The best pizza isn’t always found under neon lights or in famous chains—it’s tucked away in unassuming corners where locals know the real magic happens. These are the spots where the crust is crisp, the cheese is bubbling, and the flavors taste like someone’s been making them the same way for decades.
From tiny family-run kitchens to neighborhood favorites with worn-out booths, these hidden gems prove that great pizza doesn’t need a big sign to stand out. Hungry yet? These 17 spots are worth the detour.
1. Sally’s Apizza – New Haven, Connecticut
Coal-fired magic happens daily at this New Haven institution since 1938. The charred, paper-thin crust might ruin you for all other pizzas forever. Expect no frills, long waits, and possibly the best tomato pie of your life.
Inside the worn, wood-paneled walls, generations of pizza makers have maintained the exact same techniques for over 80 years. Cash only, no reservations, and absolutely worth it. Fun fact: Frank Sinatra used to have Sally’s pizzas flown to him when he performed in Vegas!
2. Di Fara Pizza – Brooklyn, New York
Worth every minute of the infamous two-hour wait. Dom DeMarco, well into his 80s, still handcrafts each pizza himself, snipping fresh basil with scissors over bubbling cheese. The cramped corner shop hasn’t changed since the 1960s—linoleum floors, fluorescent lights, and pizza that will haunt your dreams.
Three different cheeses, imported Italian tomatoes, and olive oil drizzled like liquid gold. No shortcuts, no compromises. Locals whisper that Dom refuses to retire because he believes no one else can make his pizza correctly.
3. Santarpio’s Pizza – East Boston, Massachusetts
Gruff service comes standard at this 1903 boxing-bar-turned-pizzeria. Don’t ask for fancy toppings or you’ll get the evil eye from multi-generation staff who’ve perfected their craft over decades.
The jukebox hasn’t been updated since the 70s, and that’s exactly how regulars like it. Their cheese pizza needs nothing else—tangy sauce under a blanket of perfectly browned cheese on a crust with that mythical balance of chew and crunch.
4. Buddy’s Pizza – Detroit, Michigan
Square pizza perfection since 1946! The birthplace of Detroit-style pizza started as a speakeasy before transforming into pizza royalty. Blue-collar workers and auto executives sit side by side at the original Conant Street location.
Caramelized cheese forms a glorious crust along the edges of these rectangular pies, while the sauce goes ON TOP of the cheese. First-timers often gasp at this reversal, then immediately convert to true believers.
5. Pizzeria Bianco – Phoenix, Arizona
Holy grail for pizza pilgrims! Chef Chris Bianco won a James Beard Award while working from this tiny brick building in downtown Phoenix. The Rosa—red onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary, and Arizona pistachios—should be illegal for how good it tastes.
Wood-fired to perfection in a space that seats maybe 30 people on a good day. Bianco’s obsession with ingredients means he grows his own basil and sources tomatoes like they’re precious gems.
6. Pequod’s Pizza – Chicago, Illinois
Forget tourist-trap deep dish downtown. Chicagoans make pilgrimages to this Lincoln Park institution for the caramelized cheese crust that forms a blackened halo around each pan pizza. The neighborhood tavern vibe—complete with neon beer signs and Bears games on TV—hides culinary genius.
Two inches thick but somehow never heavy, these pies inspire fierce loyalty and heated debates. The sausage comes from a butcher shop two blocks away that’s been making it the same way for 70 years.
7. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana – New Haven, Connecticut
Pizza historians bow before the altar of Frank Pepe’s white clam pie. No sauce, no mozzarella—just freshly shucked littleneck clams, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and grated cheese on a coal-fired crust that’s somehow both chewy and crisp.
The original location still has the same brick oven from 1925. Dining room tables have hosted generations of families who follow the same ritual: join the line, order at the counter, pray they don’t run out of clams.
8. Prince Street Pizza – New York, New York
Sidewalk slice-eaters block the narrow SoHo street outside this tiny storefront. The Spicy Spring square slice—with those tiny, gloriously greasy pepperoni cups that crisp and curl at the edges—has launched a thousand Instagram posts but existed long before social media.
The sauce has a secret sweetness that balances the spice. Dough rises for 48 hours before meeting its destiny in decades-old ovens. Counter service only, cash preferred.
