We’ve had many great pizzas in Italy, but our favorite has to be Pizza Capricciosa. The ingredients complement each other so perfectly — the saltiness of the olives, the woody taste of the mushrooms, and the tang of the artichokes — that is more complex and satisfying than any other Italian pizza.

The best one we ever had was on the island of Capri. So we thought that maybe the pizza was named for the isle and originated there. But neither is true.

The name roughly translates as “capricious pizza” because it seems like the maker couldn’t decide which pizza toppings to use. Most often, it’s made with artichokes, mushrooms, ham, olives, chopped tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. Sometimes, a raw egg is broken over the pizza before it’s put in the oven or chopped, hard-boiled eggs are added.

All our favorite pizza toppings.

The ingredients are the same for a Quattro Stagione or “four seasons” pizza, but the presentation is different. The pizza is divided into fourths and each quarter has different toppings.

The thing about pizza capricciosa is that there is room for interpretation in the ingredients — but each must be absolutely top quality.

Starting with the base, either pizza sauce or chopped tomatoes can be used, but they really should be San Marzanos. You can use almost any kind of mushrooms — white, creminis, shitakes, morels, or baby bellas. Of course, they’re best if they’re sautéed in a little butter first or you can use mushrooms from a jar that have been packed in oil. Just don’t even think about using canned ones.

Artichokes can be from a jar or can, marinated or not. The ham can be paper-thin prosciutto or diced cooked ham. And the olives can be black, green or mixed.

When we were in southern France this summer, it seemed like every pizza we ordered came with Emmental cheese in addition to mozzarella. And they were absolutely delicious. The best Emmental comes from Switzerland — but don’t tell the French who make a similar cheese called Emmentaler. It’s mellow, nutty flavor really complements the other ingredients. The cave-aged, which have a fruity taste, is the best.

While there are many pizza recipes for capricciosa, the best pizza will be the one that uses the toppings you like best.

Learn about other kinds of Italian pizza here.

We just got back from traveling in the South of France, and as you’d expect, the food was fantastic. One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip was visiting the fantastic food markets. Each town has its own market day, and some have a market every day but Sunday. The Saturday market in the town of Arles is one of the best is the area. And there’s a permanent market in Antibes that’s open every day but Sunday.

The restaurants here serve lots of fresh seafood and other ingredients that you find in the market — vegetables, herbs, and olives. Because the South of France is so close to Italy, there’s also lots of pasta, dishes with tomatoes, and pizza.

There’s a pizza restaurant in just about every small town, and many of them having wood-burning ovens. They don’t make traditional Neapolitan pizza here — the crust is thicker and there are more pizza toppings. But they do create a delicious pie.

We were a little surprised by the pizza toppings, which don’t vary a lot. Nowhere did we see pepperoni, Italian sausage, or the usual pizza meats. Here, as in Spain, it’s all about the ham. Jambon cru, which is like prosciutto, is the most popular choice. Some places, you’ll see specific types of ham, such as Serrano or Iberico ham from Spain.

Proscuitto Pizza

Seafood, especially ancovies, are also popular toppings. But you’ll also see tuna and calamari.

Most places offer both white and red pizzas. White is sauced with crème fraiche, which is absolutely delicious. The white pizzas are best with vegetables like caramelized onion and mushroom.

The French are known for their fabulous cheeses, and here’s where they make their mark. Unlike in American and Italy, mozzarella isn’t the star of the show when it comes to pizza cheeses. Emmental, which is similar to Swiss cheese, and is made in Switzerland, is very popular. Chevre, or goat cheese, is also used a lot, and it’s frequently combined with arugula.

Arles Market

Gruyere, Fontina, Reblochon, Comte, and Roquefort all makes delicious pizzas.

Many of the pizzas we had has a black olive in the center, and virtually all of them had a drizzle of excellent local olive oil. This really brought all the flavors together and improved the overall taste. A carafe of olive oil with chili peppers is served with your pizza. It’s pretty spicy and adds a nice zing.

We found an artisanal olive oil at our local farmers market and we’ve started drizzling it over our pizzas. It wasn’t inexpensive, but it was well worth the money.

The best pizza we had in the South of France was at La Cantina in Saint-Remy-en-Provence. The town itself is quite charming, one of the cutest in the region. And the restaurant was surprisingly quite modern. But the pizzas there were some of the best we’ve ever has, anywhere.

When most people think of Chicago pizza, they think of the deep-dish pies with cheese on the bottom.  But the best pizza restaurants in Chicago make all kind of pizza.  You’ll find organic, designer pies with gourmet pizza toppings, Neapolitan pizzas baked in wood-fired ovens, and square-sliced tavern-style pizzas covered in Italian sausage.

