TulaneLSU

Friend,

We did try Nonno’s. I think of all the styles of pizza I like Chicago tavern the least or next to least with only deep dish and St Louis style in that range. If I want thin crust, which is all that Chicago tavern is, I will get one from Domino’s. There is not a single Chicago thin crust restaurant in Chicago that I think is worth visiting. I’d much rather Lou Malnati’s.

I have not tried BJ’s pizza in Lafayette.

Frank’s is not in the top 20 in Houston. It may be considered historic, but the pizza is not memorable. All of Houston’s slice shops are unmemorable. Homeslice is worse than the average 99 cent slice shop in NY. Pink’s is only slightly better than Homeslice.

I shall try Sorrento’s the next time we have a dining opening in Houston, based on your recommendation.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friends,

It’s that time again: TulaneLSU’s Top 100 Pizzerias in America. The 2025–2026 year had us on the road more than usual, eating our way through over 350 pizzerias. Many were familiar stops, but more than 100 were new. One starts to see patterns when you do this much pizza eating, and one truth keeps asserting itself with the force of doctrine: New York is still the center. Not by reputation, but by volume, creativity, and consistency. It remains the pizza capital of the world. New Haven, long cast as a challenger, did not make its case this year. The highs were lower, the misses more frequent. What once some argued was tight now is but a footnote.

What has changed more interestingly is the distribution of excellence. For the first time, six states appear in the top ten. The map is filling in, but not evenly. The strongest clusters sit, almost symmetrically, in the corners: New York/New Jersey, the Pacific Northwest, California, and Florida. Good pizza is no longer rare, but it is still regional in its intensity.

New York City alone accounts for 35 of the 100. Brooklyn edges Manhattan this year, 17 to 15, as top borough. If the towns of North Jersey were counted as one, they’d challenge for second place, but Portland takes it with six. Just when we thought we were done with Portland, its sourdoughs pulled us back in. There’s something happening there again. Pizza comes first. Expect big things from Portland in the coming years after quite the devastation from 2020-2025. New Haven slips further: no pizzerias in the top 20, only three in the list, tied with Philadelphia and New Orleans. Count Metairie, and New Orleans pulls ahead. That would have been hard to imagine a few years ago.

Here is how the states break down:

New York (41)
New Jersey (12)
Oregon (6)
Florida (6)
California (4)
Illinois (4)
Connecticut (4)
Louisiana (4)
Washington (3)
Pennsylvania (3)
Washington, DC (2)
Texas (2)
Massachusetts (2)
North Carolina (1)
Arizona (1)
Arkansas (1)

And because some will want to know the previously highly hailed that do not make the cut this year, here are this year's top 100 dropouts:
100. Ribalta (Manhattan, NY)
99. Totonno’s (Brooklyn, NY)
98. Prince Street Pizza (Manhattan, NY)
97. Valentina’s (Madison, AL)
96. Angelena’s (Pensacola, FL)
95. Gypsy Poet (Houston, TX)
93. F&F (Brooklyn, NY)
92. Buddy’s (Detroit, MI)
89. Fresh Wood Fired Pizza and Pasta (Black Mountain, NC)
88. Sam’s Restaurant (Brooklyn, NY), which closed for a few months, but is open again with a new owner. It is the first time in 90 years that it has changed family ownership.
83. Zeneli (New Haven, CT)
82. Boxcar Pizza (Portland, OR)
79. Denino’s (Staten Island, NY)
77. Full Moon Pizza (The Bronx, NY)
76. Torri T’s (Long Island, NY)
72. Sal and Carmine’s (Manhattan, NY)
61. Speedy Romeo (Brooklyn, NY)
56. Krispy Pizza (Brooklyn, NY)
25. L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (Manhattan, NY), which closed in October



Without further ado, why you clicked this thread:

TulaneLSU's Top 100 pizzas of America in 2026:

