Where In The World Should You Head For The Best Pizza?

Pizza is a food dish that has become a worldwide staple.  Regardless of where you are travelling to, the chances are you will be able to find pizza somewhere.  For example, during our recent travels to Thailand, whilst we loved the local cuisine, there were a couple of occasions where we craved something familiar, a pizza – we just couldn’t help it.

But where in the world serves the best pizza?

We have eaten pizzas pretty much every where we travel, although we also admit that we still have a lot of the world to see.  So who better to ask than a group of travel bloggers who have, between them, pretty much visited every corner of the globe.

Where Should Pizza Lovers Be Visiting?

#1 Leo’s Casa, Essen, Germany (Our Suggestion)

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Leo’s Casa, Essen

We live in Italy for around 8 months each year, so you would have thought that our choice would have come from one of the many Pizzerias that we have visited there, however, this is not the case.

Last year, we spent a short amount of time in Essen, near Dusseldorf, where we found, what we both consider to be the best pizza we have ever tried.

Not only is the decor at Leo’s Casa warm and welcoming the food is exceptional.  The pizzas, all cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven, are thin with just the right amount of crispiness and all are full of flavour.  Sometimes we find that toppings can be overpowering, especially when you order garlic or chili as a garnish but at Leo’s they have got the balance just right.

One of our favourite pizza toppings includes prawn, garlic and spinach  and this one is by far the best one we have tasted.  The prawns were tasty, cooked to perfection and without the overpowering taste that you sometimes get, whilst both the spinach and garlic added just the right amount of flavour  to the dish.

If you ever visit Essen, Leo’s  is a must.

#2 Veraci Pizza, Seattle, WA, America (Laura Lynch from Savored Journeys)

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Veraci Pizza Seattle

We’ve eaten a million pizzas (believe me, we’re addicted) so we were extremely excited when we came upon Veraci’s Pizza in Seattle at a Sunday market. Of course, they do have an actual restaurant, located in the Ballard neighborhood, but they also haul their traveling wood-fired oven out to the markets around town and wow everyone with their incredible pizza.

Why is it so good? For one, they use a hand-mixed secret recipe for their crust, then they bake it in a hand-crafted wood-fire oven that reaches temperatures of up to 1000 degrees. Lastly, they only use the best ingredients on their pizzas. My favorite is the pepperoni. The sauce has the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, the cheese is very high quality, the pepperoni is full of flavor and chew. Together, all of these ingredients come together to make one amazing slice.

The good news is that Veraci has opened locations in other areas around the Northwest, like Portland, Bend and Coeur d’Alene. The bad news is that we’ve moved to London now and can’t get our hands on a Veraci pizza like we used to. It’s worth the flight!

Find out more about Laura’s Travels at Savored Journeys or check her out on Google+

#3 Rossopomodoro, Venice, Italy (Kathryn Burrington from Boutique Travel Blog)

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Rossopomodoro Venice, Italy

Eating in Venice can be expensive but for a great value lunch on the go I’d highly recommend a slice of pizza from Rossopomodoro, close to St Mark’s Square.

You can find it by walking through the archway in the northeast corner of the square, then take a right into Calle Larga S. Marco. Look for a red awning, a little way down on the left hand side. There are a few tables and chairs outside on the pavement as well as some inside, but when I visited I joined the queue of locals and tourists for a takeaway.

At 4 Euros for a huge slice of very delicious pizza with pepperoni, I thought it was is great value as well as exceedingly good. Sadly my first attempt at enjoying said pizza, surrounded by the beauty of St Mark’s Square, was thwarted by the seagulls, who whisked it out of my hands before I had more than a couple of bites. It was too good to miss out on, so I went back and bought a second slice and ate it in the alley way, while keeping an eye out for greedy looking seagulls.

Visit Boutique Travel Blog to find out more about Kathryn’s experiences, who can also be found on Twitter.

 #4 Peperino, Verona, Italy (Antonia & Robbin from Flash Packing Foodie)

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Image provided by Peperino Pizza, Verona

Tucked away on a quaint side street just a few steps from Verona’s amphitheatre you will find our favourite pizza restaurant, Peperino.