No discussion of Chicago Pizza is complete without mentioning Pizzeria Uno.  The first Chicago-style pie was served here in 1943, and it was an immediate hit.  So much so that they opened Pizzeria Due on the next block.  The dough is made each morning, and the sauce-to-cheese ratio is just right.  They make healthy, flatbread pizzas here too.  You can choose multi-grain crust and top it with roasted eggplant, spinach, and feta.  But why bother?  If you come to Chicago and want to try a Chicago-style pizza, go to Pizzeria Uno, order a deep-dish with “the works” and repent later.

Lou Malnati’s is the other legendary Chicago deep-dish pizza restaurant.  Lou’s dad, Rudy Malnati, was the chef at Pizzeria Uno, and some even credit him with inventing the deep-dish pizza when he worked there in the 1940s.  The first Lou Malnati’s opened in Lincolnwood in 1971.  Today, there are 30 Lou Malnati’s in the greater Chicagoland area.  But if you don’t live in Chicago, no problem.  They ship pizzas on dry ice to anywhere in the United States.   The buttery crust travels pretty well.

Bacino’s specializes in stuffed pizzas, and several of them are pretty healthy.  The owner, Dan Bacin, is committed to uses the freshest ingredients, and everything here is made from scratch.   Spinach, broccoli, and mushroom are popular selections, but plenty of meat toppings are available.  Bacino’s has been the top selling pizza at the Taste of Chicago for the last 30 years.  The wine list is also a cut above.

Bricks Chicago has been serving gourmet, thin-crust pizzas since 1997.  Try a Creole Shrimp Pizza with spicy shrimp, pesto, red peppers, mozzarella, and gouda or a Sweet Heat with chicken breast, bacon, diced jalapeno, smoked gouda, barbecue sauce, and mozzarella.  If you don’t like any of the specialties, you can create your own with interesting pizza toppings like Maytag bleu cheese, pureed artichokes, or banana peppers.  Bricks has a good selection of microbrews on draught and in the bottle.

Fans of Neapolitan pizza should head to Coalfire.  The coal-burning oven here reaches temperatures up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, which produced a crispy, yet chewy crust with a little bit of charring.  In a departure from the Naples way, the pizza is topped with cheese first, and then tomato sauce.  Three topping or fewer are recommended — the crust can’t hold up to more than that.  The white pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, Romano cheese and fresh basil is delicious.    And the Pizza Margherita may be the best in Chicago.  Coalfire used to be BYOB, but they’re now serving beer and wine.

The first certified, organic pizza restaurant in the Midwest, Crust serves inventive flatbread pizzas that are cooked in a wood-burning oven.  Try a cocktail made with one of their vodka infusions.  Start your meal with brussel sprouts with crispy bacon, tapenade, roasted peppers, kalamata olives, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, goat cheese, and flatbread pieces, or a winter beet salad.  Then try a pizza with slow-cooked beef brisket, house-made barbecue sauce and pepper jack cheese, or a Carbonara with bacon, béchamel, caramelized onions, peas, and a sunny-side up egg.

Famous for its stuffed pizzas, Giordano’s has been in business since 1974.  Two brothers from a town near Torino, Italy, named the restaurant after their mother, who made a double-crust pizza that inspired the pies served here.  The flaky, buttery crust is what set Giordano’s apart — that and the prodigious amounts of stringy, mozzarella packed inside it.  For something different, try the shrimp pizza.

One of the other great places in Chicago for Naples-style pizza is Sapore di Napoli.  They import many of their ingredients from Italy, including Molino Caputo 00 flour, Bufala Mozzarella, and Calabria salami.   Although the tomatoes aren’t the traditional San Marzanos from Campania, but Stanislaus from California.  In keeping with Neapolitan tradition, toppings are simple and few.   Try Quattro Formaggi with mozzarella, Italian gorgonzola, fontina, and Parmigiano Reggiano or Patate e Rosmarino with sliced potatoes and rosemary.   Save room for some of their delicious gelato — there are more than a dozen flavors nightly.

The Art of Pizza serves deep-dish, thin-crust, and stuffed pizzas.  They also serve Italian-style subs on yummy bread, ribs, wings, and pasta.  But the deep-dish pies, voted best in the city by the Chicago Tribune, are the big draw.  Try the Southwestern stuffed pizza with barbecue sauce, ground beef, onions, and bacon.  Or the special with sausage, onions, mushrooms, and green pepper.  For dessert, have a creamy, ricotta-filled cannoli.

