According to Italian rankings, the best pizza in the world is in New York City

The very best pizza in the world is not in Italy. Instead, it’s in New York City, according to an annual ranking of 50 Top Pizzaan Italy-based organization that sends anonymous inspectors to pizzerias around the world.

This year, a restaurant on the Lower East Side called Una Pizza Napoletana claimed first place. Owned by a New Jersey resident Anthony Mangierithe eatery beat out countless competitors in Naples, where the slice was invented, such as Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria (which tied for second) and 50 Kaló (who finished ninth).

Mangieri launched the current iteration of the restaurant in 2022, though he opened the first Una Pizza Napoletana on the Jersey Shore nearly 30 years ago. The store has migrated several times since then, moving to the East Village and San Francisco before settling in its current location.

“The style of pizza I make is rooted in Neapolitan, but has certainly evolved over the past 27 years,” Mangieri said. Eater‘ is Avery Dalal in 2023. Although he continually refines his techniques and adapts his recipes, some parts of the process rarely change. “The secret is to add more water in… the last five minutes of the mix,” he added. “For years, no pizza makers did this. This is rooted in age-old techniques for baking baguettes.”

Despite its name, 50 Top Pizza annually publishes a ranking of the 100 best pizzerias in the world. This year the list included restaurants from cities around the world, including Tokyo, London, Rome, Vienna, Makati and Hong Kong.

Although Italy did not place first, it dominated the rest of the rankings, winning 41 of the top 100 positions. Fifteen pizzerias in the United States made the cut, including Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco and Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia. But the jury seemed to think Una Pizza Napoletana offered something unique.

“In a country that has always been used to putting everything on pizza, Anthony offers only the purest tradition in toppings, with ingredients of extraordinary quality,” the rankings say. to write. “Marinara, Margherita, Cosacca and a pizza that changes every day, based on market ingredients. The dough nods to the contemporary, but is so personal that it probably defies classification.”

Anyone can make pizza, but perfecting it is a different story. Mangieri’s mastery comes from decades of dedication. He told it Eater that he spent his childhood reading books about baking, and that he had been making dough every day since he was fifteen.

“Did the first baker in Naples who spread tomato pulp on a piece of dough realize he was starting a cult?” wrote the New York TimesPete Wells in his ranking of the city’s best restaurants for 2023. “He was, and the house of worship in New York is Una Pizza Napoletana.”

While Wells ranked the eatery 15th that year, he promoted it to 12th in 2024. As its fame has grown, it has become a “recognized downtown institution,” Wells wrote. “Fans buy Una Pizza brand clothes, extra virgin olive oil and panettone; They start lining up half an hour before the doors open.”

In addition to delicious pizza, Una Pizza Napoletana is also known for its homemade ice cream and seasonal sorbets. Unfortunately, anyone who wants to visit the restaurant will have to wait a few more weeks. The store is closed until October 4 while Mangieri and his team take a trip to Italy.

The chef tells CNN‘s Forrest Brown that he is humiliated by the media attention.

“It’s inspiring to be recognized for these thirty years in my career,” he says, adding: “The recognition is appreciated, but ultimately it’s not why I started and not why I spend every keep making the ball of dough that we serve at Una. after all these years. It encourages us to go to the restaurant every day and give more love and focus, and not take anything for granted.”