An update and a farewell

May 5th, 2022

It’s been a while since we have been back on here, and I think that means that our quest has naturally come to its end. Will we still be eating the best pizza we can find? Of course. But will we be traveling out of our way for it? Not for a while.

The pandemic has certainly taken its toll on traveling for fun, and having two little ones running around has only made this more difficult. We aren’t spending as much time in NYC right now, with our days working from home, although we are still following the new pizza places that are popping up and keep a running list of ones we’d like to get to soon.

The last few months we have been eating some pizza, just not a lot of it. We are trying to teach the boys about good pizza and pizza-making at home with our Ooni. Lucas loves to eat dough. James likes the process of making the pizza much more than he likes to eat it.

Although, everyone loves a good cheese pull. This was on a trip into the Bronx for Lucas’s first slice!

We’ve been bringing the boys to our favorite pizza spots. Pepe’s has still been a staple, although always incredibly out of the way. Arturo’s in Maplewood is our local spot for park picnics. We still haven’t felt like we can bring them in a restaurant, so we’ve had a lot of car picnics during the last two years.

I love the way that the boys eat pizza – face first. At least they don’t fold it.

We may pick up our quest again when the boys get bigger. I imagine that it will be a fun way to make our way around the country and visit some new cities as they get older and traveling gets a bit more normal. We have had some amazing experiences running this blog, and have met some amazing people. We’ve eaten so many good pizzas that we vividly remember, and run many miles in preparation for all of our pizza eating. We’re looking forward to still exploring, but at the slower pace we’ve settled into during the last two years of babies and pandemics.

The quality of the 101 best pizza list from 2015-2018 was really high, but this has also taken a hit during the pandemic. We appreciate the efforts to add businesses run by minorities and women to the list, because these places deserve to be highlighted, but this has also meant that some of the best pizza in the country has been left off the list in recent years. Overall, we just have less faith in the list itself.

While the blog is finished, our Instagram will still be live. We’re happy to discuss recommendations and hear about your new favorite pizza on that platform. We’ll post when we go somewhere that’s good, but this won’t be as often as pre-pandemic. James and Lucas will probably still make appearances.

Thank you for following our journey. It’s been a lot of fun.

-Barb & Eric

#93 Jay’s Artisan Pizza

June 17th, 2021

Kenmore, NY

Our last stop on this road trip was one of the best. Jay’s is just north of Buffalo, NY, in Kenmore. It was a bit out of the way coming back from Detroit, but it was well worth the extra miles in the car. Jay’s made the 101 list in 2018. We’ve been drooling over the instagram pics since then, figuring out when we could find the time to make the long drive back up to Buffalo.

Jay’s Neapolitan pies use a wild yeast sourdough starter with an extended fermentation and use a lot of local ingredients. We ordered a margherita (our standard) and also one of the ‘Nduja with chili oil, which is one of their most popular pies. They are open until the dough sells out for indoor seating, but since we had driven so far for this pizza, we were certainly not going to risk not getting one and ordered online in advance.

This was one of our favorite pizzas from the trip. You know it’s a good pizza when you’ve already had 12 pizzas over the week and you still want to finish the whole pie. The crust on these was incredibly fluffy and chewy. Toppings were excellent.

At some point they also started introducing square Detroit-style pies. Having just come from Detroit, we decided to pass on those. They have some very unique flavor combinations, including cheeseburger-inspired square pie and one with jalapeños, pickled onions, and poblano cream. We wish Buffalo wasn’t such a long drive from NJ. We want to try them all!

And that was the end of our second pizza road trip. We drove partway home, staying overnight in the middle of PA, and picked up the boys in the morning. They had a great time with their grandparents for the week and we were so happy to see them. We also had plenty of leftover pizza to eat in the car on the drive back.

To visit:

2872 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, New York 14217

#35 Supino Pizzeria and #90 Cloverleaf

June 17th, 2021

Detroit, MI

From Chicago, we headed up towards Detroit, for two new additions to the list since our original road trip back in 2016. Our first stop was Supino pizzeria, which was a new addition to the 2020 list. This is one of the few new additions that we actually felt like deserved a place on the list. It’s the only Detroit pizza from the list that’s not actually Detroit-style. They call it New York-style, but it’s not quite that either.

