Best Pizza of 2018

Ready for a slice of the action? Here’s my take on the best pizzas of 2018.

My Best of 2018 series rolls on with my recs on where to eat the tastiest pizzas in London and beyond. Pizzerias in Milan, Edinburgh, Frankfurt and Cleveland made the cut, with the Cleveland pizzerias particularly wowing my palate.

Please note, this list merely reflects how I chose to spend my time during the year and is comprised of well established and brand new venues as well as businesses that are somehow related to where work and play took me.

Items appear in alphabetic order, not ranked.

Best Pizza in London

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
199 Baker Street, NW1 6UY

The London outpost of Naples’ most famous and historic pizzeria moved from Stoke Newington to Baker Street (just across from the Tube). The digs are less homey. I suppose I can appreciate an interest in having a more central location with loads more foot traffic. To the best of my taste buds’ knowledge, the back-to-basics pizze made with minimal but top quality ingredients are just as yummy and baked to the same high standard.

Icco
46 Goodge Street, W1T 4LU

An Icco margherita sets you back for less than £4. This stalwart Goodge Street pizzeria remains a hero for budget conscious and time strapped folks seeking a warm and tasty meal without fuss.

This is the second year in a row Icco has made my ‘best of’ list for Pizza in London./em>
Icco is also listed in my ‘best of’ list for London cheap eats.

Sud Italia
Old Spitalfields Market, Brushfield Street, E1 6AA

Some of London’s best Neapolitan style pizzas are baked in the wood-fired oven of the Sud Italia van near the Lamb Street entrance to Old Spitalfields Market. And if you see a queue when you go – don’t worry it’ll move fast and the pizzas are definitely worth a wait anyway! Thee margherita only costs a fiver and is made as it should be (DOP San Marzano tomato sauce, Extra virgin olive oil, Fresh basil, Parmesan, and Fior di latte mozzarella).

This is the second year in a row Sud Italia has made my ‘best of’ list for Pizza in London.
Sud Italia is also listed in my ‘best of’ list for London cheap eats.

Best Pizza Beyond London

Dough Pizza
172 Rose Street, Edinburgh EH2 4BA, UK

Pizzas made with seawater dough and baked in a wood-fired oven (at affordable prices) are the main draw at this friendly little Edinburgh pizzeria. We dropped in for lunch and loved Dough’s offer. The Margherita (handmade Italian tomato passata, fresh organic basil, fior di latte) is proper. The Scozia (handmade Italian tomato passata, fior di latte, Mcsweens Haggis, Stornaway Black Pudding, smoked pancetta, topped with a cracked egg) is epic.

Edison’s Pizza Kitchen
2365 Professor Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA

This pizza takeout on the side of Edison’s Pub in Cleveland’s laidback Tremont neighbourhood does a brisk by-the-slice business. Pizzas here have a crisp crust and ample sauce.

Luini
Via Santa Radegonda, 16, 20121 Milano, Italy

Technically I’m listing for its panzerotti not its pizza. But these savoury turnovers similar to calzones but deep-fried are pizza-ish enough for me – and a top contender for tastiest street food in Milan as well.

Pizza 7 Bello
Niddastraße 82, 60329 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

This happening little cubbyhole near the main rail station in Frankfurt serves excellent pizza with a welcoming “always room for one more” attitude. Cheap and cheerful and next to my hotel, I was so happy to have stumbled in for a quick bite before hitting the sack at the end of a long day.

Il Rione
1303 West 65th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44102, USA

Never in my life has one restaurant been recommended so many times in so few days as was the case with this pizzeria in the Detroit Shoreway neighbourhood of Cleveland. It had opened just before I visited and it seemed like everybody was raving about it. So I had to go and was glad I did. Il Rione’s simple, wood-fire baked pies lived up to the hype. If I could only have one pizza from this list again, it’d be Il Rione’s Margherita with a heavy handed dousing of extra virgin olive oil.

Saucy Brew Works
2885 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, USA

New Haven, Connecticut style pizzas with a Midwestern approach to yumminess made the slices I tried at this Cleveland brewery among the most notable of the year. My fave was the Nashville hot chicken pizza; the chicken was super moist and extra fiery.

Honourable Mentions