Members of all the Neapolitan pizza associations, including Associazione Pizzauoli Napoletani and L’Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, Spacca Napoli makes authentic Naples-style pizza in a custom-made, wood-burning oven.  In business since 2006, they import their flour, San Marzano tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil.  There’s an assortment of novel appetizers like new potatoes, tuna, cucumber, and capers or white anchovies over arugula, cherry tomatoes, and olives.  A nice selection of Italian wines, and some lovely desserts.  When the weather’s nice, you can dine outside on the terrace.

Find more great pizza restaurants here.

If you’ve been to gourmet pizza restaurants like Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles or Co. in New York, you’ve probably seen the term “salumi.” But since the word has come into fashion only recently, you may not know exactly what it means.

Salumi is Italian (it’s the plural form of salume), but it’s not a misspelling of salami, although salami is a form of salumi. Confused yet?

Salumi refers to Italian-style cured meats in the same way that “charcuterie,” refers to the French equivalent. And what’s not to like about that?

Most salumi is made from pork. A notable exception is bresaola, which is made from beef. Salumi is usually cured with salt, which kills bacteria, and dehydrates the meat. As the meat is cured, it become firm and the flavor intensifies.

Authentic Italian salumi

Salumi can be smoked (like speck), or unsmoked (like pancetta). Encased (like salami), or not (like lomo). And cooked (like Italian sausage) or eaten raw (like Prosciutto Crudo). It’s often thinly sliced as served as part of an antipasto.

Because it’s cured, most salumi lasts a long time if stored properly. But once it’s sliced, it should be eaten quickly. Otherwise, it dries out. Salami, which is made with ground pork and a variety of seasonings, lasts a little longer because of the added fat — usually from 20 – 25%.

Many Italian pizzas feature some kind of salumi. The most popular are pepperoni and Italian sausage. But many other Italian meats make delicious pizzas too. Coppa, capicola, and sopressata are all great meat pizza toppings.

Salumi from Molinari in San Francisco

Because of the cost of meeting U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, few Italian salumi makers can afford to import their products into the United States. Which is too bad, because they’re really wonderful. What sets them apart is the quality of the pork, which in most cases comes from pigs that were naturally raised on a farm.

Outside Italy, most Italian butchers sell some salumi. And prosciutto and pancetta are available in most groceries. There are several American producers who are making salumi the way they do in Italy. The best known is Salumi Artisan Cured Meats in Seattle, which is owned by Mario Batali’s father, Armandino. You can order their products at www.salumicuredmeats.com

The next time you’re craving a real Italian pizza, try using some of these delicious salumi cured meats as pizza toppings.

Read more about Italian pizza meats here.

Authentic Italian salumi Image Flickr: rfarmer
Salumi from Molinari in San Francisco Image Flickr: biskuit

Nothing makes a pizza more Italian than authentic Italian meats. Since tomatoes and mozzarella are a given, it’s meat pizza toppings like pancetta and proscuitto that can really boost the flavor of an Italian-style pizza.

Not long ago, it wasn’t that easy to find these products. But these days, many grocery stores like Fresh and Easy and Trader Joe’s carry them. So you can make a delicious Italian pizza right at home.
Pancetta, which is often referred to as Italian bacon, is pork belly that has been spiced, salt-cured, and dried for several months. But unlike American bacon, it’s not smoked. In Italy, it’s often rolled and then thinly sliced. In the United States and Britain, it’s often sold diced.

Because pancetta is salty, it’s especially delicious when combined with sweet pizza toppings. Try is with ripe pear or butternut squash.

Prosciutto is uncooked Italian ham. It’s also cured with salt and aged. Some prosciutto has the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) which dictates how it is produced and what ingredients can be used.

The most famous is Prosciutto di Parma. The pigs here are fed whey left over from making Parmigiano-Regianno cheese, which gives the prosciutto a slightly nutty flavor. If you travel around Italy, you’ll notice that each region’s prosciutto has a distinctive taste.

Usually, a pork leg is covered with sea salt and left to cure for a couple of months in a cool place. After that, it’s washed and left to dry. Once it’s dry, it’s hung for up to two years in a well-ventilated place.

Prosciutto pizza

In Italy, it’s called prosciutto crudo or “raw ham” because it’s not cooked. It’s often eaten as an appetizer with melon, breadsticks, asparagus, or fresh mozzarella. Or used in pasta dishes with peas and a cream sauce. Saltimbocca, which is veal topped with prosciutto, sage, and cheese, is one of Rome’s best loved dishes.

Prosciutto is one of the pizza toppings on a Pizza Capricciosa, which also has mushrooms, artichokes, and olives. It’s also excellent with nutty cheeses like Fontina and Gruyere.