The flavours here are all inspired by Napoli and their passion is evident in every delicious mouthful.   The restaurant is full of life and always packed, it’s a well known favourite among the locals. Inside the restaurant everything is centered around their huge wood fired oven, which was built by famous Neapolitan bakers who pass on the art from generation to generation. Their small section outside has a relaxed feel and in the evening you can eat surrounded by flowers under the glow of pretty lights.

What sets their pizza a million miles from the rest are the fresh local ingredients. The fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce and olive oil are shipped daily from Naples, the souls of any good pizza, and everything else is sourced locally and of the highest quality – it’s their obsession! They have even mastered the art of amazing gluten free pizza.

Our favourite pizzas are the Bufalina with fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil and oregano and the Quattro Fromaggi (four cheese) with added Italian sausage.

 Visit Flash Packing Foodie to find out more about Antonia and Robbins travels.  They can also be found on Instagram.

#5 Pizza Street, New Haven, Connecticut, America (Rachel from Rachel’s Ruminations)

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Pizza from New Haven’s Pizza (image provided by Roadfood.com)

Without a doubt, the best pizza in America, and perhaps the world, is made in New Haven, Connecticut. To be specific, one street – Wooster Street, the heart of New Haven’s Italian immigrant community – is home to three pizzerias serving outstanding “apizza.” The first was founded in 1925 and the other two in the 1930’s, and all three are run by descendants of the original apizza bakers using the original coal-fired ovens.

It’s hard to say what makes this pizza special. The sauce? The thin crust? I don’t know. What I can say is that people happily wait in line for it – they don’t take reservations – and many of us travel large distances to enjoy it. My father, who enjoyed pizza on Wooster Street as a child in the 1930’s, insisted that the secret was the ovens; he contended that the ovens had not been cleaned in decades, and the accumulated aromas add to the pizza’s flavor. I don’t know if that’s true, but this pizza really is extraordinary.

Sally’s Apizza: only accepts cash, always has a line out front. Open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner.

The Spot: always has a line outside too. Takes credit cards. Try the white clam apizza: it’s to die for. Open every day.

Pepe’s: Same owner as The Spot, same amazing white clam pizza. Also open every day. Pepe’s pizzas are now a chain with lots of locations around Connecticut.

Follow Rachel’s Ruminations for more of her travel tips and see her pictures on Instagram.

#6 The Cheese Board Collective, Berkeley, CA, America (Carole From Travels With Carole)

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The Cheese Board Collective

My favorite spot for pizza where I live, in Berkeley, California, is the Pizzeria at The Cheese Board Collective on Shattuck Avenue, smack in the middle of the Gourmet Ghetto. 

The way it works is you get in line–there is usually a long one but it moves fast–and then place your order and receive your pizza.  There is only one choice each day, which is why it goes so fast, and they always give you a small slice to nibble on when they hand you your box.  Most of the time I take home a partially cooked pizza and finish it in my own oven, but sometimes I stay, in which case I need to jockey for space at a shared table. 

Live music often adds to the casual ambiance.  This spot remains popular because of its location, its ambiance, and the great thin crust and toppings.

Find about more about Carole at Travels with Carole or check out her youtube channel for inspiration.

#7 Mast’ Restaurant and Drinkery, Boston, MA, America (Yulia from The Foodie Miles)

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Mast’ Restaurant and Drinkery

Since I have had a chance to travel to Italy and try their famous pizza yet, I do my best in finding the most amazing pizza spots wherever I travel. The one pizza haunting me in dreams and making my mouth water when I only think of it comes from an Italian restaurant in Boston.

Mast’ Restaurant and Drinkery was opened in historic Beacon Hill by a proud Napoletano with a vision of sharing the most delicious foods of his home town. If a restaurant goes through the trouble of importing a 6000 lb wood-fired oven all the way from Italy and inviting a pizzaiolo from Naples to make pizza, you can be sure the result will be outstanding.

I was introduced to this place by my Italian friends living in Boston who claim this is the most authentic pizza in the city. I wouldn’t be able to vouch for its authenticity since I haven’t been to Naples, but I can assure you their pizza Margherita will blow your mind away!

