CALIFORNIA STATE – For decades, pizza arguments have tended to revolve around New York, Chicago, New Haven, and Detroit.
But a new national ranking suggests California deserves a much bigger place in that conversation — and the state’s highest-rated pizza destination may be closer to the Bay Area than many people realize.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, the beloved North Beach restaurant from renowned pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani, has been named one of the best pizzerias in America. The San Francisco spot tied for No. 2 in the newly released 50 Top Pizza USA 2026 guide, sharing the position with Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles.
Only New York City’s Una Pizza Napoletana ranked higher.
That means Tony’s beat out acclaimed pizza restaurants from places more commonly associated with the country’s pizza royalty, including New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, and New Haven.
For Bay Area pizza fans, the result may feel both surprising and long overdue.
Tony’s has been a North Beach fixture for years, but it is far more than a single-style neighborhood pizzeria. The restaurant is known for offering an unusually wide range of pizzas, from Neapolitan and New York-style pies to Detroit-style, Roman, Sicilian, and more.
These are mirrored at Slice House locations from Gemingani’s team.
The 50 Top Pizza guide highlighted the restaurant’s seven different ovens and 11 pizza styles, describing Tony’s as a place where diners can explore how dramatically pizza changes from one region and technique to another.
That variety is a major part of what has made Tony’s a destination restaurant. A visitor can come in for a classic New York slice-style pie one day, then return for a delicate Neapolitan pizza or a thicker, crisp-edged Detroit-style creation another time.
Tony’s was not California’s only big winner.
The 2026 ranking gave California an unusually strong showing near the top. Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles tied Tony’s at No. 2, while Truly Pizza in Dana Point came in at No. 4. Truly Pizza also received the guide’s Pizza of the Year honor for its Umami Mushroom pizza.
Other California restaurants that made the national top 50 included Flour House in San Luis Obispo at No. 22, Nardo in Huntington Beach at No. 25, and Tribute Pizza in San Diego at No. 38.
The ranking is not a public vote or a statewide customer survey. It is an editorial guide that uses anonymous inspectors to evaluate restaurants on factors including the pizza itself, dough, technique, ingredients, service, and atmosphere. It’s published by a company in Italy, the ancestral home of pizza, giving it even more credence!
For Bay Area residents, that means one of the country’s most celebrated pizza experiences is waiting in North Beach — no flight to New York required.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana is located at 1570 Stockton Street in San Francisco. His Slice House restaurants are located throughout the Bay Area, including in Livermore and Walnut Creek.
