Best Pizza In America: 5 Pennsylvania Spots Make List

Pizza lovers in Pennsylvania can take solace in the fact that five of the country's very best pizzas are made right here in the Keystone State. The Daily Meal's well-respected 2018 list of the 101 Best Pizzas in America was released Thursday, and Pennsylvania represented with five spots.

Additionally, DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies ranked high on the list but The Daily Meal cited its Robbinsville, N.J. location. DeLorenzo's now operates a Bucks County location as well.

The highest-ranking Pennsylvania pizza was the Forbes Waggensense at Pizza Brain in Philadelphia. The Forbes Waggensense is made with mozzarella, fontina, grana padano, fresh basil, smoked pepperoni.

Here is a look at all five pizzas in Pennsylvania that made the list, and their national rankings:

• #44: Forbes Waggensense at Pizza Brain, Philadelphia
• #59: Tonno at Pizzeria Vetri, Philadelphia
• #60: White pizza at The Original Tacconelli's Pizzeria, Philadelphia
• #67: Original plain pie at Joe Santucci's Square Pizza, Philadelphia
• #83: Cheese pie at Lorenzo's and Sons, Philadelphia
• Coming in 37th was the tomato pie at DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, NJ. DeLorenezo's now has a location at 1707 Langhorne Yardley Road, Yardley.

The Daily Meal said it assembles the annual rankings by building a list that was approached "methodically and comprehensively and brings a great deal of pizza expertise to bear."

The lead writer, Arthur Bovino, is the founding editor of The Daily Meal's annual list of the 101 Best Pizzas in America. He has written about pizza for The New York Times, Bon Appétit, TimeOut, First We Feast, Food52, and Tasting Table, and been consulted for his pizza expertise by The Wall Street Journal and Phaidon's guide to Where to Eat Pizza.

"We believe the following qualities are basic to the platonic pie: a nuanced sauce, neither too sweet nor salty (assuming that it has sauce); good-quality, well-distributed cheese (assuming that it has cheese); good-quality and sensibly combined toppings; a flavorful, savory crust; and, perhaps most important aside from the overall quality of the ingredients, a judicious, well-balanced, and pleasing ratio of sauce, cheese, toppings, and crust that maintains a structural integrity no matter the style," according to The Daily Meal.

In order to assemble the rankings, The Daily Meal started by building a survey of great pizzas from around the country, and then adding to it each year. Nearly 1,000 pizzas were considered in total this year.

"We then called upon a blue-chip, geographically diverse list of pizza panelists — chefs, restaurant critics, bloggers, writers, and just plain pizza authorities — asking them to vote only for places where they've actually eaten," according to the publication. "All told, 59 qualified experts weighed in this year."

Click here to see the full list on The Daily Meal.

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