The Best Italian Pizza In The World Isn't Made In Italy

Big news for New York pizza fans as the city is now home to the best pizza in the entire world, according to the prestigious Italian group 50 Top Pizza's recently announced 2024 rankings. The honor goes to Una Pizza Napoletana, the Lower East Side pizzeria brought to life by Anthony Mangieri.

This is the third year in a row that Una Pizza Napoletana has been named the number one pizza in the U.S. but the first time the pizzeria has been recognized as the best in the world. It's an incredible accomplishment for the Una team and one which speaks to Mangieri's talent and dedication to the craft.

Una Pizza Napoletana was the only American pizzeria included in the top five of 50 Top Pizza's 2024 rankings, three of which were located in Italy. Pizza comes in many shapes and sizes globally, but Neapolitan is clearly the style of pizza that garners critical acclaim; as Mangieri won by outcompeting several other Neapolitan-style masters.

The acknowledgment of Anthony Mangieri's mastery of Neapolitan pizza is undoubtedly a peak achievement in the New Jersey native's decades-long pursuit of the perfect pizza. And it makes sense that the accolade would go to a New York pizzeria, since New York is consistently one of the best pizza cities in the U.S., if not the very best.

Interestingly enough, Una Pizza Napoletana has only been located in the Lower East Side since 2022, but the pizzeria has existed under this name with Mangieri at the helm since 1996 when it opened its doors in New Jersey. Since then, the brick and mortar has traveled to Manhattan, San Francisco, then back again to Manhattan, always with Mangieri leading the charge.

There's currently only one location of Una Pizza Napoletana, partly due to the fact that the team is concerned that expansion will dilute the quality of their pizzas but also because Mangieri personally makes every piece of dough that makes its way into the brick fire oven. If Mangieri isn't available, the store simply doesn't open its doors. It's that kind of dedication that makes Una Pizza Napoletana not only the absolute best pizza in NYC, but the very best pizza in the entire world. Of course, the new moniker isn't going to help any with Una's infamously long wait times, but good things come to those who wait.