Not every great pizzeria is a famous pizzeria, but 27 lesser-known shops are about to become famous, thanks to a new list from USA Today.
Best-pizzeria lists have gotten a tad predictable. When 50 Top Pizza releases its annual ranking of the world’s best pizza shops later this month, many—if not most—of the American eateries will be legends, most likely including Anthony Mangieri’s Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City, Dan Richer’s Razza in Jersey City, and one or two West Coast shops owned by Tony Gemignani.
They make the list every year—and deservedly so; 50 Top Pizza’s ranking has become the gold standard. But here at PMQ, we also get excited when list makers (usually restaurant critics and travel writers) venture to less glamorous cities and towns—like Ames, Iowa, or Montgomery, Alabama—in their quest for the world’s greatest food.
That’s exactly what USA Today did for its 2026 list.
“What draws us in?” the article begins. “The creative toppings at Bobby Jo’s in Clintonville, Ohio (fresh sliced peaches! candied beef bacon!). The fermented sourdough crust at Bucky’s in Chatham, New Jersey. The thin cracker crust that shatters to the bite at the Caradaro Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”
Iowa, in fact, placed two pizzerias on the list, which is unranked. Pizza brands in southern states like Alabama, North Carolina and Kentucky also scored spots. Meanwhile, pizzaiolos in New York City and Los Angeles will have to wait for the 50 Top Pizza list, where they will get the credit they deserve—again.
Here’s a look at the USA Today list of America’s best pizza restaurants:
Bibb Street Pizza Company, Montgomery, AL
Via Della Slice Shop, Phoenix, AZ
Giuseppes Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, Palm Springs, CA
Postcard Pizza, Fort Collins, CO
Grotto Pizza, various locations, Delaware
V Pizza, Jacksonville, FL
FM Pizza Oven, Melbourne, FL
‘O Munaciello, West Palm Beach, FL
King Dough, Indianapolis, IN
Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company, Ames, IA
Taste of New York, West Des Moines, IA
Wayfarer Tavern, Dayton, KY
The Post, Louisville, KY
Pinocchio’s Pizza & Subs, Cambridge, MA
Palio Pizzeria, Hyannis, MA
Pizza e Vino, Plymouth, MI
Bucky’s Pizza, Chatham, NJ
Brooklyn Square Pizza, multiple locations, New Jersey
Peels on Wheels Pizza Garage, Rochester, NY
828 Family Pizzeria, Asheville, NC
Girls With Dough Pizzeria & Pub, Wilmington, NC
Bobby Jo’s Pizzeria, Clintonville, OH
Dado’s Pizza, Oklahoma City, OK
Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana, South Kingstown, RI
Totally Rad Pizza, Sioux Falls, SD
Garibaldi’s Pizza, Memphis, TN
Caradaro Club, Milwaukee, WI
