Pizzeria Bianco Is Best Italian Restaurant In Arizona: Ranking

PHOENIX, AZ — For discerning diners who turn up their noses when they hear someone talk about going out for “eye-talian” food, The Daily Meal has come up with a definitive list of the best Italian restaurants in every state. In Phoenix, Bronx native Chris Bianco brings an authentic Sicilian pizza to the menu at Pizzeria Bianco.

Italy’s rich cuisine culture goes back centuries and includes pastas, breads and food preparation techniques that vary by regions, reflecting cultural traditions that evolved based on the availability of local foods.

For example, Tuscany is known as the land of bean eaters, so you’ll find lots of foods rich in cannellini beans in the region’s famous cuisine. Polenta is big in Milan; chefs in Rome find delicious ways to serve pasta, bruschetta, artichokes and zucchini; and on the island of Sicily, look for the region’s famous meatballs — called polpette — topped with a spicy, aromatic tomato sauce.

The Daily Meal’s list of the best Italian restaurants features chef-inspired creations that bring many of these traditions to the United States. To assemble the list, The Daily Meal looked at various “best of” lists, reviews from local publications across the country, and also restaurants that have huge local followings. Big chains weren’t considered.

And if you’re just thinking about spaghetti — not that there aren’t some scrumptious-looking spaghetti dishes among the food site’s picks — you need to get out a lot more.

Why The Daily Meal loves Pizzeria Bianco: No matter what you choose on the menu, “any pie will likely be better than most you’ve had in your life (that rosa with red onions and pistachios!), but the signature margherita will recalibrate your pizza baseline forever: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil.” Read more.

Where to find it: Downtown — Heritage Square, 623 E. Adams St., and Town & Country Shopping Center, 4743 N. 20th St.

Phone numbers: Downtown location, (602) 258-8300; Town & Country, (602) 368-3273

Hours: Downtown — 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays; noon-7 p.m., Sundays. Town & Country, Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Website: pizzeriabianco.com

Tell Us: Do you agree? Where do you go when you want scrumptious, authentic Italian food in Arizona? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images