Where to find the world’s best pizzas

Pizza is the indulgent delight that can be eaten just about anywhere, from street food markets to your favorite restaurants to the comfort of your own home. The classic pizza is a staple when it comes to our fast-food fantasties, and has stood the test of time, with the first traces of the dish dating back to antiquity.

But where are the world’s best pizzas today hiding for us to devour? Emmie Harrison-West takes you on a journey to find the best pizzas to sink your teeth into...

Pizza’s best-kept secret is that it was actually invented by the Greeks, when they were in Naples back in 600BC. The citizens of the waterfront city craved cheap food that could be cooked and eaten fast at any time of day. By layering flatbreads with tomatoes, oil, cheese, garlic and anchovies, the pizza was born. Today, the streets of Naples entice visitors with the scent of freshly baked pizza. Cooked in minutes at searing temperatures, Naples prefers a crispy crust, and a pillowy centre. For a real Neapolitan experience, visit Da Michele and choose between a margherita or a marinara. 

There are few more enduring pleasures than lingering over an alfresco meal in a piazza in the Eternal City. Roman food is tasty, nutritious, simple and extremely varied. Hot takeaway pizza has been a key ingredient of Italian life since Roman times. Head to Antico Forno Roscioli on Via dei Chiavari and order pizza al taglio ("by the cut") off giant silver platters fresh out the oven.

NYC is a foodie’s paradise, and a haven for pizza-lovers — particularly for those on a budget, with slices starting from $1. Pizza in the Big Apple is typically wide and crispy, with rich toppings, and thin enough to be folded in half.

For a slice of history, visit Lombardi’s. Founded in 1905, Lombardi’s offers classic Neapolitan margheritas or clam pizzas, and was America’s first pizzeria which sold pizza pies for a cool five cents.

Forget eating pizza in Chicago with your hands, Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizzas are solely a knife-and-fork experience. These pizza-pies are 2-3 inches deep and cooked in a pan, filled to the brim with cheese, meat, vegetables and sauce. A must-visit spot is Pizzeria Uno. Established in 1943, this Victorian brownstone restaurant has been baking deep-dish pizzas for as long as Chicagoans have been debating on who serves the best pie.

It takes a lot of curiosity to choose to try Sicily’s classic street food staple, spleen sandwiches, so there’s no judgement if you opt for pizza on this glorious island. Look for sfincione, similar to a thick-crust pizza, best eaten as a snack, and focacce, thin baked layers of dough filled with greens, sausage, ricotta or tomato. Head to Palermo to Antica Focacceria San Francesco to sample a focacce recipe that hasn’t changed since 1851.

Perhaps the most surprising on the list, Copenhagen is one of the world’s greatest foodie destinations. Find time sauntering between coffee roasteries and cinnamon bun bakeries to sink your teeth into wood-fired pizzas at Bæst. This Danish eatery prides itself on sustainability and serves organic produce of the highest quality. Their pizza is made of local flour, gently fermented, and blasted at 500°C in a custom-made oven from Naples.

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Naples is a dazzling food arena whose enticing flavours have tantalized visitors for millennia. The birthplace of pizza, Naples is bound not to disappoint even the most experienced of foodies. From sugared lemons to a classic margherita, we explore the must-eat foodstuffs the waterfront city has to offer...

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