California pizza just crashed the world's top rankings as two of its own broke into the Top 5 rankings, elbowing past Italy's old guard for a seat at the head of the table.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco and Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles tied for fifth place in the World Rankings of the Italy-based culinary guide, 50 Top Pizza. They also tied for No. 2 in the United States ranking.
Tony Gemignani, a world pizza champion, opened Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco in 2009.
"To understand pizza around the world, you have to come to this historic corner location in the heart of the Californian city, because at the core of the pizzeria's success is the passion that Tony has been cultivating since he was a young boy," Top 50 Pizza said about Tony's Pizza Napoletana.
Tony's Pizza Napoletana features several varieties of pizzas, including the Uncle Vito, a thin crust white pizza with mozzarella, caramelized onion, smoked applewood bacon, pesto and ricotta.
In Los Angeles, Pizzeria Sei opened by Chef William Joo and his wife Jennifer in 2022, takes a creative approach with its Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza.
Joo grew up in Los Angeles eating wood-fired pizzas and was inspired to pursue his take on the savory meal after seeing Japanese interpretations of the Neapolitan pizza, according to Pizzeria Sei's website.
"What drew him in was how expressive it could be while still staying grounded in tradition," according to the website. "The pizzas are rooted in a Neapolitan foundation, cooked at high heat with a quick bake, then shaped using a crimping technique that creates more variation in texture, with soft, airy sections, crisp edges, and charred bubbles that add a light smokiness."
One of its pies, the Mala Lamb Sausage, features Lamb sausage, crème fraîche, red bell pepper, smoked provola, shallot, tomato pulp, pecorino romano, Parmigiano Reggiano, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, XXHEAT mala spiced chili, lemon, cilantro flower.
"The toppings balance high-quality Italian ingredients with Japanese influences, with carefully crafted and clean pairings," Top 50 said about Pizzeria Sei. "An identity and technical address that reinterprets pizza in a personal and contemporary way."
These restaurants made the top-5 world rankings:
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
San Francisco Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.