9. Apizza Scholls – Portland, Oregon
Pizza fascism never tasted so good! Owner Brian Spangler enforces strict rules: no more than three toppings (they compromise the integrity of the crust), no substitutions, no half-and-half pies. The reward? Transcendent pizza with a crust that defies physics—somehow both substantial and airy.
They make exactly enough dough daily, then close when it’s gone. The bacon bianca with caramelized onions causes spontaneous moaning at tables.
10. Louie & Ernie’s Pizza – Bronx, New York
Hidden in a residential Bronx neighborhood, this former house serves what pizza insiders call the perfect New York slice. Zero atmosphere, zero pretension—just pizza that makes lifelong New Yorkers go silent with respect when they bite in.
The sausage comes from an Italian butcher shop down the street and contains fennel seeds that pop between your teeth. Cheese stretches for days when you pull a slice away. Neighborhood kids grow up, move away, then drive hours just to taste this pizza again.
11. Star Tavern – Orange, New Jersey
Bar pizza elevated to art form! This neighborhood tavern has been slinging impossibly thin-crust pies since 1945, perfecting the “bar pizza” style that New Jersey natives defend with religious fervor.
The crust—thinner than a potato chip at the center, with a crispy-chewy edge—defies structural engineering principles. Families crowd into wooden booths while regulars hold court at the horseshoe bar. Every pizza comes on a metal tray, cheese bubbling right to the edge with no discernible crust border.
12. Galleria Umberto – Boston, Massachusetts
$1.85 for a slice of Sicilian heaven in Boston’s North End. Open only for lunch, only until they sell out (usually by 2pm), and only if you’re willing to join the line that forms before they unlock the doors. Cash only, obviously.
The menu consists of exactly one pizza: thick Sicilian squares with a focaccia-like base, tangy sauce, and just enough cheese. The same family has been making it the same way since 1965.
13. Vito & Nick’s – Chicago, Illinois
Thin crust rebellion in deep dish territory! This South Side Chicago institution has remained unchanged since 1946—from the wood paneling to the cash-only policy to the tavern-cut square pieces that locals defend as Chicago’s true pizza style.
Sausage covers every inch of their signature pie, with fennel-heavy meat made in-house daily. The crust snaps when you bite it, yet somehow holds the substantial toppings. Guy Fieri featured it on his show, but regulars still outnumber tourists ten-to-one.
14. Moose’s Tooth Pub – Anchorage, Alaska
Reindeer sausage pizza in the Last Frontier! This log cabin brewpub serves Alaska’s definitive pizza experience with toppings you won’t find anywhere else. Arctic sourdough crust provides the perfect base for combinations like the “Avalanche”—reindeer sausage, bacon, red peppers, and cream cheese.
During winter months, customers arrive on cross-country skis and park them outside. Summer brings 20-hour daylight and lines out the door until midnight. They brew their own beer specifically designed to pair with pizza in a climate where temperatures can hit -20°F.
15. Scarr’s Pizza – New York, New York
Hipster time machine with substance! This Lower East Side spot looks straight out of 1982—wood paneling, orange booths, vintage Pepsi logo—but the pizza science happening behind the counter is thoroughly modern.
Owner Scarr Pimentel mills his own flour daily for dough that’s digestible even for the gluten-sensitive. The plain slice needs nothing else—a textbook example of the perfect New York pizza.
16. Mama’s Too – New York, New York
Square slice revolution on the Upper West Side! This tiny storefront with just a few stools has pizza nerds making cross-country pilgrimages. The crust—a sourdough hybrid with 48-hour fermentation—creates honeycombed air pockets that shatter then melt in your mouth.
Owner Frank Tuttolomondo combines his Sicilian grandmother’s techniques with modern bread-baking science. The pepperoni square achieves the perfect cup-and-char, creating little pools of spicy oil.
17. Emmy Squared – Nashville, Tennessee
Detroit-style pizza crashlands in Music City! This Brooklyn transplant brought rectangular, pan-baked glory to Nashville and spawned a national obsession. The “Colony²” with pickled jalapeños, honey, and cup-and-char pepperoni creates flavor fireworks that have musicians writing songs about pizza.
The crust edge—called “frico” by pizza geeks—forms a caramelized cheese crown that shatters between your teeth. Ranch dressing comes with everything because, well, Nashville.