I Dream Of Pizza A Pizza Blog, Established In 2008
This year was an epic year for pizza! It feels like a while since I’ve been able to say that. But the truth is that while many pizza places weathered the pandemic well enough to stay afloat, there haven’t been as many exciting openings and expansions since the pre-COVID days. But that all changed in 2023. A New Haven style spot on top of a brewery in Brooklyn? Check. A hip slice joint operating out of a basketball arena? Of course. A renowned chef known for his upscale restaurants pivoting to… what else… pizza? You bet. These are just a few of the spots that made my list this year. But I’m just glad that 2023 felt like the good old days (including that darn line at Lucali, which is as long as ever). Here are the best pies I ate this year:
5) LONG HOT SHALLOT PIZZA
Fini Pizza
Brooklyn, NY
In a review of Fini earlier this year — which is attached to (but not inside) the Barclays Center — I called their pies a “Slam Dunk.” I’ll avoid any further basketball analogies in this blurb, but suffice to say that there are a lot of really incredible pies coming out of the ovens a both locations of Fini, which was started by a co-founder of Lilia. No pie is as good as their Long Hot Shallot, which is topped with hot peppers and roasted shallots, providing a one-two punch of sweet and spicy flavors on top of what is one of Brooklyn’s best new pies.
4) CHEESE PIZZA
De Lucia’s Brick Oven
Raritan, NJ
This New Jersey spot has been serving up pies for over 100 years. But it has seen a resurgence of attention in recent years as Dave Portnoy bestowed a 9.4 rating on it (tied for 2nd highest in the country with Di Fara and Frank Peppe). It’s true — their highly regarded cheese pie is so delicious, you’ll probably want to try and finish the large on your own. The brick oven produces a crust with just the perfect amount of crispiness. And as I chomped on each bite — the simple combination of sauce and cheese elicited a sense of nostalgia.
3) FUNGHI PIZZA
Lala’s
Brooklyn, NY
New Haven style pizza is under represented in New York City. And Lala’s is a welcome addition to a pizza scene that offers just about every style imaginable. Located on the rooftop of Williamsburg’s Grimm Brewery, Lala’s oval shaped pies are cut into approximately 10 small slices, making a single pie the ideal size to share between two people. The Fungi pie (shitake, maitake, thyme, mozzarella, gruyère) puts all other mushroom pizzas to shame. Pro tip: add fermented red onions and some hot honey to top it off.
2) NELLIE PIZZA
Stretch Pizza
New York, NY
For much of his career, Wylie Dufresne has been more closely associated with molecular gastronomy than pizza, but his latest venture — Stretch Pizza — is a formidable entry into the world of sauce and cheese. After running a pandemic pop up out of Bread’s Bakery, the full service pizzeria in the Flatiron neighborhood serves up ten pies featuring non-traditional toppings such as horseradish, tempura crumbs and dan dan chicken (those are all found on different pies). While a return visit is in order to explore the menu more, I was blown away by the “Nellie” pie which is a shallot lovers dream. It features roasted shallots, pickled shallots, and fried shallots. A trifecta of perfection.
1) ALLIUM PIZZA
JBGB
Baltimore, Maryland
JBGB (which stands for John Brown General & Butchery) doesn’t sound like a place that would be serving noteworthy pizza. But during a stop there for dinner this summer, I ordered their Allium pie (mozzarella, fontina, scallion bechamel, cipollini, sweet & sour onions, garlic oil) off of a menu that also includes a cheeseburger, steak, pork loin and fish. When the pie arrived at my table, I knew I’d made a good choice. To all of the garlic and onion lovers out there — it doesn’t get any better than this. Every bite melted in my mouth, as the scallion bechamel sauce and garlic oil formed a remarkable combination of flavors. The crispy and crunchy crust was the perfect canvas for my favorite pie of 2023.
