Arizona fared well on Yelp’s recent list of the 100 best restaurants for pizza in the U.S. and Canada. Appropriately, the online food-review aggregator awarded four spots to our slice-crazy state – and just as ticklishly, the pizzerias in question were not the usual A-list suspects. Since three of them reside in Central Phoenix, they make for a credible try-’em-all-in-one-night ET adventure.
The Rules
1. Assemble 6-8 people. Visit the restaurants in order.
2. Always order one pepperoni to split, as a benchmark, and another pizza.
3. At the conclusion of the crawl, vote for Best Pepperoni and Best Overall.
Base Pizzeria
Ranked No. 57 on the Yelp list, this urbane Biltmore-area eatery specializes in the kind of thin-crust, Neapolitan-style pie that’s made Phoenix a pizza hot spot. Try the Base – essentially the restaurant’s version of a margherita, with mozzarella-like fior di latte.
3115 E. Lincoln Dr., Phoenix, 602-535-8914, basepizzeria.com
My Slice of the Pie Pizzeria
Fair prices (the best under-$10 deal in the Valley, arguably) and fun toppings (think: al pastor with grilled pineapple and cilantro) propelled this lunchtime favorite in Arcadia Lite to a lofty No. 18 ranking on the Yelp list.
3724 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, 602-956-2098, mysliceofthepiepizzeria.com
Pizza A Metro
Readers of PHOENIX know all about this unassuming shoebox restaurant near Phoenix College, hailed on these pages regularly for its thin, crispy-edged, rectangular pizzas – served, if you like, a metro, or “by the meter.” 2336 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, 602-262-9999, pizzametroaz.com
Bonus: Drive to Cottonwood to try the fourth pizzeria on the Yelp list, Pizzeria Bocce (No. 68).
