. He says Mineo’s pepperoni pizza “is different from any other I have ever tasted.” Quigley, who lives in Pittsburgh himself, notes the cheese-heavy pies don’t travel well, but, he adds, “I’ve never eaten crust like this anywhere.”
And Alan Matthys of St. Petersburg, Florida, had high praise for Victorio’s Pizza in Alliance, Ohio, which offers “thin-crust, square-cut pizza to go.” A fan of sausage and mushrooms, Matthys added, “The crust is not crunchy, the small squares are foldable except the corners. The toppings go between the sauce and the cheese. The sauce has a bright acidity that makes you think it’s cooked not long, if at all; chunks of sausage with plenty of fennel gives a savory finish.”
Overseas pizzerias on the list include:
UĹľupio Picerija, Vilnius, Lithuania
Fire and Ice, Kathmandu, Nepal
La Terraza de la Nonna, Chipilo, Puebla, Mexico
Nnea, Amsterdam
Bei Mama Lisi, DĂĽsseldorf, German
Pizza Meine Liebe, Northcote, Australia
Nomade Pizza, Nazare, Portugal
Monk, Kyoto, JapanEl Pan de la Chola, Miraflores, Peru
Mamma Jamma, Rio de Janeiro
