Top 25 Pizza Places in USA

[Andymayo99]

The latest GQ magazine names the top 25 pizza places in America.Two Boston restaurants made the list, Galleria Umberto and Santarpios. I've been to Santarpios a few times, but never heard of Galleria Umberto. I'd like to hear some opinions on the place.

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, please feel free to continue discussion of local Boston pizza on this thread, but we've moved a tangent to the Food Media & News board, at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/624997 for those would like to discuss the article, the author, and all of the places discussed.

[PAUL]

I think this thread is misleading. Several posters have implied or stated it is not worth a trip just for the pizza. I would have to disagree. Anybody who compares it to “school cafeteria pizza” must be eating in some fabulous school cafeterias. It is a thick crust pan style pizza with an EXCELLANT crust. I happen to think any pizza is 75% crust and 25% toppings. Great toppings are easy but great crust is not. If you like this style of pizza and are focused on the crust it is well worth a trip just for the pizza.

[glenn mcdonald]

Well, I admit that the pizza is *part* of why I go to Umberto's. I wouldn't leave there without having eaten some, but I also wouldn't leave there having eaten only pizza.

[hiddenboston]

As much as I love Santarp's and Umberto's, I can't believe they left Regina's off the list. Perhaps it was an oversight on their part?

[Andymayo99]

I'm sure there's many places that should have made the list. It's like any list - unless a plce you like is on it, it's not legitimate. I'm just rying to get some feedback on Umbertos.

[Karl S]

They were probably driving and found parking in the area a hassle, or they didn't want to deal with the line. Or perhaps they confused the Mother Ship with the chain?

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Parking and line issues are about 10 times worse at Umberto than they are at Regina: you're not going to stand on line at Regina for 20 minutes and have them run out of food two people ahead of you.

I absolutely love Galleria Umberto -- it's among my favorite restaurants in the world -- but I completely agree that the pizza is not at all why I go.

[Karl S]

true.

[garlic breath]

I have insider information that Alan Richman did indeed eat pizza at the original Regina. No information, apologetically, as to why he left it off the list.

[Allstonian]

I love Galleria Umberto, and I actually enjoy their pizza, but it is NOT among the top 25 in the US. It's a basic plain Sicilian-style pizza that some compare to "school cafeteria pizza." I like the arancini and the calzones at GU much better than the pizza.

[kimfair1]

I'm with you Allstonian, my wife and I go to Umberto's often, but not for the pizza. We go for the arancini, which my wife calls GOG (Golden Orbs of Goodness)! I always get a slice with my ridiculously huge order (we eat there on Saturdays usually, and it's our meal for the day), but I wouldn't go there just for the pizza. Plenty of full pizza boxes leaving the restaurant, though, tell me that plenty of folks DO go there just for the pizza.

Also leaving the original Regina's off the list is criminal, but perhaps it was left off because there are so many Regina's, and as we know, none of them are quite as good as the original North End one.

[Delhiwala]

I know that it is not a GQ type of place, but the failure to list Regina Pizzaria makes the entire top 25 list highly suspect, IMHO.

[Blumie]

Every list of this type, irrespective of the source, is inherently suspect.

[Blumie]

So I'm embarrassed to admit that I posted without actually having read the article. Now that I have, I have to say that, while I still find "best of" and top x" articles to be inherently suspect, this is one of the better ones I've read. Although many here will disagree, it's not absurd to prefer Santarpio's over Regina. Co. (pronounced "company"), one of the places that also makes the list, currently is my favorite NYC pizza place. (My girlfriend calls their "Bird's Nest" pizza -- with shaved asparagus, truffles, and quail eggs -- the best pizza she's ever had.) This guy clearly has done his research, and while we can debate the "top 25" for the rest of time, these appear to be some fairly strong candidates.

[bluesjack]

Like Santarpio's is a GQ Place :-)

[Infomaniac]

Santarpio's is GQ if you like Andrew Dice Clay.