We went with the four cheese here: smoked Gouda, chèvre, feta, and mozzarella, on a thin crust. Weirdly, the pizza was also topped with parsley, not basil? We’re still a little confused about that one. That being said, this was good, but not sure if it should have been ranked as high as #35.

The location is really fun too – in the Eastern Market. Apparently, a second location opened up recently. They were open very early, which we needed because we had a lot of miles to cover, and two other pizza places to get to before the end of the day.

We had one more stop in Detroit, at Cloverleaf. This was only ranked at #90, after the famous Detroit-style places Buddy’s and Loui’s. It was started by the original founder of Buddy’s, Gus Guerra, when he sold the original Buddy’s bar. The word is that he carried over the recipe.

Cloverleaf has one original location and a few franchises. Since this was our second pizza for lunch, and we still had plans to eat pizza for dinner, we only got a small cheese. If it really is the same recipe carried over from Buddy’s, it certainly didn’t taste the same. We’d stop at Buddy’s (or Loui’s) again over Cloverleaf every time. Although, there are plenty of people who would say the opposite, and who think that Gus made improvements to the recipe when he moved to Cloverleaf.

And then we only had one more stop…

To visit:

Supino: 2457 Russell St, Detroit, MI 48207

Cloverleaf: 24443 Gratiot Avenue, Eastpointe, MI 48021

#55 Vito and Nick’s

June 16th, 2021

Chicago, IL

We had one more stop in Chicago on our way out of town. It wasn’t deep dish (to our relief) but the ultra-thin crust pizza from Vito & Nicks. We were planning on going to the White Sox game that afternoon, so we got this as an early lunch as soon as they opened.

Vito & Nicks appeared on the 101 list around 2016, also just after our last trip to Chicago, and has hovered right around #50 on the lists since then. The restaurant is very old-school and has been serving food since around 1920, but not serving pizza until about 10 years later. They are known for their crust, which is cracker-thin and crunchy.

We’ve tried a few of these “tavern-style” pizzas by now, and believe they have a time and place. They are definitely not the best looking pizzas, especially for Instagram. The sausage was good. The small square slices are easy to eat. This ultra-thin crust is certainly a bit lighter than regular pizza, so it doesn’t fill you up as much. To us, though, the crust is usually one of the best parts of a pizza, and we miss that with a tavern-style pie.

Vito & Nick’s is a Chicago staple, too, so if you’re tired of deep dish, you should definitely check it out. You could consider this the original Chicago pizza, since it predates the earliest deep dish establishment by about 10 years.

To visit:

8433 S Pulaski Rd

Chicago, IL 60652

#27 Burt’s Place

June 15th, 2021

Morton Grove, IL

We were pretty full of deep dish pizza at this point in our Chicago trip, but we still had one more stop to go. Burt’s Place made the list originally in 2017 at #93, but then it jumped up to #27. We read that the founder of Burt’s Place was actually the original owner of Pequod’s. And Pequod’s was our favorite deep dish on our last trip to Chicago. We had high expectations, which is why we saved it for last. Well, also because it was a half hour drive north of the city and we couldn’t just bike there.

It’s possible that Burt’s Place wasn’t on the list in 2015 when we were last in Chicago because it was actually closed. Burt passed away, and the restaurant was revamped. It was re-opened in 2017 with a new kitchen, and you didn’t need to order your pizza 48 hours in advance any more. There’s only one style of pizza here, the pan deep dish, and we ordered it with peppers and onions.

Morton Grove is a little out of the way from Chicago, but totally worth it. We had the sweetest waitress, Carol, and sat outside on the patio with our wine and pizza. It wasn’t crowded at all when we went for an early dinner, although we’d imagine that it gets pretty busy in non-Covid times.

This rivals Pequod’s as our favorite deep dish in Chicago. It makes sense, since the two pizza places are related. It had the same crunchy, cheesy crust. Still heavy on the cheese, as a deep dish should be, but also had plenty of toppings and sauce and it somehow tasted lighter. It would be interesting to go back and taste test them back-to-back. I think that Burt’s Place may just edge out Pequod’s, but this could be because it’s fresher in our minds. Also, we ate this on a nice sunny day, sitting outside, and we ate Pequod’s after a rainy walk, crunched inside with a lot of other people.

