Each January, Pizza Quixote brings a summary recap of the best pizzas we found the prior year. These are slices and pizzerias that are *New To Us* - not a list of the best pizzas ever (though indeed some qualify). We're a few days late, but in covering pizzas from far-flung places around the globe (Buffalo, Hong Kong, Austin, Trenton NJ, and your grocer's freezer), we hope it was worth the wait.
Here's the countdown, beginning with two Honorable Mentions. My goodness, frozen pizza has come a long way from Ellio's! The standard measuring stick for any frozen pizza or even a Mom'n'Pop pizza shop is DiGiorno's Rising Crust Pizza. Most pizzas (including some popular frozen pies and even the giant chains (Ahem, Papa John) are not better than DiGiorno. But here's two that are, by a lot.
HONORABLE MENTION Urban Pie "Pinzza" Roman Style Pizza (frozen).
I was turned on to the "Pinza/Pinsa/Pinzza" style by the wonderful refrigerator case take-and-bake rectangular pizzas sold at Costco - check out the full review here. Bottom line for both this frozen pizza and the Costco pie - the crust is a game changer.
We noted that "the pinsa crust on this pizza is very very good - almost great. Crispy, chewy, yet light and airy, and very tasty. The sauce and cheese were good quality, and served as role players here, melding nicely while letting the crust do the heavy lifting. The pepperoni added an important umami boost; would have liked the slices to be a little thicker. Overall, one of the best frozen pizzas you can get. $14 is cheap for a pizzeria pizza, but expensive for a smallish frozen pizza; still, I'd buy again."
HONORABLE MENTION Table 87 Coal Oven Pizza Slice (frozen).
Would you buy a frozen single slice of pizza? Would you pay $6 for it? I did! This Neapolitan hybrid truly delivered a lot of the quality of a fresh slice from a quality pizzeria.
The review states that "Even though the flavors were good and in harmony, it lacked punch. Of course any cured meat topping would fix that; I made it a LOT better by adding a little salt. Despite some room for improvement, this is as good as frozen pizza gets. We've come a long way on the journey to "great pizza not from a pizzeria" with frozen pie this good."
6. DeSano Pizzeria Napoletana, Austin TX
The Pizza Renaissance was started (my opinion) by Chris Bianco at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, who put Neapolitan pizza on the map in America. Was he the first? The best? Maybe to both, but surely the one to take it from a quirk to a phenomenon. I had great enthusiasm about Neapolitan pizza 15 years ago, but it has become so ubiquitous that many now seem ordinary. DeSano, adhering strictly to the guidelines of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), stands out.
We noted that "The crust was textbook Neapolitan, expertly rendered. It was thin and soft with a cornicione that was both dense and puffy. It had the signature leopard spotting on the edges and underneath ... a particularly well made pie with superior ingredients. If Neapolitan is your jam, DeSano is about as good as it gets."
5. Alice Pizza - Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China
Serendipity led us to finding this outpost of an Italian chain in Hong Kong. I had experienced Alice Pizza at its first US location in Philadelphia (review here), and absolutely loved it. When we stumbled on this one in Hong King, it was a must-try.
It was more of a corner shop than a full sit-down restaurant as we had experienced in Philly. In our tasting notes, we recorded "Just as we had experienced at the Alice Cucina Romana in Philadelphia, the medium-thick crust was impeccable, with a wonderful texture (light inside, crisp outside) and a delicious flavor. I suspect that you can't make a bad choice here. The Carbonara slice was bursting with flavor, and of course how can you go wrong with egg and bacon? The Diavola was only mildly spicy, but the soppressata-like cured meat was bringing the umami. Both slices were ideally balanced - the crust was fully capable of supporting the payload of toppings, with no sag or soggy spots."
4. Jay's Artisan Pizza - Buffalo, NY
On my first-ever visit to Buffalo, I was keen to try "Buffalo Style" pizza but I was drawn to the great buzz around Jay's, which offers both Neapolitan and Detroit styles. Jay’s is currently ranked as the sixth best pizza in America, according to the Italian website 50 Top Pizza. Our party of four ordered one Detroit pie and two Neapolitans.
In our review, we said that "the Detroit-style pizza was nothing short of spectacular. The crust was a masterclass in contrast: airy and light inside, yet crunchy and fried on the bottom, with that signature frico edge that crackles like a potato chip. This is the kind of pizza that makes you forget you’re in Buffalo and start Googling flights to Motor City. I didn't find any flaws, and it stands with the best Detroit pies I've had anywhere."
Jay's Neapolitan didn't reach the same level, as we recorded "The Neapolitan pies are clearly made with care. The crust had that ideal puffy cornicione, charred just enough, with a soft, elastic chew. But the Margherita ($17) was a letdown. The sauce was underseasoned and timid, lacking the punch you expect from San Marzano tomatoes. The mozzarella, too, was bland and forgettable, more texture than taste."
Make no mistake, it was a quality Neapolitan, but the Detroiter was the clear star. Read the full review here.
3. Riccardo's Pizza and Italian Restaurant - Browns Mills, NJ
Having lived in or near South Jersey for most of my life, I knew that there wasn't much noteworthy pizza south of Trenton (notable early exceptions: Holy Tomato Pie in Blackwood and Bricco in Westmont). Therefore, I was astonished by the chatter on the Facebook group "Jersey Pizza Joints" around several new places making great Trenton-style tomato pie in unthinkable places - Lillo's and Mateo's (both in Hainesport) and Riccardo's, way out in Browns Mills, which grew as a bedroom community for military families tied to Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base (now combined and known as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst).
