CALIFORNIA STATE – California has not replaced New York as America’s most famous pizza destination. But if the latest international rankings are any indication, the Golden State may now be producing more than its share of the country’s most acclaimed pies.
A Bay Area Telegraph review of two major 2026 pizza rankings found that seven distinct California pizzerias collected 10 placements between them. The state effectively dominated many of the top rankings.
The results point to an increasingly diverse California pizza culture stretching from San Francisco to San Diego — and drawing heavily from Italian, Japanese and regional American traditions.
Here’s who won.
California Owned the Top of the U.S. Ranking
The strongest showing came in the 2026 edition of 50 Top Pizza USA, produced by a prestigious Italy-based guide that uses anonymous inspectors to evaluate pizzerias.
New York’s Una Pizza Napoletana retained the No. 1 position for a fifth consecutive year. Immediately behind it, however, were two California restaurants tied at No. 2: Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco.
Truly Pizza in Dana Point placed fourth. Together, those restaurants gave California three of the first five businesses named in the ranking.
The state’s complete showing included:
- No. 2: Pizzeria Sei, Los Angeles
- No. 2: Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco
- No. 4: Truly Pizza, Dana Point
- No. 22: Flour House, San Luis Obispo
- No. 25: Nardo, Huntington Beach
- No. 38: Tribute Pizza, San Diego
The results also marked significant progress for two California establishments. Tony’s moved from third place in 2025 into this year’s second-place tie, while Truly Pizza jumped from ninth to fourth.
Truly received an additional honor for its Umami Mushroom pizza, which was named the guide’s 2026 Pizza of the Year. The pie features roasted mushrooms, mozzarella, fontina, caramelized onion, spinach, garlic, chives and an umami seasoning.
A Global Ranking Reinforced the Results
California also performed well at The Best Pizza Awards, an international competition announced in Milan on June 24.
Unlike 50 Top Pizza, which evaluates restaurants, The Best Pizza Awards primarily ranks individual pizza chefs. Its 2026 list was determined by votes from 392 pizza chefs and 168 journalists, critics and other industry professionals representing 62 countries.
Four of the 14 U.S.-based pizza makers in the global Top 100 worked at California restaurants:
- No. 32: Chris Decker of Truly Pizza
- No. 35: Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
- No. 54: William Sang Woo Joo of Pizzeria Sei
- No. 76: Justin De Leon of Apollonia’s Pizzeria in Los Angeles
That means California accounted for nearly 29% of all American chefs recognized on the worldwide list.
These Are Very Different California Pizzerias
The overlap is particularly notable because the honored restaurants do not follow one uniform California pizza formula.
William Joo and Jennifer So opened Pizzeria Sei in 2022, introducing Los Angeles diners to Joo’s interpretation of Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza. The style emphasizes an exceptionally light, airy and blistered crust, combining Italian foundations with techniques refined by Japanese pizza makers.
The restaurant expanded in June with a larger Palms location, while its original Pico Boulevard space became Sei Pizza Bar.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana has been operating in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood since 2009. Chef-owner Tony Gemignani uses seven ovens to produce a menu spanning approximately a dozen traditions, including Neapolitan, New York, Detroit, New Haven, Sicilian, Roman and California-style pizza.
We love his more casual Slice House spots, too!
Truly Pizza serves both crispy round pizzas and thicker square pies built on a focaccia-like base. Apollonia’s, meanwhile, has developed a following for long-fermented thin-crust rounds and towering square slices that draw inspiration from Detroit-style pizza.
The remaining California honorees extend the geographic range from Flour House on the Central Coast to Nardo in Orange County and Tribute Pizza in San Diego.
The Bay Area Has One Major Standard-Bearer
Among the seven California restaurants appearing in the two numbered rankings, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana was the only Bay Area representative.
Gemignani’s second-place finish is particularly significant because 50 Top Pizza evaluates a ton of different factors. Inspectors consider dough, ingredients and cooking technique, but also service, beverages, atmosphere and the restaurant’s overall dining experience. It’s like the Michelin guide, but for pizza.
California will get another chance to prove itself on September 15, when 50 Top Pizza announces its 2026 worldwide rankings in Naples. The top 15 restaurants from the U.S. list qualify for consideration — including Pizzeria Sei, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana and Truly Pizza.