In case you’re wondering, our final rank of Chicago deep dish pizza is as follows:

  1. Burt’s Place
  2. Pequod’s
  3. Lou Malnati’s
  4. Giordano’s
  5. Pizzeria Uno
  6. Pizano’s
  7. Gino’s East

(Although Eric may possibly switch Lou Malnati’s and Pizzeria Uno)

To visit:

8541 Ferris Ave

Morton Grove, IL 60053

#43 Giordanos and #54 Pizanos

June 14th, 2021

Chicago, IL

We walked around a lot to work up an appetite for two deep dish pizzas after our stop at Bonci. We knew from our first trip to Chicago that deep dish can take a really long time to cook, so when we got to Giordano’s we were prepared. We went with a plain cheese with spinach, and sat down to wait 45 minutes.

We’ve now had a decent amount of deep dish in Chicago (Pequod’s, Lou Malnati’s, Pizzeria Uno, Gino’s East) but two of the most famous deep dish pizzas in the city were left off the list in 2015, and only made it on to later lists. Every time we talked to someone about deep dish pizza they asked if we had been to Giordano’s, and we had to admit that we hadn’t. Giordano’s pioneered the stuffed pizza in the US when two brothers brought their mom’s Easter pie back from Torino, Italy, and started making it in 1974. (Note: there is some debate about this since the story here is very similar to the story of Nancy’s Pizza, also which started making stuffed pizza in the same year.) Stuffed pizza is deep dish with an extra crust on top – and we did not try it.

So, the verdict: for deep dish, this was good. Was it as good as Pequod’s? No. But it was solid. The crust is crunchy, not like a pizza crust. It was HEAVY with cheese. The sauce was good.

We went to the original location, but it should be noted that there are now a number of locations around Chicago, and around the US. You can also ship it.

The second deep dish (and third pizzeria) of the day was Pizano’s. We got this one to go, since it was also going to be a long wait and we wanted to walk around Millennium Park.

We went with a small 10″ cheese here, having still some leftovers from Giordano’s. Pizano’s came on to the 2016 list at #54, but made it as high as #50 in 2018. You can probably see that the two crusts are noticeably different. This crust was softer and a bit more oily. The crust was heavier, which made the whole pizza heavier to eat. The sauce was also noticeably different and was chunkier and sweeter.

Pizano’s was opened in 1991 by the son of Rudy Malnati, Sr., who opened Pizzeria Uno. Apparently, Oprah also loves their thin crust, so we’ll have to try that the next time.

It was difficult to eat deep dish pizza while walking, but Eric managed to do it. I took a bite or two and decided I was full.

To taste:

Giordano’s730 N Rush Street, Chicago, IL   60611

Pizano’s: 61 E Madison St. Chicago, IL 60603

#63 Bonci

June 14, 2021

Chicago, IL

Our second stop in Chicago was Bonci. Yes, the same Bonci that we went to in Rome right before the pandemic in 2019. The pizza is the same al Taglio style, but there were no crazy lines here like there were in Rome for lunch!

Bonci came to Chicago back in 2017, and made the list in 2018, reappearing in both 2019 and 2020.

There were a lot of similar pizzas that we remembered from our last trip to Bonci, but not as many pies to choose from at the counter. We ordered a slice of the mushroom, arugula and sun-dried tomato, and roasted pepper. These pizzas were also cut with scissors and weighed, just as they are in Rome. They tasted the same, too! We only missed the chaos a little bit.

The crust of these rectangular pies is so different from a heavy square (Sicilian) slice that we’re used to. It’s light and fluffy from the heirloom flour left to rise for 2 or 3 days. The toppings are so fresh, you feel like you’re back in Italy. I’m actually surprised that there wasn’t more of a line here for lunch, but it could have been because we were technically still in the middle of the pandemic.

It is interesting that Bonci took his first pizzeria outside of Italy to Chicago. I think it is a smart choice not being in NYC or LA, which is where everyone seems to go, and there is more competition. Chicago is one of the biggest pizza cities in the US, and not everyone likes deep dish. It looks like they have rights to expand around the US, as well as other countries. Personally, I wish they’d come to NYC, because then I could try more of his 1500 invented pizzas!

To visit:

161 N. Sangamon St.

Chicago, IL

#26 Spacca Napoli

June 13th, 2021

Chicago, IL

After staying the night somewhere on the border of Indiana and Illinois (and weirdly, on the border of two time zones, which made it quite confusing in the morning when deciding when to leave) we packed up the old Prius and drove into Chicago. Our first stop was for some good, classic, Neapolitan pizza, which was really needed after the “unique” pizza we found in Indiana.