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| Riccardo's Browns Mills Tomato Pie |
On a trip back to central Jersey (home base was Ewing), I got the opportunity to finally try some. Much regret that I didn't get to Lillo's or Mateo's, but our group of four made the trek out to Browns Mills. Riccardo's has a huge menu beyond the pizza, and even offers Trenton tomato pie, Detroit style, Sicilian style, Grandma pizza, conventional (NY) pizza, and the "Skinny Minnie Thinnie."
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| The Skinny Minnie Thinnie |
We wanted ALL of them, but settled on one "Browns Mills Tomato Pie" and one Skinny Minnie Thinnie because both were getting the most buzz online. We noted that the Skinny "was indeed cracker-thin, but its crust was sturdy enough to give proper support to its substantial cheese payload on top. 'Skinny' may decribe the thickness of this pan baked delight, but it surely cannot refer to the calories, because this pie was dense with cheese and the lovely oil from cup-and-char style of pepperoni. Some edges sported a beautifully caramelized cheese border ... don't sleep on this one. It's not a gimmick, despite the name suggesting that it's some kind of diet pizza."
No tip droop on the tomato pie!
The tomato pie? We found a legit competitor to Trenton's best, noting "This pie was hitting all the right notes. The thin-yet-crisp crust with a flavor of its own, the slightly sweet sauce (less chunky than DeLorenzo's), the ideal balance of the sauce-to-cheese-to-crust ratio, and even the lovely fresh basil on top. The pinched sausage was indeed the ideal topping, and it was top quality stuff. This is spectacular tomato pie. All the elements were in perfect harmony. Full legit in every aspect, and it's better than my old standby, Joe's Tomato Pie. This was flawless. Riccardo's deserves every bit of the praise it's getting online."
2. Allday Pizza - Austin, TX
Specialty pizza (Detroit, Neapolitan, Grandma) is all the current rage, so it's a big deal when a more or less conventional New York style pizza stands apart from the crowd. When that happens, it's all about quality ingredients and execution. Doesn't hurt that the pizzamakers behind this Texas pizza joint are from New Jersey and Connecticut.
A large group hit up this wildly popular place at opening time (noon) and there was a line out the door before we finished lunch. We soon understood why. Allday is mostly a slice joint, so we chose a variety of slices equivalent to two full pies. Every damn bite was delicious, but some different topping combos really stood out.
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| Perfect undercarriage |
Our tasting notes said "This was a perfect and brilliant rendition of a New York style crust. It had a crisped yet airy big cornicione that appealed to both the eye and the palate. The main body of the crust was thin and crispy, but pliable in that classic New York way. The 'Pep & Pepp' slice featured that idyllic crust topped with a fresh tasting sauce, a generous but proportionate amount of mozzarella, and some top-line cup-and-char style pepperoni. Scattered on top was a sprinking of minced pepperoncini, adding a salty/spicy/vinegary note. This was one of the more conventional slices we tried and it was terrific. The 'slice I never would have chosen but blew me away' was the 'Vodka Baby'. The sauce was so good that I didn't notice the mozzarella (apparently under the sauce). Until now, the best New York pizza in Austin has been Home Slice, the venerable slice joint on South Congress Avenue. But Allday is Great Pizza, not only in the conversation for 'best New York pizza in Austin' but also 'Best Pizza in Austin'."
1. JoJo's Tavern, Hamilton (Trenton) NJ
I lived in or near Trenton for more than 25 years, with fabulous exposure to the great tomato pies and pizzas as well as the sorely-missed Italian restaurants of the Chambersburg section. The biggest mistake I made during those years was my over-attachment to DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies. No question that they were the best for their entire run on Hudson Street (and still top shelf at their Robbinsville and Yardley locations today), but I somehow:
- Never went to Papa's Tomato Pies until about a year before they moved to Robbinsville;
- Went to Joe's Tomato Pies only when the phone was off the hook at DeLorenzo's due to too many orders 3 minutes after opening;
- Had beer and pizza once at JoJo's after a softball game and never returned!
Finally I had the chance to fix that last one on my 2025 visit to Mercer County. JoJo's is one of those places where the spirit really counts. You wanna know Trenton? This is it. I noted that "The overall vibe of JoJo's was much more upscale than my hazy memory of the early 80s' version. But man oh man, the crowd defined 'Trenton/Hamilton' as well as possible. It's hard for me to articulate what makes the Trenton environs unique beyond the ability of locals to pronounce 'Trenton' as one syllable, but this places feels just like Trenton always did to me decades ago."
Beyond a delectable side of escarole and beans (brought back memories of Chambersburg), we got busy with the pizza. (Key point: yeah this is Trenton area, but this is a pizza, not a tomato pie). We chose a large pie ($17) and added sausage (pinched raw onto the pie before baking, the ONLY proper way) for $3 more.
Our review said "The crust was lovely - crispy and crunchy, very thin but perfectly sturdy. The sauce had the iconic Jersey flavor. It's true that top notch Jersey pizza tastes different than pizza in other places, even many Philly and NYC pizzerias. That signature sauce mingled with the generous amount of conventional mozzarella and some damn fine sausage. Almost (almost!) too much cheese, but it had a wonderful flavor. Again, a flavor you don't find in many places outside Jersey. This pie was nearly perfectly balanced, and the sausage delivered the umami bang that brought it all home. No pizza outside the Philly-NJ-NYC corridor has this flavor. It's not a tomato pie, but it's sooooo Trenton."
Technically, this was a "re-discovery" because I had JoJo's pizza 40 years ago, but that was long before I really understood much about pizza.
BONUS CONTENT! DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies VS Papa's Tomato Pies
Despite the rise of upstarts like Riccardo's, Lillo's, and Mateo's, my Jersey trip afforded me the chance to eat tomato pie at these two legendary pie slingers. We did it On The Same Day, back to back, for the fairest comparison. Could DeLo hang on to the lead it has held in my heart for 40+ years?
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