The 38 Best Restaurants in Phoenix. Phoenix pizzerias for a rectangular grandma slice or a whole Neapolitan pie. A conversation about exceptional pizza in Phoenix used to begin and end with Chris Bianco, the humble perfectionist who opened his first Pizzeria Bianco in , won the James Beard Best Chef Southwest award in , and earned more national attention in when cookbook author Ed Levine declared his pizza the best in the U.
He set the bar for the Phoenix pizza-makers who followed, proving that pizza made with care and quality ingredients was different and infinitely better. Nowadays, pizza fans can scratch nearly every itch, finding great pies by the slice or square as well as Neapolitan pizza, Roman pizza, Detroit-style pizza, New York pizza, vegan pizza, and pizza topped with unlikely but delicious ingredients.
In spring , Mark Gluck brought Detroit-style pizza to the Valley. As is traditional, tomato sauce is generously ladled over the cheese, not the other way around.
Although a few of the eight pizzas offered boast an oddball ingredient or two β maybe spicy pickles, Buffalo sauce or alfredo sauce β most are straightforward and delicious. Vegan and gluten-free options are available. From his homey Italian storefront in Peoria, chef-owner Fabio Ceschetti turns out antipasti, handmade pastas, and light Neapolitan-influenced but not strictly Neapolitan pizzas, topped with ingredients imported from Italy.
Check the pastry case for classic Italian dessert options such as tiramisu and cannoli. Out among the farms of Laveen, Domenico Cavallo runs a southern Italian trattoria featuring antipasti, homemade pasta and wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza, 19 varieties in all. Cavallo stays true to the pizza traditions of Naples, using Italian 00 flour and high-hydration dough to give a light, softy quality to his soupy-centered pies. He also owns a small farm in Laveen, where he grows figs, melons, basil, garlic, arugula, and many other fruits, herbs, and vegetables, all of which he uses in the restaurant.
