17 amazing American pizzas (including many we love in the UK)

America's amazing pizza styles, slice by slice

Chances are you know your New York slice from your Chicago deep dish, but these aren't the only pizza styles born in the USA. From Detroit’s legendary steel tray–baked sheets and Colorado’s distinguished mountain pie, crimped and drizzled with honey, to a rather controversial American cheese–topped slice from Pennsylvania, we've ranked the best pizza styles across the US, counting down to the most popular of them all.

Read on to discover the most delicious pizza styles around the US – counting down to the molst-wanted slices of the lot.

We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each pizza style in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

18. New England beach pizza

Outside of New England, you’ll struggle to find many fans of New England beach pizza. Some people even go as far as to say it’s the worst pizza in the country. But for those from its home of Lawrence, Massachusetts and its nearby towns, it’s a pizza that evokes serious nostalgia. It’s certainly not fancy, combining a thin base, a slightly sweet sauce, grated mozzarella and circles of provolone. There are no other toppings, making it a simple sheet-pan pizza that’s probably not going to win any awards anytime soon. However, its plain, simple nature is precisely why New Englanders love it.

18. New England beach pizza

New England beach pizza got its start at Tripoli, a bakery with locations in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Although the Lawrence bakery is firmly inland, the company expanded to two coastal towns – Salisbury, Massachusetts and Seabrook, New Hampshire – and the invention picked up the beach pizza name. Tripoli is proud to still make its pizza ‘the old fashion way’, using quality ingredients to prepare the dough and sauce from scratch every day.

17. Rhode Island pizza strips

Stripping pizza right back to basics, this Rhode Island classic is frugal, simple and makes everyday ingredients the star of the show. Made in a sheet pan, pizza strips are nothing but a pizza base with tomato sauce; there’s no cheese, and the straightforward style is free of toppings, too. If that’s not quirky enough, it’s also served at room temperature, rather than piping hot out of the oven.

17. Rhode Island pizza strips

Deliciously fuss-free, the pizza strip style is designed to celebrate the beauty of a perfect pizza sauce. Ideal for taking a saucy topping without a heavy layer of cheese to hold it in place, even the focaccia-style base helps to put the sauce front and centre. A light dusting of Romano cheese is likely to be all you’ll get on top, but even that’s left off by pizza strip purists.

16. Grandma pizza

New York–style pizza is ubiquitous in The Big Apple – but in Long Island, there's another style to try. Thinner than other rectangular sheet-pan pizzas, grandma pizza features a crispy, crunchy base (a result of the liberal coating of olive oil that's applied to the pan before baking). Up top, slices of melty mozzarella and juicy plum tomatoes, scattered randomly, complete a dish that’s designed to be just like nonna used to make.

16. Grandma pizza

Grandma pizza was invented at Umberto’s of New Hyde Park, a Long Island restaurant known for making special deliveries to local sports teams the New York Giants and Yankees. The popularity of the pizza style grew in the 2000s, gaining fans across the city, and it’s now well known – although it's still not as big of a deal as the original New York slice (more on that later).

15. Taco pizza

The USA is a melting pot of cross-cultural cuisines – and even pizza hasn't escaped the fusion treatment. The taco pizza is a mash-up of Italian and Mexican favourites, taking ingredients you might find in a taco and scattering them over a pizza base. Iowa pizza chain Happy Joe’s claims to have invented the style in the 1970s, topping a pizza base with lettuce, tomatoes and crumbled pieces of taco shell. The dish first went on sale at the chain's Davenport restaurant.

15. Taco pizza

Word of the taco pizza soon spread, and other companies started to create their own versions. A chain called Pizza Inn tried to patent the name ‘taco pizza’ (but ultimately failed), and even Pizza Hut launched a take on the fusion dish. One of today’s most prolific purveyors of the taco pizza is Casey’s, a chain of convenience stores and gas stations found in Midwestern and Southern states. The taco pizza at Casey’s also features ground beef, and it has a layer of bean dip spread across the base.

14. Colorado mountain pie

This unique pizza features a thick, hand-rolled crust that incorporates honey instead of sugar. It takes inspiration from Colorado's famously mountainous terrain, with a peaked, braided crust and a variety of toppings. Also known as Colorado-style pizza, its story began at Beau Jo’s restaurant in Idaho Springs; founder Pete ZaPigh invented the distinctive dish in 1973, and it’s now a firm favourite with locals.

