Few people are better to point you toward a great slice like Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. In New York City, 2020 F&W Best New Chef Trigg Brown, of Win Son, praises the Neapolitan pies at Ops, while in Los Angeles, 1999 F&W Best New Chef Suzanne Goin highlights Ronan’s blistered, wood-fired pizzas. In Philadelphia, 1999 F&W Best New Chef Marc Vetri calls Pizzeria Beddia’s pies “simple and perfect.”
These are the pizza shops that change the game. They bring thin-crust styles to cities where they were once hard to find, showcase local ingredients, and help to define a new wave of artisanal pizza. Whether you want decadent deep dish, experimental riffs with seasonal ingredients, or a near-perfect tomato pie, these chefs have 18 great recommendations, from neighborhood staples to destination-worthy counters that define pizza excellence nationally.
New York City
Ops
Ops pairs standout Neapolitan-style pizzas with one of New York City’s best options for low-intervention French gamays. It makes this Bushwick favorite (now also in the East Village) a go-to for tourists and industry regulars. Trigg Brown, a 2020 F&W Best New Chef, sums it up best: “Unbelievably good pizza and one of the best wine lists around.”
Credit: Food & Wine / Rey Lopez
Luigi’s
Luigi’s Pizza serves the quintessential New York slice in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood, with hot, crispy, foldable slices that have remained remarkably consistent since the 1980s. Calvin Eng, a 2022 F&W Best New Chef, calls it “the epitome of a classic New York slice,” with a crust that’s “crisp and doesn’t flop but still has the perfect chew.”
Related: The Best Restaurants in New York City, According to Chefs
Los Angeles
Pizzeria Mozza
Nancy Silverton, a F&W Best New Chef in 1990, says that she created Pizzeria Mozza as “a place for families with food that’s straightforward, understandable, and not manipulated.” Silverton has fun with the menu yet still takes it seriously, an approach credited for ushering in a new wave of artisanal pizza. Her favorite is the fennel sausage pizza with velvety Italian cream.
Ronan
Ronan has become one of Los Angeles’s standout neighborhood pizzerias, pairing blistered and bubbly Neapolitan pies with peppery guanciale and cacio e pepe honey. 1999 F&W Best New Chef Suzanne Goin praises owners Daniel and Caitlin Cutler for “continuously mak[ing] Ronan better, day after day.” Goin’s favorite is the sweet-savory How ‘Nduja Want It? pizza with spicy Calabrian sausage and tangy gorgonzola crema.
Credit: Food & Wine / Liz Hayes
Quarter Sheets
This Echo Park pizza-and-dessert restaurant is known in equal measure for its “Detroit-ish” pizzas with tall, chewy crusts and its stunning Swedish princess cakes. Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat, a F&W Best New Chef in 2024, describes Quarter Sheets as “so fun.” He praises the desserts of 2023 F&W Best New Chef Hannah Ziskin, who leads the pizzeria’s pastry program, as “perfectly balanced — never too sweet.”
Related: The Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, According to Chefs
Washington, D.C.
Credit: Food & Wine / Rey Lopez
Bar del Monte
Dinner in this former auto shop-turned-neighborhood hangout constantly changes. One night, pizzaiolo Peter Pastan and son, Oliver Pastan, serve up a ramp-topped pizza. The next might be an artichoke and buffalo mozzarella pie. “There’s no filler on this menu,” says 2007 Best New Chef Johnny Monis. “I’m not sure we’ve ever ordered the same dish twice.” His perfect Bar del Monte order is the squash blossom and anchovy pizza with cherry tomatoes and fresh greens.
Related: The Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., According to Chefs
Seattle
Cora Pizza & Plates
Seattle’s Cora Pizza & Plates serves wood-fired pies made with Washington-grown wheat and topped with a mix of classic and seasonal ingredients, from pepperoni to basil-green chickpea pesto. “We created our own hybrid New York-Neapolitan pizza that’s both crunchy and chewy,” says 2001 F&W Best New Chef John Sundstrom. That dough also anchors his go-to off-menu margherita, finished with spicy ‘nduja sausage.
Credit: Geoffrey Smith of Lookat Lao
Rione XIII
The perfect order of 2008 F&W Best New Chef Ethan Stowell at Rione XIII is the Roman Street pizza topped with grilled peaches, anchovies, and artichoke. The food is inspired by Roman dishes, says Stowell, with “street-style pizza, fried artichokes, and the city’s four classic pastas.” Pizzas pair just right with bowls of cacio e pepe or carbonara for the table.