100. Kiran’s (Houston, TX) 7.50
99. Tony’s Neapolitan (San Francisco, CA) 7.54
98. Stella (Philadelphia, PA) 7.55
97. Apizza Scholls (Portland, OR) 7.56
96. Bird Pizzeria (Charlotte, NC) 7.57
95. Scarr’s (Manhattan, NY) 7.58
94. Pizza Wagon (Brooklyn, NY) 7.59
93. Brooklyn Square (Jackson, NJ) 7.61
92. Andy’s Pizza (Washington, DC) 7.62
91. Pizza Delicious (New Orleans, LA) 7.64
90. L&B Spumoni Gardens (Brooklyn, NY) 7.65
89. Mama’s Boy (Oakland, CA) 7.67
88. Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (Portland, OR) 7.68
87. Scottie’s Pizza Parlor (Portland, OR) 7.70
86. Andy’s Pizza (Washington DC) 7.71
85. The Pizza Shop (Hoboken, NJ) 7.72
84. Bollo (Houston, TX) 7.74
83. Lou’s Pizza (Pensacola, FL) 7.75
82. Piece (Chicago, IL) 7.77
81. Pomo (Scottsdale, AZ) 7.80
80. Dario’s (Long Island, NY) 7.81
79. Umberto’s (Long Island, NY) 7.82
78. Keste’ (Manhattan, NY) 7.83
77. La Leggenda (Miami, FL) 7.84
76. Santillo’s (Elizabeth, NJ) 7.87
75. Santarpio’s (Boston, MA) 7.89
74. Williamsburg Pizza (Brooklyn, NY) 7.90
73. Arturo’s (Manhattan, NY) 7.92
72. Lupo (Seattle, WA) 7.93
71. Patsy’s (Spanish Harlem, NY) 7.95
70. The Carlson Block (Wilkeson, WA) 7.96
69. Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop (Brooklyn, NY) 7.97
68. Patsy’s (Patterson, NJ) 8.00
67. Spacca Napoli (Chicago, IL) 8.02
66. Julianna’s (Brooklyn, NY) 8.04
65. Sally (Philadelphia, PA) 8.05
64. Bivio (Little Falls, NJ) 8.06
63. Pequod’s (Chicago, IL) 8.09
62. NY Pizza Suprema (Manhattan, NY) 8.10
61. Louie & Ernie’s (The Bronx, NY) 8.12
60. Roberta’s (Brooklyn, NY) 8.15
59. Brooklyn DOP (Brooklyn, NY) 8.16
58. Bread and Salt (Jersey City, NJ) 8.18
57. Forbidden Pizza (New Orleans, LA) 8.20
56. Taglio (Long Island, NY) 8.22
55. Pugsley’s (The Bronx, NY) 8.24
54. Jay’s Pizza (Kenmore, NY) 8.25
53. Nunzio’s (Long Branch, NJ) 8.26
52. Upside (Manhattan, NY) 8.27
51. Flour and Water (San Francisco, CA) 8.28
50. Naples (Farmington, CT) 8.29
49. Tivoli (Seattle, OR) 8.30
48. Lucia’s of Avenue X (Brooklyn, NY) 8.31
47. J&V Pizzeria (Brooklyn, NY) 8.32
46. Regina’s (Boston, MA) 8.35
45. Bar del Corso (Seattle, WA) 8.38
44. Ceres (Manhattan, NY) 8.41
43. Giuseppina’s (Brooklyn, NY) 8.44
42. Viceversa (Miami, FL) 8.48
41. Cello’s (Manhattan, NY) 8.50
40. Amore (Long Island, NY) 8.51
39. L’industrie (Brooklyn, NY) 8.55
38. Slice and Pie (Washington DC) 8.59
37. Ops (Brooklyn, NY) 8.62
36. Grana (Portland, OR) 8.65
35. Lucky Charlie (Brooklyn, NY) 8.72
34. Chrissy’s (Brooklyn, NY) 8.75
33. Jonny’s (Manhattan, NY) 8.80
32. St. Pizza (New Orleans, LA) 8.84
31. Il Supremo (Metairie, LA) 8.85
30. Stevie’s Famous (Seattle, WA) 8.86
29. Coniglio’s (Morristown, NJ) 8.90
28. Don Antonio (Manhattan, NY) 8.93
27. Frank Pepe’s (New Haven, CT) 8.95
26. R Slice (Manhattan, NY) 9.00
25. DiFara (Brooklyn, NY) 9.15
24. Modern Pizza (New Haven, CT) 9.22
23. Miami Slice (Miami, FL) 9.28
22. DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies (Robbinsville, NJ) 9.40
21. Sally’s (New Haven, CT) 9.50
20. Lucali (Brooklyn, NY) 9.53
19. DeLucia’s (Raritan, NJ) 9.55
18. DeLuca (Hot Springs, AR) 9.57
17. Joe & Pat’s (Staten Island, NY) 9.58
16. Papa’s Tomato Pies (Robbinsville, NJ) 9.59
15. John’s of Bleecker Street (Manhattan, NY) 9.60
14. Robert’s (Chicago, IL) 9.62
13. Fabrica (Tampa, FL) 9.64
12. Stretch (Manhattan, NY) 9.65
11. Mano’s (Brooklyn, NY) 9.68
10. Ken’s Artisan Pizza (Portland, OR) 9.70
9. Pizzeria Beddia (Philadelphia, PA) 9.71
8. Rubirosa (Manhattan, NY) 9.72
7. Andrew Bellucci’s (Queens, NY) 9.75
6. Mama’s Too (Manhattan, NY) 9.77
5. Pizzeria Sei (Los Angeles, CA) 9.79
4. Razza (Jersey City, NJ) 9.80
3. Lucky Dough Pizza (Pensacola, FL) 9.81
2. The Turning Peel (Portland, OR) 9.82
1. Una Pizza Napoletana (Manhattan, NY) 9.995