Spacca Napoli made one of the early lists, appearing in 2017, and it has been on our radar for a while. This was of course after our original trip to Chicago and we hadn’t had a chance to go back. In 2017, it ranked in at #26, but then disappeared from all subsequent lists and hasn’t been on one since. It’s rare for a pizzeria to rank so high and then just vanish without a good reason.

We were so excited to get out of the car and walk around, enjoying the beautiful Chicago weather. The location is really nice – right in Ravenswood, for anyone familiar with Chicago. We sat outdoors here. This is true Neapolitan pizza, baked in an authentic oven built by artisans originating from Naples.

We were visiting our friend Andy, so the three of us split a Margherita, Bufalaina, and Diavola. It was pretty classic Neapolitan style, not too watery in the center, with a chewy dough. It probably ranks up there with the best classic Neapolitan pizzas we’ve had, and we can see how it made the list. We’d come back here again the next time we’re in Chicago.

Also, fun fact: Spacca Napoli means “Naples splitter” and is the name of the road that runs down the historic section of the city.

To visit:

1769 W Sunnyside Ave.

Chicago, Illinois, 60640

#53 The Missing Brick

June 12th, 2021

Indianapolis, IN

After stopping for lunch in Bloomington, we drove up to Indianapolis to try another new pizzeria on the list, The Missing Brick. This place was a totally different vibe than what we are used to. The website states “Our pizzas reflect popular flavorful dishes such as lasagna, seafood boils, and barbeque ribs that the urban community can relate to.” This is their own, ‘Indy-style’, pizza, and we’ve never seen anything like it in all of our travels.

We’re pretty much traditionalists when it comes to pizza, although we do like a unique flavor combination. We didn’t really know what to expect here. We ended up ordering the Woodstock, which was a brisket pizza with BBQ drizzle. Their seafood pizza (The Trap) gets a lot of reviews, but we just couldn’t do it. We ate out on the deck while being serenaded by the very loud cicadas.

Not only are the pizzas here unusual, but the vibe is incredibly unique as well. The pizzeria is 21+ only, to start, due to the music they play and some of their menu options. However, it seems like all ages are welcome to enjoy the pizza outside on the deck. Also, they are only open from 5-10 on Thursdays through Sundays.

We like the community focus of this pizza place, and the fact that it is woman-owned, even if the pizza was not really our style. There is a lot of interaction with other local businesses for their brisket and seafood, and they have really tried to make their location a welcoming spot with DJ parties and Friday night music. We just wish the crust was a little less dense.

Compared to our first pizza in Indiana, we didn’t like this one as much, but I can’t say we would have put either on the list of the best pizzas in the country.

To visit:

6404 Rucker Rd Suite 105
Indianapolis, IN 46220

#59 Mother Bear’s Pizza

June 12, 2021

Bloomington, IN

The 2020 list had a lot of new additions. Because of the pandemic, it has been pretty hard to travel to any of these new ones. We took advantage of the boys staying at their grandparent’s for a week and decided to do a mini road trip – reminiscent of our original road trip back in 2016. This time, we only made it as far as Chicago, but got to try a lot of the newer pizzerias that have made the list in the years since we started this journey.

Our first stop was Mother Bear’s, in Indiana. Bloomington is not a town we would have visited for any other reason, although it was a nice little college town. The pizza place had a college vibe, too, with wooden tables and walls that have been covered in messages and signatures over the years.

This place has been around since 1973, and it even ended up on People Magazine’s top 9 pizzas in the country in the 80’s.

We tried a large ‘Soul sizzler’ with chicken, mushrooms and sriracha, and a small 6″ veggie, and walked across the street to the university to eat them. We tried not to step on the millions of cicadas underfoot on our brief walk. This almost reminded us of Pizza Hut style – full of cheese with those crispy cheese edges – or kind of like a thinner Detroit style but in a regular round pan. It wasn’t the type of pizza we eat often, and I’m not sure we’d come again to Indiana to have it.

Since this is probably the first pizza we’ve had in Indiana, I can’t say if it really is the best in the state. If we went to college here, I’m sure we would have been fans, and I imagine that it gets pretty busy. Not sure it was list-worthy, but it is nice to see the 101 branching out into some new states.

To visit:

Mother Bear’s Pizza

1428 E 3rd St
Bloomington, IN 47401