Pizza Quixote: Top Ten Breakout Pizzas from 2019

Let's begin with a clear understanding of this list:  These are not the Top Ten Pizzas in America, but simply the Ten Best Pizzas Newly Discovered By Me in 2019. 

We found world-class pizza in Wisconsin, Louisiana,  Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, and New York. After many years where deep-dish, Sicilian, or Detroit style dominated the top new discoveries, thin-crust pizza roared back in 2019.

Let's begin with some very worthy runners-up, the Honorable Mentions. Click on any for the full review:

CraigO's Pizza and Pasta - Austin TX. Perhaps my biggest surprise of 2019 was the authentic quality of this NY slice at an Austin mini-chain. Friendliest atmosphere sealed the deal.

LaBriola - Chicago IL. I had a massive "thin crust" slice as well as a delectable mini deep-dish.

Jersey Giant - Bee Cave TX. What, you're 1750 miles from New Jersey but craving a massive slice of strip mall pizza? You can get it right here in Texas Hill Country.

Santucci's - Philadelphia PA. Old-school square pie with red sauce on top!  Yes please.

Toss Pizzeria & Pub - Austin TX. Authentic NY style pizza (thin, crisp) with Texas toppings like pulled pork and eggs or beef brisket? It really works.

And now, let's count down the Top Ten pies discovered in 2019. All of these are "Destination Pizza" for which you'd gladly go out of your way to have again.

10. Enzo's of Arthur Avenue - The Bronx NY. Enzo's is a full-menu Italian restaurant in Little Italy, where American-born patrons chatter with American-born staff in Italian. Everything we had was rich and wonderful, and it felt like we were extras in a Scorsese movie. The major pizza discovery we had was how a skilled pizzaiolo can make a great pie using canned tuna as a topping. Molto buona!

Pizza al tonno

9. Pete's New Haven Style Apizza - Arlington VA. It's surprising that there are places making New Haven style pies so far from Connecticut. Some are "New Haven" in name only, but this was - like the wonderful stuff at Basic Urban Kitchen in San Diego - authentically delicious.

8. Backdraft Pizza - Austin TX. In the year that I relocated from Philly suburbs to Austin suburbs, I expected that my world would be full of great Mexican food and BBQ, but that truly great pizza would be hard to find. Backdraft pizza, a food truck that has relocated from Bee Cave to Austin, was the first wonderful sign of how easy it is to eat great pizza in Central Texas.

7. Pizzeria Due - Chicago IL. While Due and many other iconic Chicago pizzerias are known for deep dish, don't overlook the thin-crust Midwestern pies. We chose it because we didn't have 45 minutes to wait for the deep dish, and we were glad! Really well-balanced pizza.

Thin crust pizza at Pizzeria Due, Chicago

6. SkyKing Pizza - Kingston TN. We found this wonderful hipster Neapolitan place serendipitously, because it was near to our stop for the night when driving from Pennsylvania to our new Texas home. This pie was legit on all counts - terrific fresh mozzarella, delectable Neapolitan crust, crisped and curled pepperoni, and harmony of textures and flavors. 

5. Cane Rosso - Austin TX. Austin, already blessed with superb pizzerias like Via 313 and Salvation Pizza, now has an outpost of this Dallas mini-chain for Neapolitan pizza, and the pies are flawless. A picture here is indeed worth 1,001 words:

4. The Bakehouse at Chelsea - Norfolk VA. Although Norfolk is known as a military base town, it still has its hipster destinations. The Bakehouse churns out some great breads, and personal Neapolitan pizzas that you can take to the adjacent taproom to enjoy with a draft beer. My top East Coast pie of 2019.

3. Sorellina Pizzeria - Spicewood TX. Not only am I within a reasonable distance from the great pizzas of downtown Austin,but I am 10 minutes from Spicewood, known best for being home to Willie Nelson, iconic roadhouses like Poodies, and BBQ joints like Opie's. Imagine my delight when I was tipped off to world class Neapolitan-hybrid pizza here, too. Sorellina is little sister to Apis, a Top-Ten Austin area restaurant, and it sports a hip casual atmosphere, a short list of good craft beers, incredible appetizers, and this impeccable pizza.

2. Paladar 511 - New Orleans LA. Why would you eat pizza when you're in a town famous for so many great dishes like etouffe, crawfish, muffaletta, gumbo, jambalaya, po-boy sandwiches, and oysters? First, because NOLA is like Italy in that it's hard to get a bad meal anywhere. Second, because NOLA is like Italy, it has great pizza. Paladar 511 has both the hippest vibe and astonishingly delicious Neapolitan hybrid pies - it's a must-visit in New Orleans.

1. Salvatore's Tomato Pies - Madison WI. If you're going to travel to Virginia for a New Haven pizza, why not go to Wisconsin for a Trenton tomato pie? Salvatore's has been on my radar for a decade and I finally got there; it did not disappoint. A funky downtown bar and real Jersey tomato pies coming out the kitchen warmed three Northeastern visitors on a frigid night in Madison. It was pretty easy to give Top Pizza of 2019 to Salvatore's.