14. Colorado mountain pie

Another reason Beau Jo’s Colorado mountain pies are so original is that they're served alongside a bottle of honey, designed to be drizzled over the top. The pizza style is now offered at all six Beau Jo's locations, with another bouncy prairie-style pie also available. While it was Beau Jo's that invented the style, other restaurants across the state have introduced their own versions, including Rocky Mountain Pizza Co. (which sells pizzas with a honey-packed crust) and Back Country Pizza and Taphouse (which serves pies with an extra-thick braided crust).

13. Brier Hill pizza

Hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, the Brier Hill pizza was created out of necessity. It was originally made from leftover dough, back when communal ovens were frequented by locals in the Brier Hill neighbourhood of the town. The dough would be topped with basic ingredients that people had to hand – which is how this pizza came to have a simple topping of tomato sauce, red peppers and powdered Romano cheese.

13. Brier Hill pizza

Brier Hill pizza has dedicated fans who are determined to keep the tradition of making (and eating) it alive. Volunteers at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Youngstown make hundreds of these pizzas every Saturday, serving them up to the community to raise funds for the church. The practice has been going for decades, ever since the pizza was first served up in the St. Anthony’s school cafeteria – and it’s likely to continue for a long time, too.

12. Quad Cities style

From its sweeter crust to its scissor-cut slices, the unique components of a Quad Cities–style pizza often spark debate – as do this pizza's origins. It’s thought that Tony Maniscalco Sr. invented the pizza, based on a recipe from his Sicilian family, in the mid-1950s, serving the dish at the Paddock Club in Rock Island, Illinois. What sets this pizza apart is its quarter-inch thick base, which is flavoured with malt syrup for a subtly sweet undertone. Its assembly is different, too; a spicy sauce is followed by toppings (usually Italian sausage) and finished with a thick mozzarella layer.

12. Quad Cities style

Its popularity soon expanded across the Quad Cities – the five cities in Iowa and Illinois located in the Mississippi River Valley – with a slew of restaurants serving up the distinguished dish. Old-time favourites include 1950s-founded Frank’s Pizza, which now specialises in the cheese-slathered style. Meanwhile, family-run Harris Pizza has been firing up the oven for more than 50 years, serving hand-tossed crusts topped with sausage and layers of oozy cheese. Here, you’ll find the team cutting up the pies with blue shears to get those distinctive strip slices.

11. Columbus style

Do you find yourself disappointed by pizzas that are light on toppings? If you prefer your slice heaving with extra goodies, you’ll love Columbus-style pizza. This round Ohio pizza starts with a thin crust, onto which toppings are densely piled – resulting in a truly filling pie. It tends to have a slightly sweet sauce and provolone cheese, and it's often finished with slices of pepperoni (which are nestled so close together that they almost cover the entire pizza). It’s then cut into short or long rectangular strips, rather than the typical triangles.

11. Columbus style

Columbus-style pizza has been around since the 1950s; it originated at Massey’s Pizza, where you can still buy it today. It defines the pizza scene in Columbus – a city that, as of 2022, has the third-most pizzerias per capita of any US city. There’s even a Columbus-style Pizza Trail run by local nonprofit organisation Experience Columbus. Download a digital passport to your phone to collect points from venues on the trail, and you could win prizes including T-shirts and gift cards.

10. Altoona style

Another pizza variety to surface in the 1950s was Altoona-style pizza. Characterised by its square-cut Sicilian-style crust, it’s traditionally topped with tomato sauce, green bell peppers, salami and yellow American cheese. It’s the choice of cheese that has sparked a lot of debate, with locals generally loving it – or hating it. It’s said to have originated at the Altoona Hotel in Pennsylvania. The hotel sadly burnt down in the early 2010s; however, since then, local restaurants have been honouring its history by adding the pizza to their menus.

10. Altoona style

One of the best places to try it is 29th Street Pizza Subs & More in Altoona. This family-owned pizza and sub spot has been a local favourite for two decades – and it serves up the unique pie by the slice. Baked in a giant sheet tray, it’s soft, pillowy and has a distinctive taste thanks to the American cheese slathered on top.

