Italian Organization Confirms the World’s Best Pizza Is in New York

If you’re suddenly hit with a serious craving for pizza—or you’re just really hungry—the best pizza in the world is probably whatever you can get the quickest. But if you’ve got the luxury of time and transportation, plan a trip to New York City: According to one Italian review organization, that’s where you’ll find the best pizza on the planet.

As Smithsonian Magazine reports, Italy-based 50 Top Pizza ranks the world’s best slices by dispatching a legion of taste-testers to pizzerias across the globe. It’s totally anonymous, and 50 Top Pizza says its inspectors “do not have any professional involvement, neither direct nor indirect, with the food sector.” Pizzerias are also encouraged to report “individuals who promise a significant rise in our rankings through the purchase of products or through the recruitment of a press office.” In short, the organization seems pretty committed to ensuring that the system remains impartial and uncorrupted.

According to that system, Una Pizza Napoletana on the Lower East Side of Manhattan has the world’s best pies. It’s owned by Anthony Mangieri, who founded the first version of the pizzeria in his home state of New Jersey back in 1996.

Don’t cry for Italy: The birthplace of modern pizza holds 12 of the top 25 spots on the list, including runner-up Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria in Naples and third-place finisher I Masanielli – Francesco Martucci in Caserta. The U.S. only has four; in addition to Mangieri’s joint, there’s also Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco, Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia, and Ribalta in Manhattan. Japan, England, Spain, Brazil, the Philippines, Austria, and Hong Kong had eateries in the top 25 as well.

See the top 25 below, and check out the full list of 100 here. The organization also breaks down the best pizza spots by region—specifically Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the United States, and Italy—so feel free to explore whatever offerings are closest to you.

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