The World’s Best Pizzerias, Ranked by 512 Experts

Where’s the best place to grab an exceptional slice? All signs point to Italy — but there are a few top joints between here and Milan. 

The world’s best pizza is found at the renowned I Masanielli pizzeria in Caserta, Italy, according to the latest ranking from this year’s Best Pizza Awards. This top honor goes to celebrated chef Francesco Martucci — a man who’s refined his skills since he was 10, according to the announcement. He moved up from No. 5 last year to take the top spot for his mastery of the beloved pizza. 

“It’s an immense happiness to know so many colleagues from all over the world, but further happiness to win a ranking this important,” Martucci says in a translated video. 

Let’s explore those qualifications: First, the Best Pizza Awards is a global expert-judged ranking led by The Best Chef Awards, an organization recognized for identifying top culinary professionals since 2015. Best Pizza initially began as a special award at the annual Best Chef ceremony and evolved into its own event in 2023. This year’s ceremony was announced last week with a celebration in Milan.

An independent panel of 512 experts from 60 countries judged the competition, selecting locations that celebrate “pizza excellence and innovation,” according to the award platform.

Seven of those top 10 pizza chefs were also tossing pies in Italy. That includes pizza hotspots in Rome, Fiano Romano, and Caiazzo.

Japan is also in the running for the best pizza title — two of the top 10 chefs, Daniele Cason and Tsubaso Tamaki, are based in Tokyo. Globetrotting executive chef Cason has slowly inched toward the top over the past several years, reaching the No. 7 spot in both 2023 and 2024. He now ranks at No. 6 worldwide, thanks to his “rare talent for merging traditional Italian cooking with the finesse of Japanese ingredients,” according to the award website. 

Tamaki, on the other hand, says he relies on his innovative techniques to impress diners. He founded Pizza Studio Tamaki in 2018, which offers Neapolitan-style pies made with dough fermented for 30 hours from a blend of Japanese and American flour. 

Stateside, several domestic pizza places impressed judges. (Fourteen, to be exact.) While none made the top 10, Anthony Mangieri earned the No. 17 spot for his Una Pizza Napoletana, a Lower East Side eatery that has previously been recognized as the best pizza in America in other competitions. 

Across the Hudson River, New Jersey’s Razza Pizza Artigianale secured the No. 22 spot. The pizza place offers classic wood-fired pies (under the guidance of the ‘‘visionary’’ chef Dan Richer) along with charcuterie and craft cocktails. 

It’s impossible to ignore this win from the American South, either: A pizzeria in Mississippi, Leña Pizza+Bagels (No. 77), scored highly in the judges’ eyes. It’s headed by chef Marisol Doyle, who learned the basics of traditional pizza in Naples. 

We’re bookmarking this list as inspiration for our next international trip.