See how the Valley’s best pizza spots stack up against each other.

Back to our 'Passion of the Crust' story.

Classic Italian Pizza
Margherita pizza: $10.75
Crust: Soft but firm with slightly crispy, symmetrical rim
Sauce: Savory and well
balanced
Cheese: Commercial (housemade cheese used on salads and other dishes)
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Plenty of zingy basil and properly rich, melty cheese
Next-day quality: Score! Flavor was heightened significantly.
Overall grade: A-


Pizzeria Bianco
Margherita pizza: $11
Crust: Thin and crispy with mild toasty flavor and light char
Sauce: Well balanced with a nice flavor
Cheese: Housemade
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Evenly scattered basil; pinholes in the cheese kept oil from soaking into the crust.
Next-day quality: Even better! Soft crust, tangy sauce, solid cheese
Overall grade: A-


Parlor Pizzeria
Margherita pizza: $14
Crust: Half-burnt, half-golden brown; too soft on the bottom to pick up
Sauce: A bit bland
Cheese: Housemade
Oven: Wood-gas combo
Toppings: Evenly distributed tomatoes and mozzarella rounds; generous basil
Next-day quality: Even better! Firm crust, great flavor
Overall grade: B+


Cibo
Margherita pizza: $10
Crust: Slightly thick and soft with spots of char
Sauce: Chunky and bright
tasting
Cheese: Commercial
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Generous amounts of mozzarella and basil
Next-day quality: Fail! Crust was limp and damp; cheese was overwhelming
Overall grade: B-


Pomo Pizzeria
Margherita pizza: $11.95
Crust: Somewhat under-baked; good bready flavor
Sauce: Thin but savory, made from San Marzano tomatoes
Cheese: Imported from Italy
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Basil was nearly nonexistent and unevenly spread
Next-day quality: Good. Crust was firm with a charred flavor, but cheese was rubbery; still needs more basil.
Overall grade: C+


Humble Pie
Margherita pizza: $9.95
Crust: Thin and crispy but burned on the bottom; rim was thick on one half, flat on the other.
Sauce: Thick and equally sweet/acidic
Cheese: Housemade
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Healthy scattering of basil
Next-day quality: Fail! Crust was too tough; sauce tasted of tomato paste.
Overall grade: C


Grazie
Margherita pizza: $13
Crust: Slightly uneven with one half a bit more charred than the other; soft in the middle, crispy on the edge
Sauce: Thin and neutral in flavor
Cheese: Housemade
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Too much cheese, not nearly enough basil
Next-day quality: Fail! Crust was soggy; cheese dominated flavor and texture.
Overall grade: C-


La Piazza Al Forno
Margherita pizza: $10
Crust: Unevenly cooked on the edge, properly browned on the bottom; way too soft and wet
Sauce: Exploding with flavor, but too wet
Cheese: Housemade
Oven: Wood-fired
Toppings: Nearly nonexistent basil
Next-day quality: Fail! Overly wet sauce and too much olive oil disintegrated the crust.
Overall grade: C-