Sincerely Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

I agree with you. Nolan is the Michael Bay of pseudo-intellectuals and his movies lack any heart. The first of his movies — Memento —I saw at the old Canal Place Theater after eating three delicious regular slices at Sbarro’s, which at that time was the best pizzeria in New Orleans. It was a mesmerizing movie for a 16 year old. When attempting to watch it again in my 20s it was so boring I could not bear to watch more than 30 minutes of it. The movie was like a tantalizing magic trick. The first time viewing, gripping and shocking. But once the magic is revealed, it is but a hollow trick, an illusion.

Such are all of Nolan’s movies, except Interstellar, which I saw on opening night at the huge curved IMAX at Chicago’s Navy Pier, which apparently has since shuttered. Interstellar moves like memory. It is unhurried but hurried and reflective. The sunlight lingers on dust in the air and words arrive late or not at all. There is poetry in Interstellar that is lacking in every other Nolan movie. It is the only movie of his worthy of a second viewing. And half of his movies are not worth even a first viewing.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

As far as I know there is no link for registering. It is by invitation only. Usually it’s held in an event hall inside Chelsea Market, but I haven’t received my invitation yet this year to confirm the exact location.

We have secured reservations to Una Pizza Napoletana and Pizza Studio Tamaki for our trip. Mother wants to eat at The Polo Club, but it’s nothing but a souped up Houston’s. I have submitted a request for a table for two at 4 Charles to see how its prime rib sandwich compares to Gallaghers. We may go to Semma again, as the last time was quite satisfying. Or we may just eat more pizza. But if any are considering joining, we can take your preferences into consideration.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friends,

50 Top Pizza, the standard of international pizza grading, released a teaser this morning of which cities will be represented. Metairie, New Orleans, Pensacola, Houston and many others were highlighted. Anyone going to the awards ceremony on May 27? Mother and I are working on an invite now. If you’re going we’d love to join you for a meal.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

We have visited 31 National Parks. Here are my top ten:

10. Yellowstone
9. North Cascades
8. Rainier
7. Arches
6. Crater Lake
5. Zion
4. Glacier
3. Grand T****s
2. The Grand Canyon (only if including stay at Phantom Ranch)
1. Yosemite

We have not been to any in Hawaii or Alaska, but have a trip planned. I do not understand how Hot Springs in Arkansas is a National Park. It would not be in my top 100 state parks in America. It is a disgrace to the NPS.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

The worst burger I have ever tried, the Peter Luger burger, is a slab of medium rare minced meat with an enormous raw ring of onion on top. Between the Luger sauce and the onion, you would have a hard time forcing me to eat another bite of a burger there.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

It is surprising no one has mentioned John Templeton. I had the honor of sharing a meal with him in 2003. He was a true gentleman and a kind heart.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

What we consume can consume us and turn us into monsters. No evil or unkind or lustful act goes without punishment. The wages of sin, after all, is death.

Our time and our talents are sacred gifts. If we use our time and talents to satiate our base desires or if we succumb to deadly thoughts, the truth is not in us and we are sick. We tread that path of destruction.

Therefore, let us surround ourselves with what is noble and right and pure and lovely and excellent and praise-worthy. Let us at all times dwell on the words and acts of Jesus. Help us to comfort those who mourn, support those who have had been tossed aside, give hospitality to the foreigner, and perhaps most importantly let us look our enemies in the eyes and love them. For that is what God has done with us. God is with us always.

Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

The short answer is that it is never appropriate for a child or adult to swear on a golf course or anywhere, for that matter. The occasional, or worse, habitual resort to profanity betrays not merely a lapse in decorum but a deeper impoverishment of moral discipline and intellectual patience. Such language, coarse in texture and blunt in effect, functions less as an instrument of thought than as a substitute for it, masking imprecision of mind and unmasking ethical character flaws. Mother taught me that profanity proclaims impatience with judgment and others within earshot. The profane speaker, regardless of age or site of his sin, reveals an abdication of the higher faculties in favor of momentary release, thereby diminishing both the dignity of discourse and the stature of the speaker himself.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

Friend,

Thank you for sharing this news with us. Sam’s Club also has a problem with mislabeling seafood weights. Sam’s Club listed weights versus actual weights. It is a reminder that each of us should carry his or her own scales when grocery shopping. I weigh every grocery item, as well as every pizza, before purchasing or eating.

Yours,
TulaneLSU