Check out Yulia’s blog for more on her foodie travels or visit her Facebook page.

#8 Bebop, Milan, Italy (Margherita from The Crowded Planet)

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A mixed starter at Bebop (Image provided by Angie at Reason To Dress)

The best gluten free pizza in Milan is from a restaurant called Bebop, in the popular Navigli area. In Italy, gluten free isn’t always a given, and so restaurants like Bebop that cater to a gluten free diet are very special! The restaurant offers both pizzas with gluten and gluten free ones, as well as a variety of other dishes (like the mixed starter in the picture) in ‘regular’ and gluten free versions.

I’m not even gluten free myself, but one night I visited Bebop with a friend of mine who is celiac, and I tried some of her pizza… it was delicious!

My favourite combination is ‘speck and brie’ – speck is a kind of cured ham, with a smoky flavour, and melted brie – well, you get the picture! So yummy! 

Follow Margherita’s and Nick’s travels at The Crowded Planet and check out their photos on Instagram.

#9  L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Naples, Italy (Mindi from 2 Food Trippers)

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Pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Naples

Pizza was invented in Naples Italy during the 18th century, so it should be no surprise that Naples has some of the best pizza in the world.

We fell in love with Neapolitan pizza during our first visit to the wonderfully chaotic Italian city three years ago and recently solidified our pizza love affair during a one-month visit that allowed us to eat as much pizza as humanly possible.

During our recent visit, we most frequently ate pizza at our neighborhood pizzeria, L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, a popular pizzeria that dates back to 1870 and serves two types of pizza – marinara and margherita. Though no additional toppings or sides are available, Da Michele often has a large crowd waiting for the next available table.

We suggest that diners arrive close to the opening time and that they come hungry. A regular size pizza costs just €4 and is quite filling. Da Michele is open from 11:00 to 23:00 every day except Sunday and is located at Via Cesare Sersale, 1, 80139 Napoli, Italy.

Follow Mindi and Daryl at 2 Food Trippers for more foodie tips or visit them on Instagram.

#10 Ivo a Trastevere, Rome, Italy (Gabor From Surfing The Planet)

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Pizza at Ivo a Trastevere in Rome

One of the best pizzas we have ever tried was during our latest trip to Rome. The pizzeria is called Ivo a Trastevere, and is located in the Trastevere neighborhood of the eternal city. Trastevere is one of the most popular areas for going out at night with lots of pizza places. Some of the restaurants are very tourist-oriented, but there are more local areas in the neighborhood where mostly Roman people go out.

This pizza place was recommended to us by one of our friends who lives in Rome. Ivo is a very simple place with amber walls and a nice terrace, and serves typical Roman-style pizzas. Ivo has been open for over four decades now, and it is not surprising that it’s always packed with locals. The crust of the pizza is cooked perfectly and the toppings are also very tasty.

The service is pretty slow, but it’s worth waiting your time. The prices are also very honest (pizzas cost 6-8 euros), so you will find much better price to quality ratio than in more touristic parts of the city. It’s possible to book in advance, in the summer months it’s more than recommended to do that.

Follow Gaborand Rachele at Surfing The Planet, or check out the photos from their travels on Instagram.

#11 Speedy Romeo’s, New York City, America (Lola from  Miss Filatelista)

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Pizza from Speedy Romeo’s in New York City

 Everyone know’s the best pizza can be found in New York City and every New Yorker has their secret spot for a $1 slice that is approximately the size of their torso.

For the real deal Italian wood oven fired pizza whipped up with tasty combination of toppings you must go to Speedy Romeo. Each pie is made with love and uses farm fresh seasonal ingredients. The formulas are ultra creative resulting in an incredible, mouth watering pie. My favorite is The White Album. The bechamel base is covered in sizzling ricotta and provel cheese topped with fresh roasted garlic. If it’s tomato season don’t miss your chance to try the heirloom pie. They’re even offering a vegan pizza with roasted mushrooms, cauliflower, butternut squash and almond ricotta cheese.