9. St. Louis style

Whether thin and crispy or deep-pan, pizza styles usually choose their lane when it comes to the crust. St. Louis–style pizza takes it one step further, serving up a cracker-thin crust (made with no yeast) sliced into tile-like squares. It’s thought that the style originated in 1945, when Chicago-born Amedeo Fiore opened an Italian restaurant, Melrose Cafe. His creation was known for being super thin and piled with toppings, and it inspired a new wave of pizzerias across the city.

9. St. Louis style

Now-popular chain Imo’s Pizza, founded by tiler Ed Imo and his wife, Margie, was one of those new pizzerias. At the very beginning, the pair hired a pizza chef to help keep up with demand. In place of the classic mozzarella you’d typically find on a pizza, the chef used Provel, a type of processed cheese. Decades later, Imo’s Pizza boasts around 100 locations across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.

8. Ohio Valley style

When you think of a classic pizza, you typically think of oozy cheese and warm toppings. The Ohio Valley style, in contrast, comes loaded with cold toppings. Its story goes back to the early 1900s, when Italian immigrants Michael and Carolin DiCarlo opened an Italian grocery store in Steubenville, Ohio. In 1945, their son Primo returned from serving in the Second World War and suggested they recreate the dish he'd seen served everywhere in Italy: pizza.

8. Ohio Valley style

They opened Ohio's first pizzeria, DiCarlo’s Pizza, that same year, and its Ohio Valley–style square pies are still famously good. Typically sold by the slice, this style is famed for its thick, square crust – which is covered with a rich tomato sauce before cooking, then scattered with fresh provolone-style cheese and a choice of cold toppings. There are now DiCarlo's locations in Ohio, West Virginia and Tennessee, and other restaurants have also launched pies inspired by this style.

7. Chicago thin crust

Unless you’re a Chicago native, you may not know that the city is home to two pizza styles: the deep dish, of course, but also the lesser-known thin crust. Chicago’s less famous pizza – often called tavern style – is designed to be cut into small squares and shared, and it features a super-crisp crust that's usually topped with Italian sausage and cheese. Thought to date back to the 1940s, its alternative moniker comes from the fact it's often served in taverns and bars. Its popularity has increased in recent years, with restaurants across the US taking inspiration from its shareable style.

7. Chicago thin crust

For an authentic taste in Chicago, look to Vito and Nick’s Pizzeria. This joint has been serving the style since the 1950s, and it's garnered quite the cult following, featuring in several TV shows and hit YouTube series. Go classic with the thin-crusted, sausage-loaded pizza or personalise your pizza by piling on your choice of toppings (from anchovies to egg). Another local favourite is Pat’s Pizzeria & Ristorante, which draws pizza lovers from far and wide. Set up in the 1950s, it’s still one of the best family-run spots serving up super-crisp crusts.

6. Tomato pie

Forget what you know about pizza today. When the dish – known then as tomato pie – was first introduced in the US, it looked a whole lot different. Originating in Philadelphia, New Haven in Connecticut and Utica in New York, tomato pies date back to the early 20th century, when Neapolitan immigrants began setting up shop in the US. Nodding to the traditional recipes found in Naples, the classic dish typically featured a focaccia-style base topped with a rich, fragrant tomato sauce – and little else. It wasn’t common for cheese to be scattered on top until later.

6. Tomato pie

This humble dish helped to transform American pizza into what we know today, with some northwestern bakeries and pizzerias still serving up traditional tomato pies. In Philadelphia, family-run bakery Iannelli's has been serving up its signature pies since 1910 and is still a true Philly institute. Meanwhile, in Utica, O’Scugnizzo has been making waves since 1914, with its founder Eugeno Burlino famed for selling his tomato pie for just a nickel. While its price has increased, the quality has remained the same over a century later.

5. California style

While pizza culture is more closely linked to the East Coast, there’s one variety that’s making a name for itself on the West Coast: California style. It's a relatively new concept, coming onto the scene in the 1980s, and it's characterised by a thin crust and toppings that are typically fresh and locally sourced. At the heart of it all were two chefs, Ed LaDou and Alice Waters, who separately spearheaded the movement. LaDou spent some time working at an NYC-style pizzeria before starting his restaurant, Prego, where he specialised in Italian thin-crust pizzas, but experimented with flavours.