Less well known outside Italy, guanciale is unsmoked Italian bacon made from pork jowls or cheeks. To make it, the pork is rinsed in wine, seasoned and left to marinate for over a month. Like prosciutto, it’s left to dry, but unlike prosciutto, it’s meant to be cooked.

Prosciutto

There aren’t many places outside of Rome that sell guanciale, but if you have a good Italian butcher, you can ask. You can also order it online. If you have guanciale, render it in a pan before using it as a pizza topping, and the save the drippings and make something fabulous with them. It’s extremely high in fat, but since even a small amount adds a tremendous amount of flavor, it won’t bust your diet completely.

You can also make your own if have access to pork jowls and are willing to wait three weeks.

Its rich, pork flavor is the cornerstone of dishes like Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Bucatini all’Amatricana, though pancetta is often substituted.

Read more about Italian pizzas here.
And find more pizza meats here.

Pancetta Image Flickr: tsuacctnt
Proscuitto Pizza Image Flickr: stu spivak
Proscuitto Image Flickr: mandydale

Unlike Neapolitans or Chicagoans, New Yorkers embrace all kinds of pizza. From Roman-style pies with a cracker-thin crust to chewy, Sicilian slices, New York’s pizza restaurants serve whatever kind of pizza you want.

They’ve been making pizza here since the turn of the century with hand-tossed dough, light on the sauce. The classic New York pizza is baked in a coal-fired oven, which gives it a slightly smoky flavor.

You should fold your slice and avoid utensils. But however you eat it, it will likely be one of the best pizzas you‘ve ever tasted. Don’t leave the city until you try at least one slice.

Here’s our list of the best pizza restaurants in New York City.

Di Fara Pizza Margherita

Di Fara’s Pizza is worth the trip to Brooklyn. Owner Dominick DeMarco was born outside Naples and he imports many of his ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes, from Campania. He creates each pie by hand, as he has for 50 year now. He makes his own sauce using both canned and ripe tomatoes, and it might be the best in the city. He stretches the dough, adds slices of buffalo mozzarella and other pizza toppings, places it on a paddle and pops it in the oven. When it comes out, he grates on some Grana Padana and Parimigiano-Reggiano cheese, adds some fresh herbs, and drizzles some olive oil on top. Expect a long wait.

Another Brooklyn favorite, Franny’s is run by a married couple who are committed to using locally sourced ingredients, many of which are organic. Sources are listed on the menu. If you’re looking for a California pizza, this is the closest you’ll find in New York. Their crust is thinner and crispier than most, and the pizzas emerge from the wood-fired brick oven lightly charred. But what really sets these pizzas apart are the toppings. The sausages are house cured. The vegetables are seasonal and fresh from the market — if artichokes are available, get them. If you love clams, the little neck clam, chile, and parsley pizza is about as good as it gets. Franny’s also serves a dozen appetizers and a couple of pasta dishes each night.

Grimaldi’s Pizza

Rumor has it that when Frank Sinatra wanted a pizza, Grimaldi’s was his go-to place. The pizzas here are baked old-school style in a coal oven. This results in a thin, crispy crust that’s blistered and charred around the edges, and a distinctive, smoky taste. They make their mozzarella and ricotta on site, roast their own peppers, and simmer their own sauce. Antipasto, salads, and calzones are also available. The Old Fulton Street location has great views of the Brooklyn Bridge, which is nice since there’s usually a long wait.

Formerly of Sullivan Street Bakery, Jim Lahey, owner of Co. (pronounced “company”), takes a hands-off approach to his crust. He barely mixes the dough, and then lets it rise without ever kneading it. Their tag line “Our pies are not always round,” is a statement of fact. Most of the time, they’re amorphous blobs of deliciousness. The light, airy crust is topped with crushed San Marzano tomatoes or béchamel, veal meatballs, caramelized onions, quail eggs, guanciale, or roasted cauliflower. If you don’t want pizza, order a plate of wonderful artisanal cheeses and salumi.

A Staten Island tavern that’s been owned by the same family since 1937, Denino’s Pizzeria is famous for its crust. In fact, their motto is “In crust, we trust.” While most pizzerias use cornmeal to slide the pie on and off the peel, Denino’s uses bread crumbs. After being cooked in a brick oven, the crust is thick and chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. The most popular pizzas here are the MOR (meatball, onion, and ricotta), and the Garbage Pie with sausage, meatballs, pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions.

