Pizza Expert Casts Doubt on America's Best Pizzerias in New Ranking
A New York City pizzeria tops the 2026 list of the 50 best pizzerias, but a pizza expert and historian tells Safir Arjan Digital that the ranking leans toward certain styles.
America's best pie may not be on the top 50 list, says a pizza expert
Connecticut-based pizza expert Colin Kaplan examines the impact of Italy's famous Top 50 and shows why cultural preferences and distinct regional traditions make it difficult to pick a global winner.
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He noted that ranked lists like those published by 50 Top Pizza are useful for enhancing taste and introducing people to restaurants and dishes they want to try, but there's usually a bit of subjectivity involved.
"50 Top Pizza is a very authentic, chef-based Italian site that really goes out and finds what they think is the best," he said, but suggested the organization might be a little biased toward certain styles of pizza that align with its Italian roots, such as Neapolitan.
50 Top Pizza, a website run by Italian chefs, has released its ranking of America's best pizzerias in 2026. (iStock)
In the end, though, good pizza is all about love.
"If the heart is in it, the pizza will taste amazing," Kaplan said.
These are the top five pizzerias in America in 2026. According to the top 50 pizzas.
According to the New York Times, this New York City pizzeria, founded in 1996 by Anthony Mangiri, "exemplifies sit-down pizza."
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Eater NY called the Margherita pie "a marvel of pizza evolution unlike any other Neapolitan pie in the world."
New York City's Una Napoletana Pizza (not pictured) has topped the Top 50 Pizzas list for five years in a row. (iStock)
Mangieri personally makes each ball of dough by hand and shapes, toppings and bakes each pizza himself, the website says.
This is the fifth year in a row that Una Pizza Napoletana has earned the top spot in the Top 50 Pizzas in the United States. The restaurant was also ranked second in the World's 50 Best Pizzas of 2026.
2. (tie) C's Pizza - Los Angeles and Tony Napoletana's Pizza - San Francisco
Operated by Chef William (Sung Woo) Joo and his wife and partner Jennifer Sue, Pizzeria C has been serving Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizzas since 2022.
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The website states that the crusts are formed using a folding technique, which, combined with a quick cooking time at high heat, results in a unique and varied texture.
In second place is Tony's Pizza Napoletana, a San Francisco institution run by 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Geminiani.
Two California pizzerias ranked second in the 50 pizza rankings. (iStock)
In addition to Neapolitan, Tony's serves a variety of pizzas, including Detroit, Sicilian, New York, and Romana, among others. This pizzeria was also ranked fifth in the World's 50 Best Pizzas of 2026.
Chef and owner Dan Richer, a 2011 James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef semifinalist, opened Razza in 2007.
The pizzeria received three stars from The New York Times in 2017 and was awarded the Best Pizza in North America by 50 Best in 2019.
This restaurant prioritizes fresh and high-quality ingredients and focuses on the continuous improvement of their technique.
According to its website, "every ingredient is picked by hand, down to the salt that goes on the pizza."
"Pizza is best when you can taste love," says Connecticut-based food historian and pizza expert Colin Kaplan. (iStock)
The bread and butter are both made in-house, the flour is milled in nearby Clifton, New Jersey, and a house yeast culture is added to the crust.
Founded by Donna Baldwin and John Arena, Truly Pizza focuses on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and supporting local farmers.
At the two-story, open-air Dana Point location, guests can enjoy coastal views while dining on artisanal pizzas—both round and square—from classic cheese to umami mushroom.
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"The menu is informed but not bound by tradition, and carefully curated," says the website.
Truly Pizza was also ranked 26th in the ranking of the world's 50 best pizzas in 2026.
The brainchild of Italian-born chef Francesco Martucci, this pizzeria is where "firewood tradition meets South Florida energy."
The best pizzerias in America in the ranking of the top 50 pizzas come from the cities of New York, California, New Jersey and Miami. (iStock)
Located in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, the restaurant offers a wide variety of pizzas, from the Assoluto di Pomodoro with tomatoes, featuring San Marzano tomato mousse and roasted tomato cream, to the Fior di Zucca Al Quadrato, which features zucchini cream and pumpkin blossom.
Francesco Martucci's Miami restaurant won first place in the ranking of the world's 50 best pizzas from 2019 to 2025.
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