Anthony Mangieri has reclaimed the top spot. His Una Pizza Napoletana, located in New York’s Lower East Side, has been named the best pizzeria in the world by 50 Top Pizza, a year after it briefly lost the crown.
Mangieri, a New Jersey native, has been perfecting his craft for over 30 years. He initially moved his pizzeria from New York to San Francisco before returning to Manhattan in 2018. His pizzas are rooted in the traditional Neapolitan style, but he continuously experiments with the recipe for his naturally leavened, airy-crusted creations. Earlier this year, Mangieri also topped 50 Top Pizza’s list of the best pizza places in America for the third consecutive time. In 2023, the top spot was shared by two Italian pizzerias—Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria in Naples and I Masanielli in Caserta—but this year, they slid to second place.
50 Top Pizza, the organization behind the annual rankings, was founded in 2014 by three Italians: Barbara Guerra, Luciano Pignataro, and Albert Sapere. Their goal was to highlight exceptional pizzerias across the globe. The rankings are based on surveys and anonymous in-person visits to the pizzerias. The popularity of these rankings has paralleled the rise of high-end pizza, where some diners seek out pizza with the same passion as they do the fine dining establishments on the World’s 50 Best list. Pizza, once a casual meal, has been elevated to a gourmet experience, with pizzaiolos offering tasting menus that put the humble dish at the center of sophisticated dining.
This year’s top 10 list also includes The Pizza Baron 38th in Tokyo, Confine in Milan, Napoli on the Road in London, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco, I Tigli in San Bonifacio, Italy, Sartoria Panatieri in Barcelona, 50 Kalò in Naples, and Seu Pizza Illuminati in Rome.
As for national pride, Italy took the lead with the most pizzerias in the top 100 (or 102, due to ties), followed by the U.S., which had 15 restaurants make the list. Naples dominated the rankings with five pizzerias in the top spots, while nearby Caserta had four. New York City had four pizzerias in the rankings, down from five last year after Song’ E Napule dropped out.
But rest assured, New York remains a pizza mecca, and there’s no need for a global ranking to confirm it.