In business since 1929, John’s is a New York legend. Every serious pizza lover, which is to say every New Yorker, has had a pie from John’s. And most have come back for more. Everyone from Jack Black to Regis Philbin is a fan. Their pizzas are coal-fired with a crisp crust and tasty toppings like fresh garlic, fennel sausage, and ricotta. Calzones, a couple of pastas, a side salad, and meatball subs round out the menu. John’s doesn’t accept credit cards and it doesn’t sell slices, just whole pies.

If you’re looking for an authentic Neapolitan pizza, come to Kesté on Bleeker Street. The owner, Roberto Caporuscio, is the president of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, which means he learned pizza making in Naples and follows the precise guidelines of the organization. The oven is made with mud imported from Campania and it produces a charred, blistered crust with high sides that are lighter than air. The balance of mozzarella to San Marzano tomatoes is perfect. And his Pizza Margherita is the best you’ll find this side of Italy. Although it’s not traditional, the butternut squash puree, smoked mozzarella, and artichoke pizza is sensational.

The first licensed pizzeria in New York, Lombardi’s is the place to try authentic New York-style pizza. They’ve been in business since 1905, and they’re still making pizzas the way they did then — in a coal-fired oven. The pizza toppings here include sliced, homemade meatballs, sautéed spinach, Citterio pancetta, Rosa Grande pepperoni, imported anchovies, wild mushrooms, house-smoked peppers, and San Marzano tomatoes. The white pizza with three cheeses is delicious, and the calzones are excellent.

Find more recommended pizza restaurants.

1) Di Fara’s Pizzeria
2) Franny’s
3) Grimaldi’s Pizza
4) Co.
5) Denino’
6) John’s
7) Keste
8) Lombardi’s Pizza

View Best pizza restaurants in New York in a larger map

Di Fara Pizza Marggherita Image Flickr: SpecialKRB
Grimaldi’s Pizza Image Flickr: brianholsclaw

Serious pizza fans know that the mother of all pizzas is served in Naples. It may not have been invented here, but it certainly was perfected here. And there’s little argument that the best pizza in Naples comes from Da Michele. The real contest is for second place.

Since Da Michele only makes two kinds of pizzas — marinara and margherita — ordering is a snap. The family has been making pizza since 1870, and some of the tables seem to date from then. There’s almost always a line, which has only gotten worse since the publication of Eat, Pray, Love. But most of those who are queued up know their pizza will be worth the wait. Da Michele also serves a baked calzone called a ripiena. They’re closed on Sundays, so plan accordingly.

With a more ambitious menu than most of the pizza restaurants in Naples, Ciro a Mergellina is a great choice when someone wants pizza and someone else doesn’t. It’s located right on the waterfront, and it has the freshest fish in Naples. Have it grilled or deep fried, or served with pasta. Their spaghetti alla vongole is excellent. And their pizzas are really good too. Top off your dinner with their delicious home-made gelato.

Di Matteo Pizza Margherita

Also near the waterfront, Da Ettore is on Santa Lucia Boulevard facing Castel dell’Ovo. The service here is better than at most Naples pizzerias. In fact, the waiters are part of the entertainment. In addition to fantastic pizzas, Da Ettore also serves wonderful calzones, a frito misto with veggies, potato croquettes, and rice balls, fried zucchini blossoms, and fresh seafood.

Not far from the Archaeological Museum, Lombardi a Santa Chiara opened around the turn of the century and today, it’s still owned by the same family. You can dine upstairs or downstairs at the bar. There are plenty of pasta selections to choose from and the vegetable antipasto is very good. But pizza is the real reason to come. You’ll find some interesting pizza toppings here including Lardo (cured pig fat) and smoked provola cheese.

One of the oldest pizza restaurants in Naples, Pizzaria Brandi opened in 1780, and it was here that the Pizza Margherita was born. Italy’s first queen, Margherita di Savoia, tried the pie in 1889 and it was named in her honor. It’s one of the most conveniently located pizzerias, so you can have lunch here and then continue your sightseeing. The décor is charming with wood beams and framed photographs on the walls. And there’s some seating outside. For those craving more than tomatoes and cheese, there’s seafood pizza or rocket and bresaola. If your arteries can handle it, try all Toto, a deep-fried pizza.

Right across the street from Da Michele, Trianon has been serving terrific pizza for years. Recently, reviews have been mixed, so check it our before committing. If there’s no line and no locals, head for Da Michele. If Trianon is packed too, it’s probably back up to par. With 29 different pies on the menu, Trianon offers more variety than other Naples pizza restaurants. And they offer unusual pizza toppings like friarielli — a cousin of broccoli.

