I like pizza all right, but not nearly as much as Mr. FG does.
He could eat pizza many times a week, for weeks in a row, and not get tired of it.
I, on the other hand, can only handle pizza about once a week.
At any rate, I’m going to modify this prompt a little bit and tell you about what was not the best pizza I’ve ever had:
Chicago-style pizza.
I’d heard this pizza hyped up for many years, and back in 2005, Mr. FG and I went to Chicago and ate at Lou Malnati’s, a highly recommended Chicago pizza spot.
I was underwhelmed.
And later on, I had a chance to try Chicago-style pizza at Giordano’s, another famous pizza restaurant.
Again, underwhelmed.
These are two very reputable Chicago pizza places, so I know the problem is not that I went to a bad pizza place.
I think the problem is that I just do not like THAT much cheese on my pizza. I love cheese, don’t get me wrong. But such a thick layer is overwhelming to me.
More crust and less cheese = happier Kristen.
Also, speaking of crust: I don’t love the crust on Chicago-style pizza. I’d rather have something thicker, chewier, and doughier.
So. No Chicago-style pizza for me, please!
What’s the best pizza you’ve ever had?
(Or you can do like me and tell me what was NOT the best pizza!)
Haha! When I saw this, my first thought was, “Chicago pizza!” We’ve only had it once when we had a short layover on an Amtrak trip back in 2014. I don’t remember the name of the place but we walked there from the train station. We thought it was amazing but we had to leave half of it behind. We ordered the smallest size but it was huge and we couldn’t take leftovers on the train. We still talk about going back and finding that place. To each his own, right? 🙂
Worst pizza ever? Hunt Brothers (gas station pizza that friends picked up on a camping trip–they thought it was great but they were drinking wine, we weren’t!)
This is so funny. Hunt Brothers is the only ready-to-eat pizza available in our town (of 800). The thin crust is way better than the regular crust, if you have to endure it again. 😉
Most desirable: Thunder Pie, which possibly was invented by the craft brewery where it’s served. Thin crust, white sauce, chicken, bacon and jalapeños. So simple; so yummy. Also available as a calzone (the Thunder Zone!).
Least desirable: Detroit style. A boutique pizzeria owned by friends wanted to add it to the menu, and, in exchange for personal feedback, they offered 75 percent off the price and delivery of samples. Forty miles from town, even. So, yes, please. But I won’t buy it again. I ate almost all of it by myself (three ginormous pizzas, which normally for the family would be a meal and a half). It’s good — there’s a ton of bread with this delicious crusty cheese — but not if I can’t share.
Ha, my answer is Chicago pizza that I made myself once. In my book club we would mage food from it. We would go ALL out. I decided to make Chicago style pizza for the first time. I researched many recipes. I think I used Amer Test Kitchen. You laminate the dough. That’s what makes the dough buttery and layered and crisp on the outside. The sauce and meat and cheese was all fresh. Oh my, now I even want some for breakfast!
Usually, my style of pizza I love is thin and very little toppings but this was special and unique, the best ever.
I love Lou Malnati’s thin crust pizza! I’m not a huge fan of thick deep dish pizza, I won’t turn it down but given a choice…thin and crispy everytime! 🙂
I love pizza and could eat it at least 3 or 4 times a week. I often make tortilla pizza’s for myself. Top a tortilla with your favorite toppings and bake at 400 about 15 min.
My very favorite is Round Table Pizza in CA. Way back, when pizza was a Friday night treat and not a daily staple. So thats in the 80’s. Regular or thin crust, more sauce than cheese or no cheese now. The one I turn to, pineapple and ham, always has my heart. I will eat others, with glee, but leftovers are always preferred. Pizza, cold. Egg on top, over easy and hot. Fork or fingers, makes no difference.
There is a takeaway restaurant in the town where I live. It was started, and owned for many years by a Greek family. Best pizza ever! I can’t say what style it was, we considered it ‘normal’ crust, ‘normal’ cheese, and just delicious, generous toppings. All fresh, high quality ingredients. Unfortunately, the restaurant changed hands fairly recently, and there were changes in staff, which resulted in a drop in overall quality. It’s just not the same anymore. I’m happy that Mr E is enjoying his retirement, but I selfishly miss his pizza!
ZAZA Pizza and Salad in Little Rock AR
We had THE BEST gluten free Greek pizza and Greek salad there. We’ve found it difficult to get a good gluten free crust, but this was wonderful!
The pizza place my wife and I had our first date at. 😉 Sadly that pizza place is now out of business.
Alternately, there’s a local place in the middle of nowhere Massachusetts that I really like and also the NY style place down the road from my work.
At least there’s no really such thing as bad pizza.
Best pizza I’ve ever had is back in my home state of Michigan. There’s a new recognition of “Detroit Style pizza and it really is wonderful! Thick crust, brick and cheddar (preferably Pinconning) thick cut pepperoni and sauce believe it or not, on top. So good! Okay, now I’m homesick and hungry! So many great places to have it but Como’s, Loui’s and Cloverleaf are the best in my humble opinion.
