Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco #1 in Top 50 Pizza USA 2021

After Italy, the birthplace of pizza, the US can be considered its second home. This is confirmed by the new 50 Top Pizza ranking, the most important guide in the sector, which is online and available for free.

In first place of 50 Top Pizza USA 2021 - Prosecco DOC Award, in collaboration with S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna - is Tony's Pizza Napoletana, a San Francisco (California) restaurant owned by the master pizza-maker Tony Gemignani. In second position comes the Neapolitan-style pizza restaurant known for a pie with a prominent crust and a soft texture, Una Pizza Napoletana in Atlantic Highlands, in the state of New Jersey, run by Anthony Mangieri.

Bronze for Spacca Napoli, a pizzeria in Chicago (Illinois), where Jonathan Goldsmith turns out famous pizza. In fourth position is Ribalta, a symbol of Italian taste in New York run by Rosario Procino and Pasquale Cozzolino. In fifth place comes the pizzeria of Dan Richer, Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City (New Jersey).

Although the 50 pizzerias are distributed across many of the US states (including Hawaii), most of the establishments are located along the two coasts. But it is New York, with 11 pizzerias present in the ranking, that rules for the number of pizzerias on the list, making The Big Apple the capital of pizza in the US.

The ranking is the result of exhaustive research by the inspectors of 50 Top Pizza who, for a whole year, have examined a huge number of pizzerias located throughout the country, always anonymously. The parameters for judging? First of all, the quality of the dough and the ingredients used as toppings, the service, the wine and beer lists and, in general, the attention and care towards the customer. Even if the pandemic had a hand in the rankings this year, the inspectors did not let themselves be intimidated, and for the pizzerias where it was not possible to consume on the premises, the judging was done via delivery.

"We have reviewed many Italian-American restaurants,” said Barbara Guerra, Luciano Pignataro and Albert Sapere, the three curators of the 50 Top Pizza project, in a statement. “A clear sign of immigration that began more than a century ago and is still ongoing. A phenomenon that has made pizza a popular food throughout the United States and which has consequently also contributed to its global success."

“There are different styles of pizza present, from the classic Neapolitan, to the New York-style, passing through multiple shades. Finally, a trend that we like to underline is the one that combines pizza with bread, the white art par excellence. In fact, many of those present in this ranking, including some of the top names, are increasingly combining the bread-making business with that of pizza chefs, offering products of equal quality. A new wave that is also affecting Italy and Europe."