In business since 1936, Di Matteo is best known for it’s pizza fritta — deep-fried dough filled with ham, ricotta, mozzarella, provola, and a little pork fat. When President Clinton came to Naples for the G7 summit in 1994, this is where he ate. It’s located on a lovely street in the old part of town. Order some arancini (fried rice balls) or potato croquettes to munch on while you wait for your pizza.

See our list of the best pizza restaurants in Rome here.

1) Da Michele
2) Pizzeria Trianon
3) Ciro a Mergellina
4) Da Ettore
5) Lombardi a Santa Chiara
6) Pizzaria Brandi
7) Di Matteo

View Pizza restaurants in Naples, Italy in a larger map

Di Matteo Pizza Margherita Image Flickr: dawvon

New Yorkers think that best Los Angeles pizza restaurant is an oxymoron. But the truth is, there are great pizza restaurants in Southern California. You just have to know where to look — and be willing to take a road trip. Many of L.A.’s best pizzerias are pretty far afield. But chances are, you’ll find them worth the drive.

A joint venture of Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton, and Joseph Bastianich, Pizzeria Mozza is one of the most popular restaurants in L.A. Thankfully, they take reservations. Without them, you’ll wait 20 minutes or so to eat at the bar. There are plenty of delicious things to eat here other than pizza. The baked artichokes, fried squash blossoms, and salumi are all mouth watering. And Nancy’s chopped salad is a great accompaniment to your pie.

But it’s the pizzas that are the stars here. Baked in a wood-burning over, the crust is surprisingly thick around the edges, but light as air. The individual pies are around Neapolitan size — about 14 inches — and slightly charred. You can opt for something with traditional Italian pizza toppings like fennel sausage and salami, or go for something unconventional like Stracchino cheese, lemon, and artichoke.

Whatever you do, save room for the Butterscotch Budino with sea salt and rosemary/pine nut cookies. This pudding swimming in caramel sauce is one of the most delicious desserts we’ve ever had.

Pizzeria Mozza

There are several pizza restaurants in Venice. Abbot’s Pizza Company makes their crust with bagel dough. You can order yours with onion, garlic, or sesame seeds baked in. The center is thin and crispy and stands up well to all kinds of pizza toppings. Vegetarians will appreciate the ability to choose from four kinds of mushroom and five kinds of onions, including leeks. In addition to tomato sauce, you can also get alfredo, olive pesto, and garlic pesto sauce.

Ed Ladou has been making pizzas for a long time. Years ago, he was the pizza maker for Wolfgang Puck’s innovative Spago. After that, he helped create the concept and the menu at California Pizza Kitchen. He’s even credited with inventing the barbecued chicken pizza, which is now on menus across the country. Now, he has a place in Studio City called Caioti Café. And he offers some of the most inventive pizza toppings you’ll ever try. The simplest of pies, Pizza Antigua, is topped with sea salt, roasted garlic, Balsamic vinegar, and white truffle oil. Seafood lovers will adore De La Mare with shrimp, crab, scallops, and lobster sausage or Rockefeller with oysters, shrimp, spinach, and Gruyere. New York-style pies and bistro items like pressed crispy chicken are also on the menu.

Pizza Pie

Located out in Eagle Rock, Casa Bianca Pizza Pie is worth the drive to a lot of pizza lovers. It’s been in business since 1955. In fact, Barrack Obama used to eat here when he attended Occidental College nearby. The red-checked tablecloths, neon sign, and cash-only policy give the place a retro charm. And the dining room is always packed. There’s a full menu of pastas and Italian standards like Veal Parmigiana and Chicken Piccata. But nearly everyone is here for the pizza, which is pretty old school American Italian.

Di Matteo Pizza Margherita

When actress Cathy Moriarty couldn’t find a decent New York-style pizza in L.A., she opened Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Beverly Hills. To ensure authenticity, she even ships water in from New York for the dough. The white pizza with spinach and ricotta is a best seller. The original North Canon Drive location is small with just seven tables inside and a few more outside. But pizza is available by the slice, so you can just grab one and go.

Another ardent fan of New York style, Garrett Policastro serves delicious thin-crust pizzas at Tomato Pie Pizza Joint in Silver Lake and on Melrose. The most popular pizza here, “The Grandma,” was rated one of the 25 best pizzas you’ll ever eat by GQ magazine. With only crushed, marinated tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, mozzarella, and Parmesan, the ingredients have to be perfect. And they are. A native of Syracuse, Mr. Policastro also makes a Buffalo chicken pizza with hot sauce and bleu cheese. Service and ambience here are also better than at most pizza restaurants.