Get your perfect pizza pie at the original Clinton Hill location at 376 Classon Ave or the newest Speedy Romeo in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood at 63 Clinton St. Both pizza joints are spacious but often packed. The Brooklyn location is used as a set in the hit HBO series Girls which has gained the spot quite a lot of popularity.

Follow Lola’s travels over at  Miss Filatelista or through her Instagram images.

#12 Lombardi’s, New York City, America (Jen From The Trusted Traveller)

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Lombardi’s, New York City, America

In New York City, Lombardi’s is an institution. It was not just NYC’s first pizzeria, it was actually the countries first opening in 1905.

Locating in NYC’s Little Italy neighbourhood, you’ll regularly find a queue of hungry patrons snaking their way around the building who are yearning to try one of the simple, yet delicious thin crust authentic Italian pizza’s.

They make everything fresh, from the delicate crust to the perfectly balanced Marzano tomato sauce. On my visit I had a simple pizza with sweet roasted peppers, sauteed spinach and kalamata olives. It was one of the best pizza’s I’ve had outside of Italy and I plan to visit them again when I return to New York one day.

Top Tip: Avoid the queue’s by dining at lunch time!

Follow Jen’s Travels over at The Trusted Traveller and through her Facebook Page.

#13 $1 Pizzas, Cuba (Gemma and Craig from Two Sctos Abroad)

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Cuba Pizzas

Travelling to Cuba? Then it is your right of passage to consume of Cuba’s infamous greasy 1 CUC ($1) pizzas!

These heart attacks waiting to happen are slightly bigger than your hand and purchased at a ‘hole in the wall’ vendor at spots all around Cuba. I have to admit that we ate more than one (a week!) during our three-week trip to the island. We even witnessed a local folding the pizza in half to drain the grease off the cheesy beast. For more appetising things to do in Havana, check out our post

Interested in finding out more about Gemma and Craig, then visit either their blog or Instagram.

#14 Pieous, Dripping Springs, TX, America (Dan from Honeymoon Always)

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Pieous Pizza

I have had pizza all over the US and Italy, but the best pizza I have ever had has been in Dripping Springs, TX.
Pieous serves pizzas cooked in a fiery wood burning stove for only 90 seconds.  The crust is made from a fresh daily sourdough. The thin crust and the high quality ingredients make for a pizza like no other.  I personally recommend the Rocket covered in arugula and prosciutto.
If you are going on a weekend, be prepared to wait in line for at least 45 minutes if you get there after 5:30.
Follow Dan’s travels over at Honeymoon Always or on Instagram.

#15  Pequod’s, Chicago, IL, America (Kelsey from Kelsey Social)

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Pequod’s Pizza

One of the most important parts of visiting Chicago is the deep-dish pizza. Some may argue that deep-dish isn’t pizza at all, but whatever your opinion may be, it’s a Chicagoan staple.

When visiting the city, consider stopping in Pequod’s for your deep dish cravings. The sauce is tangy and the cheese is piled high, but the real winner is the caramelized corn-meal crust. Know that it’s a good sign when a restaurant is crowded and Pequod’s most likely will be. Each pie is made to order so you must be prepared to wait, but once you get that first bite, all will be well worth it.

Insider tip: On weeknights, you can call in your order so it’s ready to eat upon arrival.

Follow Kelsey’s travels over at Kelsey Social or through her Instagram photos.

As you can see, as  travel bloggers we take our job seriously and make sure that we research the best the world has to offer.  Above, we have listed many excellent suggestions but I am sure some of you reading this could suggest a place that you believe others should experience.  Therefore, in the comments below let us know where we should be heading next.

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Where can we find the best pizza that you have ever eaten?

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28 Comments

  • natalie says:

    Oh, what a delicious article topic! We travel with the kids and of course they love pizza! Thankfully it is easy to find everywhere so even if you have a picky eater you can find pizza they’ll love. These look unusual and sooo good. It is near dinner time here and now guess what I want!! LOL!! We had pizza from Ray’s in NYC recently and it was really delicious. Look forward to trying these!

  • Riely says:

    Great curated list of pizza spots! Who would have thought your favourite spot would be in Germany. I have dined in the Trastevere area in Rome at a small local restaurant. The pizza was divine (the service slow as well, but we didn’t mind); it might have been the same location. I am interested in the gluten free pizza in Milan. Now to only find a spot that offers more dairy free choices (sad, but no cheese for me).

