Anyone who lives in the Golden State should be aware that California has undergone a pizza renaissance in the past several years. And now it seems that the country known for its discerning pizza taste is taking note in a big way.
On Tuesday, Italy-based culinary guide 50 Top Pizza released its global rankings for 2026 – and three pizzerias with California ties scored spots in the top five.
Among them are Anthony Mangieri’s seminal Una Pizza Napoletana, which, although now located in New York City, rose to fame during its San Francisco tenure from 2010 to 2017. Impressively, it nabbed the No. 2 ranking on the worldwide list. Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco tied for the fifth spot.
A margherita pizza with olives and red wine at Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City, on Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Michael Marquand/For SFGATE)
Pizzeria Sei, helmed by chef William Joo, has become a favorite in LA for its puffy, Tokyo-style pies – so much so that it recently grew from its tiny original location in Pico-Robertson to a larger second outpost in Palms that serves two new styles (baked, then fried montanara and airy scrocchiarella).
Top 50 Pizza said of Joo’s pizza mastery: “The dough is highly hydrated, with prolonged fermentations and the use of selected flours. The result is a light pizza, with an airy yet crispy base, characterized by great technical precision. The toppings balance high-quality Italian ingredients with Japanese influences, with carefully crafted and clean pairings.”
Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, meanwhile, has been a leader in America’s pizzaiolo scene for decades, winning nearly every accolade imaginable. He’s known not only for his mastery of multiple dough styles, but also for his rapidly growing chain of Slice House restaurants.
“To understand pizza around the world, you have to come to this historic corner location in the heart of the Californian city, because at the core of the pizzeria’s success is the passion that Tony has been cultivating since he was a young boy: seven different types of ovens and eleven varieties of pizza are the numbers that best explain his vision,” 50 Top Pizza writes of Gemignani’s influence.
Owner Tony Gemignani holds some of his pizzas inside his kitchen at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco on Oct. 18, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE)
London’s Napoli on the Road – run by Italian expat Michele Pascarella – took this year’s top spot on the list. It’s followed by Confine in Milan at No. 3 and I Masanielli – Francesco Cartucci from Caserta, Italy, and Seu Pizza Illuminati in Rome, which tied for No. 4.
The only other California pizzeria to crack the top 50 was Dana Point’s acclaimed Truly Pizza, which came in at No. 26. Other American cities, including Jersey City, Chicago, Miami and Portland, were also represented.
Although many of the top spots are still dominated by Italians, one thing’s for certain: California is taking its own slice out of the pizza world.
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This article originally published at California lands multiple spots in top 5 of world’s best pizza ranking.
Dining and Cooking