Unique Pizzas You Need To Try At Least Once

It's Friday night, and you can finally bask in the knowledge you successfully made it to the end of the work week and that early morning alarm won't scream you awake for the next two days. Your Netflix is cued up, your feet are resting on an ottoman, and a cold brew sits in your hand. But, the biggest question of the evening still looms: What are you having for dinner? You definitely don't want to spend hours in the kitchen after a long week dealing with work stress, so that leaves delivery. And, what pairs perfectly with a refreshing beer and a night full of streaming? Pizza, of course! Hop on that phone and get a pie delivered right away. You have a delicious and effortless night ahead of you, and you deserve it.

Pizza has swooped in like a mozzarella-coated superhero to save dinner tons of times. It's a classic Friday meal that's affordable and delicious, so why not indulge when you don't feel like spending hours over a stove? But, the best part about 'za is the endless amounts of ingredients you can pile on top to make it even better. You can literally put anything on pizza (not advising you to put literally anything, but you technically could). We're all familiar with basic pies like pepperoni, veggie, or ham and pineapple, but there are some pizza joints around the country that truly stretched their imaginations to create the wildest pies imaginable.

If you don't live in Alaska (like most people in America), even the thought of journeying through Canada to get there seems completely daunting. However, there are plenty of reasons to visit the great state, and one of them is the Moose's Tooth, a pub and pizzeria located in Anchorage. It was founded in 1996 by two college buddies who bailed out on lucrative careers in computer science and law to enter the pizza game, and boy what a correct decision it turned out to be. Not only do they serve great food, but they work closely with the Broken Tooth Brewing company so patrons have a large selection of amazing beers to enjoy while they toss back a pie.

Moose's Tooth has a wide variety of both vegetarian and meat pies. So if you're looking for a specialty pie with ingredients that weren't running around the day before, you're in luck. But, it's the meat pies that really shine. Especially the Call of the Wild Pie. This thing is loaded with rich ingredients, including steak, bacon, portabella and cremini mushrooms, and garlic cream sauce, with the exciting addition of reindeer sausage. That's right, they use reindeer meat on their pizza to make it a truly unique experience for anyone visiting. Jack London would be so proud.

When you realize the pizza place you're headed to was founded by a legendary professional skateboarder, you can be absolutely sure you're about to encounter some pretty groovy menu options, and that's exactly what skater Salman Agah strived for when he opened Pizzanista! in 2010 in downtown Los Angeles. According to the website, "Pizzanista! blends the historic flavor and thin-crust style of New York pizza with California's abundance of fresh produce and small-batch ingredients." Two amazing worlds come crashing into one delicious location. The chef Agah recruited, a pizza maestro named Steve Samson, ensured the menu was full of enough wild concoctions to make anyone's head spin. And, he cracked a grand slam out of the park with that endeavor.

Here's a word of advice if you're looking to score one of the wildest pizzas on the menu: Head there on Sunday. Why? Unfortunately, that's the only day of the week they offer it, so take advantage of the opportunity to wrap your mouth around a slice of Macaroni & Cheese Pizza. That's right, folks. All of the nostalgia of childhood mac and cheese thrown together with pizza for one helluva carb-loaded flavor bomb. Whatever you're picturing it looks like, you're right. It's literally just gooey baked-to-perfection elbow noodles and cheddar cheese ladled onto a cheese pie. Sure, your arteries might have an angry word with you afterward, but it's worth it.

One word that comes to mind when you think of Colorado is adventure. The sprawling mountainsides and amazing scenery make for a place where outdoor living isn't just encouraged, it's essential. That's exactly the feeling founders Jean-Philippe Failyau and Peter Newlin wanted guests to feel when they opened the doors to Homegrown Tap & Dough. Newlin, the more adventurous of the two, was the brains behind the idea to create a restaurant that captured the variety of passions residents of Colorado enjoyed as Failyau took the menu's reins to create an amazing selection of dishes that speak to Colorado's beauty.

When you have a chef so passionate about serving pizza that truly emulates the feel of a place as wonderful as Colorado, there is going to be far more than just one great pizza to choose from. However, you should focus your attention on the Pigs & Pears Pie if you want something with a whole array of unique flavors that sing together in perfect harmony. Starting with a roasted garlic foundation, the pie comes with mozzarella, parmesan, and goat cheese (a cheese three-fer), butternut squash, arugula, candied pears, bacon, and a sweet balsamic drizzle to finish off an already-astounding, mind-blowing pizza. The dazzling intensity of the sweet and savory ingredients hit your tongue like a battering ram of exquisite flavor you'll remember long after you leave.

Oftentimes, going out for pizza is a family affair, and why shouldn't it be? People of all ages love diving head-first into a hot slice of freshly made pizza. However, sometimes you and your adult friends want to unwind with some cocktails and let your hair down for the evening, so you want to leave the young ones at home. This is where a New Haven, Connecticut place like BAR comes into play. It's strictly 21 and over due to the fact it's part restaurant and part dance club, so you can hit the floor and bust out your gnarliest stanky leg to impress your friends. But, not before you get some grub in that belly. And, they have the perfect pie to order to ensure that the alcohol your guzzling soaks up and your friends don't have to carry you home like luggage.

