Some of the best pizza in America is not served in a shiny dining room with a long waitlist. It comes out of small neighborhood shops that have been doing the same thing for decades, sometimes for more than a century.
This list follows that trail from Boston to Texas, with stops in Chicago, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Connecticut, and more. You will find thin tavern-style squares, coal-fired classics, a pie topped with mustard, and a Sicilian slice that Brooklyn claims as its own.
Some places are cash only, some close for a couple of days each week, and one even runs out of dough. That is part of the charm.
Before you fill up the gas tank, check each restaurant’s hours, because small shops like these keep their own schedules. Here are 15 pizza joints worth building a trip around.
Santarpio’s Pizza, East Boston, Massachusetts
Pizza and barbecue skewers share one menu at Santarpio’s, and that odd pairing is half the fun. The East Boston shop at 111 Chelsea Street has the feel of an old neighborhood joint where nobody is trying to impress you.
Pies come as traditional red or white, with toppings that run from sausage and pepperoni to anchovies and garlic. The menu stays fairly simple, which makes ordering easy for first-timers.
If you want something beyond pizza, the skewers are the other big draw and have long been part of the Santarpio’s experience.
The setting is casual and a little bit rule-of-its-own, the kind of place that cares more about the food than fancy touches. Santarpio’s currently operates daily at its East Boston location, so there is no need to plan around a closed day.
I would bring a few friends here so everyone can try a bit of both specialties and compare favorites on the walk back to the car.
Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria, Chicago, Illinois
Forget deep dish for a moment. Chicago has another pizza tradition that locals defend just as fiercely, and it is tavern-style, with a super thin crust cut into squares instead of wedges.
Vito & Nick’s on Pulaski Road is one of the city’s classic places to try it. The crust is thin and crisp, so the cheese, sauce, sausage, and other toppings take center stage in every bite.
The restaurant still feels refreshingly old-fashioned, and that includes a cash-only policy at the Chicago location. Bring bills before you walk in so the bill at the end is not a surprise.
Vito & Nick’s remains family operated and serves customers seven days a week from its longtime South Side home. Square slices make it easy to share, which means a large pie goes quickly.
Nobody is chasing trends here, and that is exactly why people keep returning year after year.
Wells Brothers Restaurant, Racine, Wisconsin
Back in 1921, brothers James and Dominic Wells opened a restaurant in Racine, and it is still serving customers more than a century later. That kind of staying power is rare for any small business.
The restaurant describes its approach simply: thin-crust pizza served in an old-school setting. The pies are known for a crisp base and generous toppings, the type of pizza that tempts a table into ordering one more than planned.
Wells Brothers still operates at 2148 Mead Street in Racine. It serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and is closed Sundays and Mondays, so mark your calendar before you go.
This is a good stop for road trippers who like a side of history with dinner. Few places on this list pair genuine neighborhood character with quite this much time on the clock.
Plan for a relaxed meal, and consider a pizza for the road if leftovers sound good.
Deluca’s Pizza, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Here is a pizza shop that may sell out of dough before the day is over. Deluca’s in Hot Springs even recommends reserving your dough ahead of time, which tells you how seriously the kitchen takes its recipe.
The restaurant specializes in brick-oven pizza made with handmade dough. Its beginnings were modest, with founder Anthony Valinoti starting out in a tiny six-table space before the restaurant moved downtown.
The current Hot Springs location operates Thursday through Sunday. If the day’s dough is gone, the kitchen closes earlier than planned, so arriving sooner is the safer bet.
That limited-production style gives Deluca’s a stubbornly independent personality, the kind that makes small pizza joints so appealing. It also proves that great pizza is not reserved for New York, Chicago, or Connecticut.
If you are visiting Hot Springs for the historic downtown, plan your pizza stop around the schedule and call ahead if you can.
Pizza Delicious, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is famous for gumbo, po’boys, and Creole cooking, so a New York-style slice might not be the first thing on your list. Pizza Delicious makes a strong case for squeezing one in anyway.
The shop sits on Piety Street in the Bywater and serves large 18-inch pies along with slices. Menu staples include cheese, pepperoni, and margherita.
Then there is the Pizza D Supreme, loaded with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, roasted peppers, and red onion. It is a good pick for groups who cannot agree on toppings.
