Best regional pizzas: What’s your favorite local flavor?

As summer road trips heat up, the best regional pizzas are must stops across the country. Time to taste what makes these local pizzas great.

Best Regional Pizzas, Chicago Deep Dish, photo provided by Slice

Pizza can be a hotly debated food topic. The best regional pizzas feature local favorite styles and flavors. Even if you enjoy one particular style of pizza, exploring local regional pizza while traveling is a great idea. Just like other popular local foods, regional pizzas are best enjoyed at some amazing local pizza restaurants.

The pizza team at Slice has compiled a list of some of the best regional pizza styles from across the nation. These regional favorites aren’t like the traditional national chains. Each region has a pizza that focuses on the hometown specialties. While everyone may have a favorite (or preferred style), it is fun to try different pizzas.

Best Regional Pizzas, New York style pizza, photo provided by Slice

Which region has the best pizza dough?

One region has the best pizza dough. Here’s a hint, that area also has the best bagels. New York Style pizza has the best pizza dough. It is because of the New York City water. Just like bagels, the local water creates a delicious pizza dough.

The New York Style pizza dough is crispy, yet chewy. The texture is perfect for the classic New York pizza fold. Anyone knows that real New York pizza fans fold pizza slices to eat them.

Are you looking for a terrific New York pizza place? Slice recommends these locations that are popular with its users.

•Joe’s Pizza – 150 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003
•John’s of Bleecker Street – 278 Bleecker St, New York, NY
•Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano – 1524 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY
•Grimaldi’s – 656 6th Ave, New York, NY

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New Haven style pizza, photo provided by Slice

Which region invented pizza?

When you think of pizza, many regions come to mind. An unlikely area claims to have invented pizza. New Haven is said to be the home of pizza. Whether you believe this claim or not, everyone should try this type of pizza at least once.

The key to a New Haven style pizza is the crispy, coal oven cooked pizza. This particular style of pizza is very crispy, but is neither thin nor thick. Sometimes round shaped or oblong, the focus is the crust more than the shape or the toppings.

To keep the crust as crispy as possible, the pizza is served on wax paper. The wax paper pulls the moisture away and keeps each piece crunchy perfection.

Looking for a great place to try New Haven style pizza, Slice recommends these locations.

•Sally’s Apizza – 237 Wooster Street, New Haven CT 06511
•Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana – 157 Wooster Street, New Haven, CT

Detroit Style pizza, photo provided by Slice

Deep, square pizza from the Motor City

Some people love burnt cheese crusts. Detroit is known for its thick, deep square pizzas. The deep pans used for baking create a burnt cheese layer around the edges. Once you’ve had burnt cheese, you won’t go back.

Detroit deep, square pizza has an interesting history. This style of pizza is said to be created at Buddy’s Pizza during the Prohibition ere. The pizza was served with the illegal alcohol. The classic combination of beer and pizza was born.

Ready to enjoy a slice and a frosty cold one? Here’s a few of the best pizza places in Detroit to try this particular regional style.

•Buddy’s Pizza – 17125 Conant St., Detroit, MI
•Nicki’s Pizza – 734 Beaubien St., Detroit, MI

New Haven style pizza, photo provided by Slice

Unleavened dough is a taste changer

One region uses unleavened dough for its pizza crust. Does that dough make a difference? Better try it to find out.

St. Louis Style pizza is a thin crust pizza that uses unleavened dough. This type of dough doesn’t have yeast. Yeast causes dough to rise, so this crust is thinner or similar to a flatbread.

Also, St. Louis Style pizza doesn’t use mozzarella for its cheese. The cheese on this regional pizza is a Provel cheese blend. The cheeses are usually Swiss, provolone and white cheddar. These flavor combinations are definitely a departure from the traditional pizza pie.

Looking to try a St. Louis Style pizza, here are some great places to order from.

•Imo’s Pizza – 1000 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, MO
•Master Pieza Gourmet Pizza – 2846 Cherokee St, St Louis, MO
•Cecil Whittaker’s – 6018 S Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO

California Style Pizza, photo provided by Slice

California style pizza, anything goes

California style pizza is an all-encompassing style of pizza. Have you ever been to that pizza restaurant? Think about all the pizzas and pizza toppings that they offer. It goes to show that in California, any and everything can go on a pizza.

When it comes to California pizza, the regional pizza is all about the different toppings. From bolder cheeses, like goat cheese, to a cornucopia of vegetables, this pizza is far from traditional Italian pizza.

Even with all the types of toppings, make sure the flavors work together. Some flavors, even on a pizza, aren’t the best combinations. For example, goat cheese and spinach are ok together, but goat cheese and pineapple is a flavor don’t.

Ready to explore the world of inventive pizza toppings? Here are some great California style pizza places to try.

•Sotto – 9575 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
•Prova – 8729 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
•D’Amore’s Famous Pizza – 1136 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Trenton Tomato Pie, photo provided by Slice

Trenton Tomato Pie

In one region, people love tomato pie. Don’t ask people from New Jersey for a slice of pizza. They want tomato pie. This tomato focused treat is definitely not a traditional pizza.

A tomato pie has dough, cheese, finely chopped tomatoes and toppings. All of those ingredients are then covered with a rich tomato sauce. The resulting pie is a tomato explosion.

The key to a delicious tomato pie is the sauce. A balanced sauce must complement the ingredients yet over-power everything. When done well, this pizza style can be quite a treat.

Heading to New Jersey? Here are some places that do tomato pie right.

•DeLorenzo’s Pizza – 147 Sloan Ave, Trenton, NJ
•Papa’s Tomato Pies – 19 Robbinsville Allentown Rd, Robbinsville, NJ

Best Regional Pizzas, Chicago Deep Dish, photo provided by Slice

Chicago Deep Dish pizza

For some people, Chicago Deep Dish pizza is the only way to enjoy a pizza. Unfortunately, other people find that this pizza is more of “pie.” The classic thick crust is best enjoyed with a fork and a knife. When eaten just right, each bite has the perfect combination of buttery crust and toppings.

Another characteristic of a Chicago Deep Dish pizza is the sauce. Many of the Chicago sauces are chunky. The larger pieces of tomato add texture to the pizza. Also, sausage is often one large slab that covers the entire pizza. Don’t even try to pick a slice up to eat it.

A few Chicago pizza locations are quite iconic. Many locals have specific loyalty to various pizza restaurants. If you visit Chicago, make sure to try them all to determine your favorite.

Here are a few of the recommended best places for Chicago Deep Dish.

•Giordano’s – 130 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL
•The Art of Pizza – 3033 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL
•Bartoli’s Pizzeria – 1955 W Addison St, Chicago, IL
•Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – 1120 N State St, Chicago, IL

Next: Route 66 food road trip gems

These pizzas are just a few of the best regional pizzas. What pizzas did our list miss? Share your favorite regional style pizza with #FoodSided. Maybe we will take a food road trip to your recommended pizza stop.