What pizza, exactly, are we talking about? Well, it'd be the incredibly heavy but always-delicious Mashed Potato and Bacon Pie. It's hard to picture so many carbs resting on one thin disc of dough, but BAR makes it happen. Hey, at least you have the bacon flavor to cut through the density of the starch and dough. BAR knew what they were doing when they thought up this beast. They needed to ensure people were able to drink all night without getting so drunk they stumbled into the DJ equipment. Well played, BAR.

Sometimes you crave a bizarre, but super fun, dining experience. You want to go somewhere that doesn't abide by the rules so many other places do. That's why people head to Fong's Pizza in Des Moines, Iowa, when they're fiending for an environment that's totally out of the ordinary. The name "Fong" is a tribute to a Chinese-American actor named Benson Fong whose fame came from a slew of popular Charlie Chan movies, and the restaurant itself is actually a remodeled version of a Chinese-American restaurant named King Ying Low, one of the oldest Chinese-American restaurants in the country, that closed its doors in 2008. The closing of King Ying Low was unfortunate, but Fong's Pizza stepped in to make them proud with a wild menu of unique items.

So many of their pizza options are deliciously insane, like the Crab Rangoon Pizza with cream cheese and crab meat or the Thai Chicken pizza with Thai peanut sauce and candied peanuts. However, the one that takes the cake (and that's a tough thing to do at a place like this) is the Ramen Pizza. It's the taste of ramen without the broth, and it's worth every penny. Your dough is topped with ramen noodles, edamame, water chestnuts, red onion, mozzarella cheese, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and a drizzle of their homemade Fongolian sauce. If that's not enough, you can add beef, chicken, or pork.

Dimo's Pizza in Chicago, Illinois takes their passion to deliver a great product to their customers very seriously. Read the About Us section on their website and you realize these people aren't just making food — they're striving to make their community a better place. Highlighted terms like "Core Values," "Purposeful Passion," "Hyperlocal Community Engagement," and "Inspired Motivation" aren't something you often find on a restaurant's site, and that makes Dimo's something special. And, when it comes to the pizza they serve, they knock it out of the park with offerings so unique people might not even believe you until they see them for themselves.

One of the pizzas that certainly screams out to you the loudest when looking at their menu is the Banh Mi Baby One More Time (cue the Britney Spears song). If you've never had a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich, it's a baguette that's usually served with pate, ham, pickled veggies, cilantro, hoisin sauce, and mayo. Well, take that idea and apply it to a pizza. Dimo's Bahn Mi pie comes with Char Siu-style bacon, pickled veggies, mint, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a hefty drizzle of sesame aioli all resting on top of a mozzarella cheese and pate cream base. It's not often you can snag a pizza that reminds you of Vietnamese cuisine, but Dimo's has hit the nail on the head.

We all want to act classy as often as we can. It's not always that easy sometimes, but Pizzeria Lola in Minneapolis, Minnesota is here to help with a pie called Lady Zaza. Just picture what a woman who calls herself Lady Zaza looks like. Impeccable hair, makeup that looks seamlessly applied, and a wardrobe so dazzling that when she strolls into a room people can't help but stare in awe with their jaws on the floor. Yea, Lady Zaza is one-of-a-kind classy, and that's why when you find yourself at Pizzeria Lola you have to give her a try. C'mon now, you don't want people to think you lack class, do you?

The Lady Zaza pie is joined on the menu by other very unique offerings like a Korean BBQ Pie and Seoul Chicken Pie. Even though both of those are enticing as all heck, stick with Lady Zaza and she'll lead you to flavor nirvana. The dough starts with a base of Italian red sauce (not very classy, we know), but then it immediately springs into flavor-blasted action with serrano peppers, Korean sausage, kimchi (right!?), and a soy-chili glaze to put the cherry on top of an already stellar combination of umami-packed flavors. The richness of the sausage cuts through the sour and spicy kimchi, and the glaze adds a layer of savory heat that brings out the flavors of everything it touches.

If you consider yourself even the slightest bit a foodie, you've heard of Wolfgang Puck. Not only does he have one of the coolest names around, but the guy is an absolute legend when it comes to the culinary arts. He's the proud recipient of several Michelin stars, he's written tons of bestselling cookbooks, and he always seems to pop up on food shows to offer fantastic cooking advice. So, when you have the opportunity to visit one of his restaurants, you cherish it. Now, dining at one of his spots and ordering pizza might seem a little odd considering there are so many other decadent options to choose from, but just like the rest of the menu, the pizza is out of this world.

