Pittsburgh One Of Nation's Best Pizza Cities, Study Says

PITTSBURGH, PA — Fiori's. Vincent's. Mineo's. Aiello's. Each of those pizza places, and others in the area, have legions of loyal patrons who insist the pie there is the best in town. Collectively, they form a powerful presence that has left Pittsburgh among the nation's top cities for pizza.

Pittsburgh ranks second in the country for pie, according to a new study by Rent.com, which analyzed 300 metropolitan areas. Cities were on three primary factors: percentage of pizza restaurants to all restaurants in a city, number of pizza restaurants per square mile and number of pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents.

Pittsburgh was rated behind only Rochester, NY and ranked ahead of cross-state rival Philadelphia, which was rated fourth.

Sorry, Philly. Your pizza is amazing. But it's the other side of the commonwealth that has bragging rights for best pizza city in the Keystone State," the study stated.

"In fact, Pittsburgh ranks No. 1 in the country with nearly 71 pizza restaurants for every
100,000 Pittsburghers. That's almost 3.9 per square mile, good for fifth in the U.S."

The study noted that Pittsburgh is more Midwest than East Coast, and thus has its own style of pizza different from Philly or New York. While those cities concentrate on the sauce, in Pittsburgh the cheese reigns supreme.

"Pittsburgh-style pizza is a vessel for cheese," the study stated. "They pile mounds of fresh mozzarella high to satisfy a steel worker's appetite. And to support all that cheese, Pittsburgh pizza tends to offer a much thicker crust than usual."

The study cites Fiori's, Mineo's. Epesus and Beto's are serving great examples of the Pittsburgh style. It particularly recommends trying the Ohio Valley- style pizza exemplified by Beto's "if you dare."

"In this style, the cheese (most often shredded provolone) goes on the pizza after cooking, uncooked and at room temperature. Enjoy that room temperature pizza in your room temperature room. "

The top 10 cities for pizza:

• Rochester

• Pittsburgh

• New Haven, CT

• Philadelphia

• Bridgeport, CT

• Miami

• Buffalo

• Cambridge, MA

• Worcester, MA

• Manchester, NH

What's your favorite pie in Pittsburgh? Let the debate begin in the comments section.

See the entire pizza study here.

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