A Definitive Ranking of the Different Regional Pizza Styles
When you think pizza, you probably imagine a buttery pan crust with sauce and a lot of gooey cheese. It's good, but beyond the walls of Papa John's, Dominoes and Pizza Hut exists an expansive world of more pizza. Yes, when I say world, I mean world. The classic dough, sauce, and cheese dish varies widely, whether you're in New York City, Naples or Seoul.
Below, discover the different regional slices and what makes them so special, and hear my definitive ranking of pizzas across the globe.
7. Detroit
Over the past few years, I've seen a massive rise in Detroit-style pizza. Don't get me wrong—it looks delicious—however, I've never had one that I enjoyed. Usually, the dough is too thick, and there is too much (sweet) sauce. It tastes like a terrible frozen or public school pizza. I'm always open to having my mind changed, though!
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6. St. Louis
St. Louis Pizza is like the thinnest crust you could imagine. If you couldn't tell from my last opinion, I need my dough-to-sauce and cheese ratio to be perfect. With St. Louis Pizza, I need more texture, but because the dough is so thin, most places burn it, giving it an overpowering smoky flavor.
5. California
I had no idea what California pizza was until I lived in Los Angeles. Apparently, it combines New York and Italian-style crust with California toppings, such as avocado. It's not bad, but I'm a simple gal with toppings, and the California pizza can be too much for my taste buds to process.
4. Korean
Again, I didn't realize Korean pizza was a thing until I went to Seoul (and the Koreatown of Los Angeles). Korean cuisine is intensely more experimental with its toppings. Often, you can find random flavors like corn pizza. I recently had a pumpkin pizza, and it was surprisingly good, but there is something slightly disturbing about eating pumpkin chunks on a pizza.
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3. Neapolitan
A Neapolitan pizza (of Naples, Italy) is like an elevated version of your standard cheese slice. It has a fluffy dough crust that's the perfect thickness between thin and pan. It also must use raw tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, later topped with oil and basil. As you can probably guess, it is much fresher than the standard because of the grade of the ingredients. Still, I can't lie—a big, greasy slice is my guilty pleasure.
2. Chicago
Chicago-style pizza is an acquired taste for most, but in true Chicagoan fashion, it would be wrong to say it's not one of the best regional pizzas. Unlike Detroit-style pizza, the thick Chicago-style dough is crispier (without being crumbly) to create the most satisfying texture. The cheese is layered underneath the sauce, like an upside-down slide. Both the sauce and cheese are often more savory and garlicky, which is exactly what I crave in a pizza.
1. New York
I never understood the hype about New York-style pizza until I finally experienced it. First, the crust is thin, but so is the cheese and sauce to offer the ultimate one-to-one ratio, and it comes on one giant slice. I prefer that over ordering an entire pie because it gives the perfect amount—it probably amounts to one or two standard-sized slices. Don't be like me and knock it before you try it. Once you have it, your life will be changed for all eternity.
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