Aver’s Pizza in Bloomington Indiana. Hands down (for me). They have one called Cream & Crimson that has alfredo sauce, thinly sliced red potatoes cooked with garlic and dill, bacon, cheddar, and gorgonzola. It might sounds weird, but it is the one food I insist that we get every time we go back there. YUUUUUUUM.
Mine. I make sourdough pizza dough, with a LOT of olive oil in the pan, which soaks into the dough as it bakes and makes it almost a grilled cheese consistency. I also use asadero cheese instead of mozzarella. It’s very similar to mozzarella, but I like it better. The toppings always vary depending on what I have on hand, but the best I ever made was a random combination of already-roasted bell pepper and onion, plus thinly sliced green garlic (basically an immature garlic plant, before it makes the head under ground) and thinly sliced raw onion. Apparently, I just like a lot of alliums on pizza. -)
Oh, and I make my own sauce, too. The best is the roasted tomato sauce I make whenever I have enough tomatoes from the garden. A whole head of garlic (also from the garden) is roasted with the tomatoes, then the whole pan is blended up with fresh basil (garden) and balsamic vinegar (not garden . . . yet). In the winter I make pizza sauce with mashed whole canned tomatoes simmered with dry basil, garlic powder, and the balsamic vinegar. Not quite as good, obviously, but way better than anything from a store.
So pretty much no pizza place is very going to put as much effort into a pizza as I do. 🙂
Kristin, you crack me up. I make my own sauce … from the Mrs. Wages packet. lol.
I’ve been a lurker until now…Lou Malnati’s ALL THE WAY!!! I fell in love with Lou’s while living in Chicago-land about 12 years ago. I have frozen pies shipped to me in CT! The closest I’ve come to that is my homemade, using the King Arthur recipe for Chicago-style pizza.
Pizza in Naples (Italy). O. M. G.
I don’t know that I can recall a specific best pizza experience, but if I’m not caring about cost and want the most delicious pizza, I go for the Detroit-style pizza at Jet’s in my town in Michigan.
Too funny! Chicago-style stuffed pizza (spinach) from Giordano’s or Edwardo’s is so yummy! Here near Indianapolis, my other favorite is Bazbeaux’s – traditional hand-tossed pizza with premium toppings.
I live in the Chicago ‘burbs, and I don’t like Chicago style pizza either. Too much cheese and it makes my stomach hurt. Best – Pizza Sam’s in Alma, Michigan with ham on top!
My fave style of pizza is in-between NYC thin crust and Chicago deep dish. Don’t know if it has a specific name. Have had it, funnily enough :), in locations between those two cities. Is the perfect marriage of those two styles imho.
Sadly, Lou Malnati’s Giordano’s, and Pizzeria Uno became corporate chains 10 or 15 years ago, and are not much like they used to be. They let themselves turn into McDonalds or Walmart. You hear people raving about Portillo’s Italian beef or Nathan’s hot dogs, and those, too, are very little like the originals. The chain/franchise Malnati’s, etc. are now just about as bad as the frozen versions they came up with that can be found everywhere nowadays. Even if you dine-in and it’s fresh and really hot. But still better than the really cheap chains like Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s, Dominos, Papa John’s, and Rosatis. That being said, I do like all of the pizzas I’m dissing here. I’m kind of like Mr. FG in that it’s my very favorite food. If you ever come back to Northern Illinois, email me or something and I’ll tell you where to get some pizza that will show you what Chicago pizza should be!
Also, I think a part of the pizza experience has to do with atmosphere. Chains try to achieve that but can’t. Years ago I got to eat at the real, original Kentucky Fried Chicken in Corbin, Kentucky! Truly nothing like KFC today. Does this make sense?
My husband’s and my favorite pizza is the Arnold from A Slice of New York in Seal Beach, CA. We dream about that pizza and have made many attempts to recreate it elsewhere. It’s a thin crust, a little tomato sauce and cheese, spinach, marinated artichokes, and a pesto drizzle. We haven’t had it in over a year and with Covid, who knows when we’ll get back there.
A takeout one slice pizza shop as you approach St Peter’s Square and the Vatican. Simple thin crust, mozzarella, tomato and basil with a drizzle of olive oil, amazing! Eaten sitting on the pavement watching the world go by; large groups of nuns gossiping, aged priests carrying a huge wooden cross; very handsome young priests talking loudly on their mobile phones whilst smoking …. a surreal experience!
Hands down, Pies and Pints. I have only been to the one in Fayetteville, WV, but if you live near one of have been near one, run, don’t walk, and get some. Immediately! Now if you are a pizza purist and like simple pies, it might not be the one for you, but they have a Steak and Gorgonzola pizza that is magical.