Spago is the name of Puck's Beverly Hills restaurant, and they have two pizza options on their menu, one with shaved black truffles and one with salmon. It's the salmon option that'll have you dreaming about it for weeks after you finish the meal. The base of the pizza is a smooth and creamy dill crème fraiche, and it's topped with red onion, chives, cured smoked Scottish salmon, and if that's not salmon–packed enough, it's finished with dollops of salmon roe. Every bite whisks you into the ocean, and the fresh blast of crème fraiche carries you back to land. It's a divine creation only a man like Puck could pull off.

When perusing the Matthew's Pizza website, you notice the tab that reads "Awards and Reviews." Now, in your mind, you figure you'll click on it to find a handful of accolades and some good reviews left by satisfied customers. Well, think again. The amount of awards Mathew's Pizza has won is astonishing. You just keep scrolling and scrolling past award after award for their amazing pies. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this place has been the talk of the town for years. From Zagat to The New York Times, this place has remained a constant in the pizza dominating game. And, the one pie they serve that people rave about is their Crab Pie, which makes sense seeing as Maryland and crabs go together like Georgia and peaches.

Hold onto your crustaceans, people, this Crab Pie packs a two-clawed punch to the palate. It's chock full of backfin crab meat mixed with hand-grated mozzarella and imported Reggianito (similar to Parmesan) cheese, caramelized onions, and a generous sprinkling of Old Bay seasoning. The significance of the pizza was explained perfectly in a 2018 article by Baltimore Magazine: "If ever there were a dish that crystallizes the crazy complexities and contradictions of this city we all know and love, it's crab pie. It's one of those rare, magically right dishes that so thoroughly encapsulates the essence of a people, a place, and a time that you just assume it's been on the menu since the very beginning."

Stillwater, Oklahoma is where you can find the historic pizza restaurant called The Hideaway, one of the very first pie-serving restaurants in the state. Its original name was Campus Hideaway, but the word "campus" was dropped after two brothers, Richard and Marti Demer, bought it decades ago. Both men knew pizza would explode in popularity, with Richard even making the comment, "Pizza is going to be more popular than hamburgers," after eating a slice from the original establishment. To this day The Hideaway serves hungry guests great pizza and leaves their appetite smiling wide. However, their pie called The Hideaway Special is a creation you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

The people at The Hideaway knew all too well how difficult it could be to settle on which pie you wanted, especially if you're with a group that liked different flavors. So, they decided to create one pie with eight different flavor profiles. Yep, every slice in the pie has a completely different topping, so if someone in the group is the lone vegetarian among carnivores, they can enjoy a slice from the same pie that has bacon and sausage. It's a genius move on The Hideaway's part, and it's one of the reasons for its long-lasting success.

The "Should I have tacos or pizza?" conundrum has haunted people for decades. It's a horrifically difficult choice that forces you to cast aside one delicious food for another. Whatever decision you choose, you're still left with the nagging question, "Would the other choice have suited me better?" It's an awful predicament to find yourself in. Unless, of course, you happen to take a stroll through Hoboken, New Jersey. Here, a pizza spot named Tony Baloney's has both those bases covered in one absolute unit of a pizza called the Taco Taco Taco. This thing is so epic that Thrillist, First We Feast, and Insider have covered it on their YouTube channels. This thing is literally the talk of the Internet.

The genesis of the pizza, according to owner Mike Haulk, who spoke to Thrillist, came about when a group of inebriated friends stumbled in looking for tacos, which, at the time, Tony Baloney's didn't serve. But that gave Haulk a grand idea: Break out some tortillas, make an assortment of tacos, and put them on a pizza. Other customers who walked in immediately wanted to know what the deal was with the Frankenstein creation, and Taco Taco Taco became a staple menu item. The pizza is made with fresh Oaxacan queso blanco, chipotle mole sauce, and an assortment of different tacos like carne asada, cheesy chorizo, buffalo chicken, and cheesesteak.

Regardless of who you are, at one point or another (or many, many points) you have succumbed to what is known as the "itis." If you're unfamiliar with the term, it refers to that feeling of crippling sluggishness one's body is overwhelmed with after an incredibly heavy meal. When the itis hits, you cancel your plans for the rest of the day and collapse promptly onto your bed for a nap. Well, the good people at the Wichita Brewing Company in Kansas know all too well how to rev up the itis engine until it's about to explode, and they put that knowledge into a pizza they appropriately call the Itis.

When you embark on the sleep-inducing journey that is the Itis pie, you need to mentally prepare yourself. This thing stares you in the face until your appetite cowers in fear, and it can smell your intimidation from inside the oven. So, listen up close kids. This Itis pie is a pizza slathered in American and cream cheese, Italian sausage, and spicy capicola. Then (wait for it...), an entire second layer of pizza dough is placed on top of the first and covered in marinara sauce, cubed pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, and a double portion of sweet pepper bacon. It's a double-decker meat-and-cheese extravaganza ready to throw your nutritionist into a chokehold until they shout, "Uncle!" Bring a cot with you so you can roll into it from your dining room chair. Sweet dreams.