Antica Pizzeria in Marina del Rey is a member of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, which means they’ve been trained to make Neapolitan pizza the authentic way. The owner, Peppe Miele, is from Campania, and he makes a great pizza margherita. But for those who want more flavors, there’s Pizza Capricciosa with artichokes, mushrooms, olives, and ham, or Quattro stagioni which combines four pizza in one.

Peppe also serves pastas, salads, and traditional Italian starters like fried rice balls and potato croquettes. The quality of the ingredients required by the VPNA ensure a truly superior pizza. If you love pizza from Naples, this is the closest you’ll find in Southern California.

Find the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles here.

1) Pizzeria Mozza
2) Abbot’s Pizza Company
3) Caioti Café
4) Casa Bianca Pizza
5) Mulberry Street Pizza
6) Tomato Pie Pizza Joint
7) Antica Pizzeria

View Pizza restaurants in Los Angeles in a larger map

Pizzeria Mozza Image Flickr: arnold | inuyaki
Pizza Pie Image Flickr: donielle

San Francisco has a large Italian population who brought pizza with them when they came. The area has access to

some of the best produce anywhere, and all the moisture in that ubiquitous fog is great for the dough.

As a result, San Francisco has some of the best pizza restaurants on the West Coast. Pizzas here come in all shapes and sizes, from crispy, thin-crust Neapolitan pizza to chewy Sicilian pies. And you’ll find everything from traditional Italian pizza toppings to novelties like clams and octopus.

Whatever kind you prefer, do yourself a favor, and try as many as you can. They’re that good.

It’s a little off the beaten path in Glen Park, but Gialina is worth the drive for the authentic Pizza Napoletana. Chef Sharon Ardiana cooked at several noted Bay Area restaurants before settling here. Although her pizzas aren’t baked in the requisite wood-burning oven, they’re delicious and the perfect consistency. Try the pie with Niman Ranch pork belly. And finish your meal with a delicious Nutella pizza.

Artisanal Pizza

Berkeley students pack the counter at Gioia Pizzeria, a little hole in the wall on Hopkins Street. There are some benches outside where you can eat your to-go pie. Will Gioia opened the place in 2004 when he couldn’t satisfy his New York pizza cravings anyplace else. There are usually five specials, and they include nontraditional pizza toppings like asparagus, radicchio, and butternut squash.

There are two branches of Little Star Pizza, one in the Mission District and another on Divisadero. Both thin and deep-dish pizzas are available and the cornmeal-dusted crust is perfect either way. The Chicago-style pie with spinach, mushrooms, ricotta, and feta is a feast. And pizza’s not the only item on the menu. The chicken wings are terrific too.

Next door to the restaurant of the same name, Pizzeria Delfina serves two specials and six traditional Neapolitan pizzas every night. The gas oven, which is heated to 770 degrees, produced an excellent crust. And the unusual pizza with cherrystone clams and hot peppers is a nice departure. The house-made fennel sausage is outstanding. And the broccoli rabe pizza is unforgettable. There’s usually a nightly special that’s not pizza. The wine list has some good, affordable choices from Italy. And the desserts – either cannoli or zeppole – are worth saving room for.

Charlie Hallowell of Chez Panisse fame has created a pizzeria — Pizzaioli — in the Temescal district of Oakland that’s worth seeking out. There’s usually a wait, but if you can find a seat at the wine bar, you’ll be served quickly. In addition to pizza, there are pastas, salads, and trattoria classics — the meatballs are legendary. But it’s the Neapolitan pizza that keeps them coming back. Cooked quickly in a wood-fired oven, the pies here have a blistered crust with a slight amount of charring – just like in Naples. Try unconventional pizza toppings like squid or potatoes. The old brick building with exposed walls makes an attractive dining spot. If you’re in the area in the morning, stop by for doughnuts.

Wood-fired oven

Mario Batali once proclaimed Pizzeria Picco the best in the country, and if it’s good enough for Mario… You’ll need to be a believer to justify the trip to Larkspur. The thin-crust pizzas here are made with locally grown ingredients, and they make their own mozzarella in house. Pizza toppings include exotic ingredients like nettles and prawns. But don’t miss the home-made Italian sausage. Combine food groups by ordering spicy arugula salad on top of your pie. The wine list is better than average.

Located in Richmond, Pizzetta 211’s individually sized, thin-crust pizzas are worth the inevitable wait. There are only four tables inside, but if you’re lucky, you can grab one of the blankets and nab a seat outside. The Pizza Margherita here is hard to beat. But the prosciutto, asparagus, with two eggs over easy is irresistible.