Related: The Best Restaurants in Seattle, According to Chefs
San Francisco
Jules
Chef and baker Max Blachman-Gentile debuted his style of sourdough crust in pop-ups before he opened his brick-and-mortar spot, Jules. Here, he layers that dough with Sun gold tomatoes and sweet corn from the farmers market. “With his use of seasonal ingredients for his toppings, I dream about his pizza,” says 2019 F&W Best New Chef Nite Yun. “It’s so good.”
Related: The Best Restaurants in San Francisco, According to Chefs
Philadelphia
Pizzeria Beddia
Pizzeria Beddia helped transform Fishtown into Philadelphia’s hottest dining neighborhood. Even a simple tomato pie, adorned here with Jersey tomatoes and lots of Arbequina olive oil, stands out. Marc Vetri, a 1999 F&W Best New Chef, calls it “simple, perfect pizza with great toppings. I’m intrigued by different crusts, sauces, and textures. Pizza is bread with stuff on it, but somehow Joe Beddia makes it so interesting.”
Pizzeria Salvy
Pizzas at Pizzeria Salvy are straightforward, but never boring. Topped with Kennett Square mushrooms, Fiorella sausage, and excellent cheeses, they’re comforting — happy even — and well worth the Center City traffic. Vetri recommends the South Philly margherita, topped with mozzarella, basil, yellow tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
Credit: Photo by Devin Sullivan for Stina Pizzeria
Stina Pizzeria
Stina flirts with Mediterranean flavors: vibrant salads, fluffy pita, and pizzas topped with eggplant, za’atar, and garlicky toum. 2014 F&W Best New Chef Eli Kulp says Stina punches above its weight. “Imagine the best version of a Greek and Turkish restaurant that serves incredible pizza and, most notably, Turkish-style pizza: pide.” He loves the merguez pide with melted mozzarella and spiced lamb sausage, fired in a wood-burning oven and topped with tabbouleh.
Related: The Best Restaurants in Philadelphia, According to Chefs
New Orleans
Pizza Delicious
“The Pizza Delicious crust might be the best in the world,” says 1994 F&W Best New Chef Greg Sonnier. “It’s the benchmark of how I rate other pizzas.” These are New York-style crusts, with the dough spun in the air until super thin and layered with the classics. It’s a pizza joint where the Caesar salad is a must-order, slathered in anchovy-heavy dressing and crunchy croutons.
Related: The Best Restaurants in New Orleans, According to Chefs
Chicago
Pizza Matta
Pizza Matta is 2013 F&W Best New Chef Jason Vincent’s tavern-style pizza project. After he tested the recipe for two years, Vincent landed on a crisp, thin-crust pie that stands out in a competitive pizza city as both delicious and affordable. “It took a lot of work to figure out the dough, ingredients, and technique,” says Vincent. “It’s finally at a place where I’m incredibly happy with it.”
Related: The Best Restaurants in Chicago, According to Chefs
Boston
Gary’s Pizza
This popular pizza counter is short on elbow room, but it’s big on light and airy Roman-style pies. Rectangular slices at Gary’s Pizza come laden with fragrant tomato sauce and toppings like prosciutto and spring asparagus. “This closet-sized pizza restaurant serves perfect Roman-style pizza. You order, take it away, and eat it in the park nearby,” says 2011 F&W Best New Chef George Mendes.
Related: The Best Restaurants in Boston, According to Chefs
Austin
Credit: Photo by Richard Casteel for Bufalina
Bufalina
Come to Bufalina for a simple margherita pie with a bubbly crust straight from the wood-fired oven. Stay for its hard-hitting wine list. “The Bufalina happy hour is where a lot of service industry folks go. I usually try whatever cool wine is around that the staff is excited about,” says 2025 F&W Best New Chef Mariela Camacho.
Credit: Photo by Richard Casteel for Palm Pizza
Palm Pizza
The crusts at Palm Pizza are exceptional. The thin crust is pleasantly chewy, while the thick crust offers a nice crunch. But you’re really coming here for the housemade cheese. “It’s a small place, but they still make their own dough and mozzarella using high-quality ingredients,” says 2015 F&W Best New Chef Grae Nonas. The bestseller is the signature pizza with a thin crust topped with runny stracciatella, finished with olive oil and basil.
Side Eye Pie
Anthony Curet’s Side Eye Pie is best known for its wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza made with cold-fermented dough. It makes a stellar base for the Hippie Pie, with garlic Parmesan cream, Fontina cheese, Italian sausage, and Calabrian chiles. 2023 F&W Best New Chef Edgar Rico says Curet’s dough makes for “beautifully blistered crusts with that irresistible leopard spotting and perfect chew.”
Related: The Best Restaurants in Austin, According to Chefs
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