The dining room and patio are currently open, and pickup and delivery are also available. That flexibility makes it easy to fit around a packed sightseeing day.
I would save this one for the middle of a trip, when you have had a few rich Louisiana meals and want something casual. A slice and a seat on the patio is a simple break from the big plates.
Mineo’s Pizza House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ask a group of Pittsburghers where to get the best pie and prepare for a friendly argument. Mineo’s has been part of that debate since 1958.
Founder John Mineo came to America from Bagheria, Sicily, before opening the restaurant. Today, Mineo’s is still a family-operated name, with locations that include the longtime Squirrel Hill shop on Murray Avenue.
The pizzas here are hearty and cheese-forward, a clear contrast to the ultra-thin pies found elsewhere on this list. The menu also includes Sicilian-style pizza, hoagies, wings, and other neighborhood pizzeria staples.
That variety makes it handy for a group with different cravings. Someone can get a hoagie while the rest of the table splits a pie.
Longevity is the real story. Generations of Pittsburgh families have grown up with Mineo’s as a reference point, and it tends to come up whenever the topic turns to the city’s best pizza.
Stop by Squirrel Hill and form your own opinion.
Fiori’s Pizzaria, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Yes, Pittsburgh earns two spots on this list, and Fiori’s is the reason. It is another local institution with a casual, slightly chaotic energy that pizza fans tend to enjoy.
The original Pittsburgh location on Capital Avenue serves hand-tossed traditional pizzas alongside white pizza, calzones, hoagies, wings, pasta, and other Italian-American favorites. The menu is wide enough that a table of picky eaters can usually find something to agree on.
The Brookline-area location stays open especially late, currently serving until 1 a.m. every day. That schedule has helped make Fiori’s a go-to for nighttime pizza runs after a ballgame or a long drive into town.
There are now two locations, but the Pittsburgh shop keeps the neighborhood feel that built its reputation. It is unfussy, filling, and proudly local.
If your road trip runs behind schedule and you roll into town after dark, this is a handy place to know about. Confirm the hours before heading over.
Zuppardi’s Apizza, West Haven, Connecticut
New Haven gets most of the national attention for Connecticut pizza, but a short drive southwest leads to one of the state’s great family pizza shops.
Zuppardi’s original West Haven location on Union Avenue is especially known for its white clam pizza. The pie uses freshly shucked clams, and it belongs to the New Haven-style apizza tradition that has made southern Connecticut an essential stop for pizza lovers.
Apizza is pronounced something like ah-beets, and locals use the word for pies from the coal and brick-oven tradition. Ordering the term at the counter is a fun way to feel like part of the scene.
Zuppardi’s remains open seven days a week at its original location, which makes planning simple. You do not have to match your trip to a short schedule.
Bring someone who likes seafood, since the clam pie is the headliner. If the table wants a safer choice, plenty of traditional toppings are available too.
L&B Spumoni Gardens, Brooklyn, New York
Technically, L&B Spumoni Gardens is a lot more famous than a typical hole-in-the-wall. Its pizza, though, still carries the roots of a true neighborhood spot.
The story at the original Bensonhurst location goes back to 1939, when what became L&B started with a small pushcart. Over the years, its signature Sicilian pizza grew into a Brooklyn icon.
Instead of copying the classic New York slice, L&B’s square pie has an identity all its own. The slices are thick and rectangular, and the pie is a very different experience from a folded slice on a paper plate.
Finish with the restaurant’s namesake spumoni, a layered Italian frozen dessert, and you have a full old-school Brooklyn outing. Pizza first, dessert second is a smart order.
The original 86th Street location remains open seven days a week. Parking in Brooklyn can be tricky, so give yourself extra time to find a spot before you head in.
Star Tavern, Orange, New Jersey
Thin, crisp, compact, and dangerously easy to finish: that is the New Jersey tavern-style pizza that Star Tavern has built its name on. Elaborate toppings are not the point.
The restaurant embraces its lack of pretension. It describes the experience as traditional pizza in a place where families and longtime regulars can simply relax.
The kitchen is visible from the dining area, which adds to the lively neighborhood feel. Watching the pies come together is a nice bonus while you wait.
Star Tavern currently operates seven days a week at 400 High Street in Orange. That makes it an easy addition to a New Jersey pizza crawl, no matter which day your trip lands on.