5. California style

Waters, meanwhile, had been infusing regional ingredients with Italian and French flavours at Chez Panisse, Berkeley – known for pizzas loaded with fresh toppings, from wild rocket to local chanterelle mushrooms. Both restaurants helped to put California-style pizza on the map, with influential chef Wolfgang Puck so impressed that he hired LaDou at his renowned Beverly Hills restaurant, Spago (now famed for its smoked salmon and caviar pizza). LaDou also helped to develop the first menu at California Pizza Kitchen, which now has around 200 locations worldwide.

4. Detroit style

Defined by its square shape and extra-thick crust, Detroit-style pizza was first introduced by Buddy’s Pizza in 1946, and has since become synonymous with the city’s vibrant food culture. Made in-house by Gus Guerra and his team, the style took inspiration from square Sicilian-style pizzas, and a forged steel pan was used to keep the crust light and crispy. The focaccia-like dough was typically topped with pepperoni and crumbled Wisconsin brick cheese, then finished with three wide stripes of sauce before baking.

4. Detroit style

More than 75 years later, Buddy’s recipe is still a favourite, though there are now many other pizzerias serving the style across Detroit, including Green Lantern Pizza. The small chain restaurant knocks out brilliant square styles – slathered with oozy cheese and your choice of toppings, from green olive to ground beef. Meanwhile, Loui’s Pizza was founded by a former Buddy’s pizza chef, so it's perfected that charred base and cheese-to-sauce ratio.

3. New Haven style

While New Haven is also seen as one of the birthplaces of the tomato pie, its pizza bases are slightly different from those you'll find in Philadelphia and Utica, New York. This style of pizza (also known as apizza) comes complete with a thin, charred crust that’s topped with an oregano-infused tomato sauce and grated pecorino cheese. Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria is thought to have introduced this style in 1925, and it's been dishing out tasty pies ever since. The restaurant has since expanded to 16 sites – and it's also famed for its white clam pie, a pizza piled high with cheese, garlic and fresh littleneck clams.

3. New Haven style

Restaurants across the Connecticut city have since introduced similar New Haven–style pies to their menus, including the legendary Sally’s Apizza. Founded in 1938, the team makes the pizzas in custom-designed ovens, and the restaurant is renowned for its flavourful tomato sauce and singed crust. There are now multiple Sally's locations, and you can always rely on them for a good slice.

2. Chicago deep dish

The Chicago deep-dish pizza certainly divides a crowd. Famed for its thick crust (reminiscent of a fruit pie) and layers of cheese and fillings, it’s topped with rich tomato sauce. While its origins are also hotly debated, it’s thought that the original deep-dish pizza dates to 1943. Ike Sewell, founder of Uno Pizzeria, apparently developed the style, which features a tall, buttery crust and a herb-infused sauce made with good quality tomatoes. Now a large chain across the US, Uno Pizzeria continues to serve up quality pies.

2. Chicago deep dish

You'll find deep-dish pizzas all over downtown Chicago these days, but Pequod's Pizza is one of the restaurants leading the pack. Serving up pan pizzas since the 1970s, the restaurant even featured in an episode of hit TV series The Bear – and it was named the best pizzeria in the US by Yelp in 2024, based on diner reviews. Available in four sizes, packed with layers and featuring a caramelised cheese crust, the pizza attracts diners from around the world.

1. New York style

New York–style pizza is as synonymous with the city as Times Square, the Empire State Building and Central Park. It’s intrinsically linked with the city's culture, with thousands upon thousands of people travelling here just to try its thin, foldable slices, slathered with tomato sauce and mozzarella. One of the first documented pizzerias in the US was NYC institution, G Lombardi’s. The restaurant began serving up whole Neapolitan-style pizzas in 1905 for five cents. Those unable to afford it could opt to buy the pizza by the slice.

1. New York style

Over time, hundreds of pizza joints have popped up all over the city, so naturally there’s a lot of debate and competition. Still going strong for hearty pies is Coney Island’s Totonno’s, which has been serving up its signature coal-fired pizzas since 1924. For a classic slice, Luigi’s Pizza in Brooklyn is also pretty hard to beat. Although the slices now cost more than a dollar, they've been consistently delicious since the joint opened in 1973.

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Last updated by Laura Ellis.