My Own Phoenix Pizza Primer

We've come a long, long way.  Gone are the sodium-laced memories of having to put up with a Pistol Pete's or Pizza Hut whenever you were struck with an urging for pizza.  These days Phoenix hosts some of the best pizza options to be found anywhere between the two coasts.

I have created this quick guide to help you navigate the myriad options that populate the Valley.


Pizza Faithful to Its Italian Roots
 Our distant paisanos from Naples are the proud folk who introduced us to pizza as we know it, so it is only fitting that we start here. The skill and flavor has been passed down for several generations and they jealously guard the authenticity of their legacy through things like the Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN).  In this town, there are only two spots that can claim to maintain the high standards of the VPN and they are Pomo and La Piazza Al Forno.

Pomo is the go-to option for me with locations in downtown Phoenix as well as Gainey Ranch.  Affable owner, Stefano Fabbri will welcome you with open arms.  To experience Pomo is to experience pizza completely faithful to the vision that was nourished on the slopes of grand Vesuvius.  His new market is also laden with the finest Italian imports.  Close your eyes, listen to the music of Eros Ramazzotti in the back ground, and take a deep breath.  You will swear that you are dining at a distant relative's somewhere along the old Appian Way.


Neapolitan Pizza 2.0
 Many will argue that the Neapolitan pizza is perfect and that it is a quixotic folly to try improve upon its ideal form.  And they will be correct to a large degree.  Among all the failed attempts stands one man who can proudly claim to have taken this classic a small step further.  That man of course is local legend Chris Bianco and his pizza can be found at Pizzeria Bianco.

You see Chris cut his teeth learning from the masters in the old country.  But he had the audacity and genius to innovate the art form.  One bite of a Wise Guy pizza and you will quickly realize that perfection is a moving target. 

Another local pizza purveyor that is managing to take the Neapolitan to new destinations is the Martingiglio family at Cibo. Their Dolce Vita pizza will have you wondering if the famous expression sprang from the joy experienced from a first bite of this sweet and doughy epiphany.


A New York State of Mind
 Soon enough the pizza would make it to our shores by way of the influx of early 20th Century Italian immigrants.  New York was where this great dish experienced its adolescence as Italian Americans looked to local resources to recreate and innovate upon their old world recipes.   Soon enough those people and their creations made their way to our warm desert and Phoenix became one of many cities fortunate enough to host these Bronx fired establishments.

There are several local restaurants boasting an authentic "New York" experience but only a few that will have speaking with an accent upon leaving.  The Casanova Brothers in Gilbert offer some great slices and owners so nice that you will doubt their New York roots.  Grimaldi's, while somewhat corporate, will introduce you to the true coal fired experience.

The Windy City Contribution
 Let's not start a debate here.  Let's just admit and realize that Chicago, while not New York or Naples, has made its own significant contributions to the beloved pie. And to most people that comes in the form of a hearty deep dish pizza.

Pizzeria Uno used to be the defacto spot to get your deep dish in the desert.  Now that tasty mantle falls principally to two players,  Spinatos and BJ's. Pay special attention to Spinatos.  Their sauce is sweeter then most and their innovations are just as spectacular as any made by Mr. Bianco.  One bite of their famed Spaghetti Calzone will have you wondering why this specialty hasn't been copied a hundred times over.   


The Family and Friends Good Times Spot
Pizza is meant to be shared amongst friends and family.  It's Italian after all.  To many people the atmosphere is as important as the food.  Fortunately in Phoenix there are a couple of spots that allow you to enjoy both.

To most long-time residents, Oreganos is the spot you pick when you want to gather the pals.  This Chicago inspired spot is a Phoenix fixture and it has been serving both thin and deep dish pizzas for locals since back when the Suns were the only team in town. If you've got a van full of unruly kids and grandparents might I recommend Organ Stop Pizza? Their pizza doesn't belong in the same room as those mentioned before but once you spend a few minutes with the mighty Wurlitzer organ all of that won't matter.  You'll be so into the music that it wouldn't matter if you were eating Prego sauce spread over a soda cracker.

Locally Inspired Pizza
The true essence of Italian cooking is utilizing locally sourced and grown ingredients, right?  With that in mind let us pay tribute to a couple of spots that try to keep Arizona first.

While we could mention Chris Bianco again and his homemade mozzarella, let's spend a moment to savor one of Bianco's kindred spirits, the good folks across the street at the Parlor.  They have a local herb garden on site that shines through with each bite.  Their commitment to locally sourced products like Schreiner's sausage, further demonstrates that you can create a top dish with ingredients grown within a quick drive.


The Quick Lunch
The great thing about pizza is that it is quick and can be consumed on the go; the perfect answer to the American-inspired 60-hour work week.  Quick typically doesn't translate into quality so you must navigate carefully.  Here are a couple of good and affordable lunch spots.

Picazzo's, in spite of the unfortunate Italian translation, has a balanced pizza/salad combo that provides many good combinations for under $9.  Recent new comer, Fired Pie, has successfully adopted the Chipotle business model and adapted it for pizza and salads.  While neither option will likely win any awards any time soon they are good and they fit the midday price point.

Just Because I Need to Mention It
I would feel very guilty if I devoted 500 plus words to the Phoenix pizza pie without mentioning La Grande Orange's second best creation*, the Roasted Corn pizza.  The combination of the sour dough crust, corn, roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese is a heavenly quartet and reason enough to deal with their silly and small parking lot.


Conclusion
Well friends I hope that I've opened up your eyes to the endless pizza opportunities that exist within our very fair Valley.  I hope that you feel very guilty the next time you pick up the phone to dial Papa Johns.  There is too much bliss to be experienced from the pizza on this list and life is too short to be spent chewing your way through dough that was just defrosted.

Ciao and happy eats!

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* The first being their insanely tasty but ever expensive English muffins