New Jersey has an enormous and often underrated pizza scene, and this is the kind of local institution that deserves a spot near the top of the itinerary. Order a pie to split, and keep your appetite ready for a second one.
Papa’s Tomato Pies, Robbinsville, New Jersey
Papa’s Tomato Pies dates back to 1912 and calls itself America’s oldest continuously family-owned pizza restaurant. That alone is a good reason to stop.
The pizzas keep the history from becoming a novelty. Papa’s specializes in Trenton-style tomato pies, where the relationship between cheese and tomato differs from a conventional pizza.
Then there is the mustard pie, the menu item that makes people do a double take. A thin layer of spicy brown mustard goes between the dough and the cheese, and the tomato is added after that.
Papa’s currently operates seven days a week in Robbinsville, so planning is straightforward. It is a fun detour if you are driving between New York and Philadelphia.
For anyone curious about regional pizza, this is a rare chance to taste a style that is not on every corner. More than a century after opening, Papa’s remains one of the country’s most distinctive pizza experiences, and the mustard pie is a story you can tell back home.
Home Slice Pizza, Austin, Texas
Compared to the century-old shops on this list, Home Slice is the young one. It still manages to nail the neighborhood pizza joint formula.
The independent restaurant specializes in hand-tossed New York-style pizza, sold both by the slice and as whole pies. Its South Congress location has become an Austin favorite, and additional locations have expanded the concept without losing the casual feel.
Simplicity is the strength here. The pizza is designed to be eaten without ceremony, whether you grab one slice and keep walking or settle in with a full pie.
The company remains independently operated and currently has locations in Austin and Houston. That is useful to know if your Texas route includes both cities.
South Congress is a popular area for strolling, shops, and people-watching, so a slice fits naturally into an afternoon there. I like this stop for travelers who want something quick and easy that still has real local roots.
Buddy’s Pizza, Detroit, Michigan
Mention Detroit-style pizza anywhere in America, and the conversation usually leads back to Buddy’s. It is hard to talk about the history of American pizza without it.
The original Detroit restaurant is closely associated with the birth of the style, a square pie known for an airy interior, crisp edges, and cheese that caramelizes against the sides of the pan. The Detroit location remains open daily on Conant Street.
The company has grown far beyond that first restaurant, so calling Buddy’s a true hole-in-the-wall today takes some flexibility. The original location earns its place anyway because its influence stretches well past Detroit.
Restaurants across the country now specialize in the style that Buddy’s helped popularize. Tasting it at the source is a little like visiting a landmark you can eat.
If your road trip includes Michigan, this is an easy one to plan around. Order a square pie, pay attention to those crispy edges, and you will see what started it all.
Bocce Club Pizza, Amherst, New York
Buffalo-style pizza deserves a lot more attention outside western New York, and Bocce Club Pizza is one of the places that helped define it.
The business traces its history to 1946, when Dino Pacciotti purchased the original Bocce Club. He started experimenting with an old pizza oven he found in the basement.
The pizza tradition that followed eventually became far more famous than the club itself. It is a fun reminder that some great food stories start by accident.
Bocce Club still makes its dough from scratch and stretches it by hand, while its sauce comes from a house recipe. Multiple locations now operate around the Buffalo area, including the Bailey Avenue shop in Amherst.
For anyone unfamiliar with Buffalo pizza, this is a solid introduction. If you are in town for wings, add a pie to the table and see how the local style compares with the more famous regional pizzas elsewhere on this list.
Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano, Brooklyn, New York
Coney Island is known for its boardwalk and rides, but a pizza shop on Neptune Avenue has its own place in the neighborhood’s history. Totonno’s opened in 1924, making it one of the oldest names in American pizza.
The restaurant is associated with the coal-fired oven tradition, in which pies bake at very high heat. That method is a big part of why the pizza stands apart from many modern shops.
The menu is built around classic pizza, with a simple focus that matches the old-school reputation. Fans of the style often plan a trip around a visit.
Hours at small, historic restaurants like this one can change, so check before you head out. It is a good habit for any road trip built around family-run places.
Pair the pizza with a walk near the Coney Island shoreline, and you have a full Brooklyn afternoon. This stop is especially good for travelers who want a piece of real pizza history without any flashy extras.
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