    • There are more dairy free options appearing but I think it is more difficult and people haven’t become that creative yet. I think service in Italy is often slower when it comes to pizzas as restaurants see it more of a social thing with friends getting together to chat over food which isn’t always great if you are in a rush. Over the years we have also learnt that your pizzas won’t always come out together and therefore one may be half way through their before the other person even starts.

  • Katie says:

    Oh all of these pizzas make me feel so hungry! Want to go get a pizza right now! I imagine the pizza in Italy is superb 🙂 My favourite has to be the deep dish pizza in Chicago – we visited Gino’s East and it was amazing!

  • Swati says:

    I am drooling over all the pizza now. Italy is known for some of the best pizza. can’t wait to escape and devour. Bookmarked this page for reference.

  • neha says:

    Note taken. Particularly of Rossopomodoro, Venice, Italy and the Ivo a Trastevere, Rome, Italy. I wont mind the slow service as long as the pizza tastes yummy. However, with all those delicious pizzas , you are making me to order one right now 🙂

    • I think that’s the key isn’t it – no one minds waiting if they know the food is going to be fantastic. It is when you have to wait around and then get something sub-standard that I hate.

  • Penny says:

    I have never had a pizza with seafood let alone clams. That picture looked a bit surreal for me. My stomach said yummm but my brain said no way! Great list.

    • I will be honest, I am not sure it is for everyone but I have tried a really nice seafood pizza in Italy and for some reason even though it doesn’t work, it does. But then again, the same restaurant also did a sausage and chips pizza so who are we to judge what is right 😀

  • Christine K says:

    Living in the Midwest, I love deep dish Chicago pizza but when I lived in New York, oh my gosh I learned to love the thinner crust. This list is pretty impressive for sure and if anyone makes it through the entire collection without getting hungry, they’re not human. I have to go now and cannot comment further as that white clam pizza in New Haven is calling my name. Nice post.

  • Only By Land says:

    You guys are the pizza experts! On a trip to Uyuni, Bolivia they have a famous pizza restaurant, you guys need to check it out and give it your official review. I know I can’t really vote by a picture but the first pizza looks the best, I have actually been in Essen very recently, I wish I had read this before and I’d have definitely gone in and ordered myself one!

  • Jen Morrow says:

    These pizza recommendations have me craving a slice! This is absolutely another reason that I need to go to Italy, so many great pizza recommendations! Thin crust (Italian and NY style) pizza is my favorite.

  • Jessica says:

    I loved reading your list! I am also obsessed with pizza, and try some pretty much everywhere I go. The worst pizza I’ve ever had was probably in Belgium, but most pizza is at least edible, if not great. The best pizzas I’ve tried were probably from Da Baffeto 2 in Rome (terrible service, fantastic food) and Joe’s Pizza in NYC, but I love Vincenza’s in Cleveland too, because it’s one of the only thin crust pies in Cleveland, and I went there all the time as a kid! I’m definitely a thin crust person though…I don’t like bready pizzas.

    • Wow, thanks for all the recommendations. As you say most pizzas are at least edible if not that enjoyable, although Paul did recently have a pizza in Thailand that due to the overload of garlic topping he couldn’t manage it.

  • Thanks for including me in your post Tamason. Reading this has really made my dinner choice for tonight easy, PIZZA! Definitely got a lot more pizza tasting to do around the world in the future!

  • Regan says:

    Thank you for acknowledging New Haven pizza as one of the best in the world. I am from CT and lived in New Haven for 10 years and it truly is the best. NYC gets more hype in the region, but New Haven is really where it’s at.

    I live in Colorado now and my mother brings me shrink wrapped pizzas from Modern Apizza whenever she comes to visit, it’s that good!

  • Real pizza slices in NY cost $2.75, not $1.

  • Laura says:

    Oh my gosh. I’ve never seen so many delicious-looking pizzas! I want to eat them all. I guess that’s why I travel for food, though. I will eventually eat them all. First stop: Peperino in Verona.

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