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana owner Tony Gemignani is so serious about his pizzas that he has four different pizza ovens – a domed brick oven for Italian-style pizzas, a square brick oven for American-style pies, one for Sicilian-style pizzas, and a wood-burning for Neapolitan pizzas. His Pizza Margherita won the World Pizza Cup in Naples in 2007. He’s the only American ever to win. Tony makes 73 pizzas a day, and when he’s done, he’s done. Specials like deep-fried meatballs are tempting alternatives.

Read our list of the best Italian restaurants in San Franciso here.

1) Gialina
2) Gioia Pizzeria
3) Little Star Pizza
4) Little Star Pizza 2
5) Delfina’s Pizza
6) Pizzaioli
7) Pizzeria Picco
8) Pizzette 211
9) Tony’s Pizza Napoletana

View Pizza Restaurants in San Francisco. in a larger map

Artisanal Pizza image Flickr: Sebastian Mary
Wood-fired oven image Flickr: effe8

Although Naples is known as the physical and spiritual home of pizza, Rome has many terrific pizza restaurants.  And having pizza in Rome should be on every visitors to-do list.

Roman pizza is thinner and crispier than Neapolitan pizza.  And you’ll find more pizza toppings in Rome than you will in Naples, where there are really only two kinds of pizza – marinara and margherita.  Most Rome pizza restaurants also serve pasta, salads, and antipasto.

Capricciosa pizza has artichokes, mushrooms, prosciutto, olives, and whatever else the chef feels like adding.  Quattro Stagioni, which means “four seasons,” is divided into quarters, each with different toppings.  Both are well worth trying.

From simple, storefronts with communal tables to charming trattorias with table clothes and terraces, Rome’s pizza restaurants offer something for everyone.

The following is our list of Rome’s best pizza restaurants:

Italian Pizza Oven

-       Close to Piazza Navona, Da Baffetto is the most popular pizzeria in Rome.  You’ll probably have to wait for a table, and then, you’ll likely share it with others.  But once you’re seated, you won’t have to wait long.  And you’ll think the pizza was worth the hassle.  It’s the perfect texture, the toppings are intensely flavorful, and the cheese-to-crust ratio is perfect.  To accommodate all the fans, Da Baffetto opened a second location on Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo.

-       Da Vittorio in Trastevere serves Neapolitan pizza with a thicker, chewier crust.  Lots of pizza toppings are available and you can combine them in dozens of ways.  You can nibble an antipasto while you wait, and enjoy a salad on the side.  Da Vittorio is always packed, but you can reserve a table, which will reduce, but probably not eliminate, your wait time.  Trastevere is hopping at night, so Da Vittorio is a fun place to start or end an evening.

-       Also in Trastevere, Dar Poeta serves traditional Roman pizza, but also offers fancy pizza toppings like Grand Marnier and apples.  Yum.  The yeast-free, slow rising dough is made from a secret recipe and you can order either thin or thick crust.  They make several kinds of bruschetta, which help take the edge off.  And for dessert, order the Nutella and ricotta-stuffed calzone.  Since Dar Poeta doesn’t take reservations, be prepared to wait.

-       Opened in the 1930s, Est Est Est is a family-owned place as noted for the hospitality as the pizza.  I remember years ago when I was in Rome with a cold, one of the guys at the hotel where I was staying convinced them to open before dinner so I could get a bowl of chicken soup.  When I returned several nights later, everyone in the place was singing Arrivederci Roma with the waiters.   Unlike other Roman pizzas, there’s has a thick crust that’s cooked in a pan.  Est Est Est is a fun place with a typical Roman ambience.

-       Those staying near the Termini rail station will find La Gallina Bianca convenient.  They’re open for lunch and dinner, which is rare.  And they have a wood-burning oven, which turns out perfectly crisp pizzas.  There’s a also a nice selection of pastas and traditional trattoria dishes.    You can dine inside or out, and there’s a good selection of wine available too.

-       The success of Da Baffetto encouraged the daughter to open her own pizzeria, La Montecarlo, around the corner from the original location.  Not only do they serve excellent thin-crust pizzas with the usual Italian pizza toppings, they also serve good wine and delicious home-made desserts.  Expect to wait for a table.

-       For the most imaginative pizza toppings in Rome, go to Pizzarium, a carry-out place not far from the Vatican Museums.  The dough used here is left to rise for 72 hours, and the rectangular pizza slices are sold by weight.  Organic vegetable pizza toppings like eggplant, potatoes, and asparagus compete with coppa, pancetta, and sausage.  You’ll have to eat your slice standing up, but you can wash it down with a small-batch beer.  While you’re there, get a loaf of sourdough bread for your breakfast.

Read about the best Italian restaurants in Rome here.