Pizza is one of the most easily identifiable and most liked foods around. Who doesn’t enjoy a good slice of pizza? Some might even say that it’s hard to find bad pizza. (We did during our trip to Grenada!)

Although pizza typically includes three main ingredients- cheese, sauce and crust, there are so many varieties and styles of pizza.

But is there a best pizza?

TripAdvisor came out with their list of the Top 10 Pizza Restaurants in the US and now The Daily Meal tried to take a stab at naming the 101 Best Pizzas in America.

(The Daily Meal has also previously named the 75 Best Hot Dogs in America and 101 Best Burgers in America.)

Picking a best of list for just about anything can be impossibly hard work.

The Daily Meal says that they “approached our rankings methodically and comprehensively, starting with our own definition of the perfect pizza… a nuanced sauce, neither too sweet nor salty , quality, well-distributed cheese,  quality and well-paired toppings; a flavorful, savory crust; and perhaps most important, a judicious, well-balanced, and (most importantly) pleasing ratio of sauce, cheese, toppings, and crust that maintains a structural integrity no matter the style“.

The initial list included 800 pizzerias which became the top 101 when all was said and done. Many pizza experts including chefs, critics, bloggers and writers helped make these tough decisions.

After looking over the list, I was happy to see that I’ve been to a solid amount of the shops which were listed. I’ve been to 37 of the 101 so far!

Here are the pizzerias that I’ve visited which made The Daily Meals Top 101:

• #1. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana- New Haven, CT
• #2. Di Fara- Brooklyn, NY
• #3. Roberta’s- Brooklyn, NY
• #5. Sally’s Apizza- New Haven, CT
• #7. Lou & Ernie’s- Bronx, NY
• #10. Joe’s- New York, NY
• #12. Papa’s Tomato Pies- Robbinsville, NJ
• #14. Totonno’s- Brooklyn, NY
• #16. Patsy’s- New York, NY
• #17. Gino’s East- Chicago, IL
• #18. Co.- New York, NY
• #19. Motorino- New York, NY
• #21. Paulie Gees- Brooklyn, NY
• #22. John’s Pizzeria- New York, NY
• #23. Grimaldi’s- Brooklyn, NY
• #24. Keste- New York, NY
• #25. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria- Chicago, IL
• #26. Antico Pizza Napoletana- Atlanta, GA
• #28. Lucali- Brooklyn, NY
• #30. Lombardi’s- New York, NY
• #32. Al Forno- Providence, RI
• #35. Denino’s- Staten Island, NY
• #37. Umberto’s Pizzeria- New Hyde Park, NY
• #41. Rubirosa Ristorante- New York, NY
• #42. Emily- Brooklyn, NY
• #51. Colony Pizza- Stamford, CT
• #56. Lee’s Tavern- Staten Island, NY
• #57. Zuppardi’s- West Haven, CT
• #63. The Original Tacconelli’s Pizzeria- Philadelphia, PA
• #77. Pizza Moto- Brooklyn, NY
• #79. Punch Neopolitan Pizza- St Paul, MN
• #86. Margot’s– Brooklyn, NY
• #87. New Park Pizza- Howard Beach, Queens, NY
• #89. Tarry Lodge- Port Chester, NY
• #91. Zaffiro’s Pizza- Milwaukee, WI
• #92. Cane Rosso- Dallas, TX
• #98. Artichoke Basille- New York, NY

Lots of great pizzas from around the country are represented above. Some personal favorites (not including the shops located in NYC) would be Sally’s Apizza (which I liked much better than Frank Pepe’s), Antico, Colony, Zuppardi’s, Tacconelli’s and Zaffiro’s.

A couple of my favorites (non NYC pizzerias) missing from this list would be Conte’s in NJ and EVO in Charleston, SC.

Did any pies that you love not make the cut? If so which pizzas would you recommend?

Check out the full list of The Daily Meal’s Top 101 Pizzas in America here.

Related Posts:

• Food Review: Pizza Pot Pie- Chicago
• An Awesome Pizza Experience At Slice Out Hunger (2013)
• Patsy Grimaldi Returns: Juliana’s Pizza- Brooklyn, NY
• Margot’s Pizza: An Awesome Pizzeria Within A Pizzeria, Bklyn, NY
• Certified Pizza Awesomeness: Slice Out Hunger 2014
• One of the Best Underrated Pizzerias in Brooklyn, NY