It’s no exaggeration to say the US (and the world) is obsessed with pizza in all of its delicious guises, from simple slices to hefty pies loaded with all the toppings you can think of. Hot new pizza spots are opening all the time in cities across the country, but often it's those old-school parlours cooking to historic recipes that diners love the most. Which is why pizza fans are up in arms about the news that one of America’s oldest pizzerias could close for good.

Click or scroll on to read about the century-old pizzeria that could be shutting its doors forever.

While there are endless variations on the humble pizza cooked up around the US, New York’s legendary slices are arguably the most iconic of all. NYC is home to around 2,000 pizzerias, ranging from no-frills slice spots to lauded restaurants that have been in the same family for generations. But there’s one in particular that attracts fans from across the country. Family-run Totonno’s has been the pride of Coney Island, Brooklyn, since 1924, and is one of the city’s original coal-oven pizza places.

Totonno's is a Brooklyn landmark founded a century ago by Antonio Pero, a baker from Naples who originally worked at Lombardi’s in Manhattan (itself one of the country’s oldest pizzerias). Since then, very little has changed – the same family has owned and operated the business from the same one-storey building in Coney Island, baking pizza using traditional methods in a coal-fired oven. The joint was even given a James Beard Foundation American Classics Award in 2009. Over the past century, Totonno's has survived fires, floods and pandemics, but now the business is sadly up for sale.

The family who own Totonno's recently posted a note on social media saying they are looking for a buyer to take over the restaurant, and asking interested parties to send an email. Co-owner Louise Ciminieri told the New York Times: “We’re coming up in age and we don’t have the manpower to continue.” The prospect that the joint could close has caused concern among its legions of dedicated fans, especially those passionate about preserving New York’s pizza traditions. Ciminieri told the paper the family hopes to find a buyer who will keep the pizzeria’s century-long traditions alive – something locals are also very keen for.

Hungry for more? Click or scroll through our gallery of the most delicious, and deliciously different, pizza styles around the US – counting down to the best of all.

Chances are you know your New York slice from your Chicago deep dish, but these aren't the only pizza styles born in the USA. From Detroit’s legendary steel tray–baked sheets and Colorado’s distinguished mountain pie, crimped and drizzled with honey, to a rather controversial American cheese–topped slice from Pennsylvania, here we've ranked the best pizza styles across the US, counting down to the most iconic of them all.

We've based our ranking on the enduring popularity of each pizza style in its place of origin and beyond, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

A unique take on the Italian classic, this pizza features a thick, hand-rolled crust that incorporates honey instead of sugar. It takes inspiration from the area’s surrounding mountain terrain, with a peaked bouncy, braided crust and variety of toppings. Also known as Colorado-style pizza, its story began at the now-famous restaurant, Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs. Founder Pete ZaPigh invented the distinctive dish in 1973 and it’s now a favourite with locals. 

Another reason Beau Jo’s pie is so original is that it’s served alongside a bottle of honey, designed to be drizzled over the top. It’s now enjoyed across all six locations, with another bouncy prairie-style pie available. While this restaurant invented the style, other restaurants across the state have introduced their own versions, including Rocky Mountain Pizza Co.’s honey-packed crust and Back Country Pizza and Taphouse’s extra-thick, braided crust. 

From its sweeter crust to its scissor-cut slices, the unique components of a Quad Cities–style pizza often spark debate, as do its origins. It’s thought Tony Maniscalco Sr. invented the pizza, based on a recipe from his Sicilian family, in the mid-1950s, serving the dish at the Paddock Club in Rock Island, Illinois. What sets this pizza apart is its quarter-inch thick base, which is flavoured with malt syrup for a subtle sweet undertone. Its assembly is different, too, with a spicy sauce followed by toppings (usually Italian sausage) and finished with a thick mozzarella layer.

Its popularity soon expanded across Quad Cities – the five cities in Iowa and Illinois located in the Mississippi River Valley – with restaurants serving up this distinguished dish. Old-time favourites include 1950s-founded Frank’s Pizza, which now specialises in the cheese-slathered style. Meanwhile, family-run Harris Pizza has been firing up the oven for more than 50 years, serving hand-tossed crusts topped with sausage and layers of oozy cheese. Here, you’ll find the team cutting up the pies with blue shears to get those distinctive strip slices.

Another pizza style to surface in the 1950s was the Altoona. Characterised by its square-cut Sicilian-style crust, it’s traditionally topped with tomato sauce, green bell peppers, salami and yellow American cheese. It’s the choice of cheese that has sparked a lot of debate, with locals generally loving it – or hating it. It’s said to have originated at the Altoona Hotel in Pennsylvania. The hotel sadly burned down in the early 2010s, and local restaurants have been honouring its history by adding the pizza to their menus.

One of the best places to try it is 29th Street Pizza Subs & More, in Altoona. This family-owned pizza and sub spot has been a local favourite for two decades and serves up this unique pie by the slice. Baked in a giant sheet tray, it’s soft, pillowy and has a distinctive taste thanks to the American cheese slathered on top.

Whether it’s thin and crispy or a deeper pan pie, pizza styles usually choose their lane when it comes to the crust. St. Louis–style pizza takes it one step further, serving up a cracker-thin crust made with no yeast and sliced into tile-like squares. It’s thought the style originated in 1945, when Chicago-born Amedeo Fiore opened an Italian restaurant, Melrose Cafe. His style was known for being super thin and piled with toppings, and inspired a new wave of pizzerias across the city.

This included the now-popular chain, Imo’s Pizza, founded by tiler Ed Imo and his wife, Margie. In its conception, the pair hired a pizza chef to help keep up with demand. In place of the classic mozzarella you’d typically find on a pizza, the chef swapped it for the processed cheese, Provel. Decades later, Imo’s Pizza now boasts around 100 locations across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.

They opened Ohio's first pizzeria, DiCarlo’s Pizza, that same year, and its Ohio Valley–style square pies are still famously good. Typically sold by the slice, this style is famed for its thick, square crust, covered with a rich tomato sauce before cooking, then scattered with fresh provolone-style cheese and a choice of cold toppings. There are now DiCarlo's locations in Ohio, West Virginia and Tennessee, while other restaurants have also launched pies inspired by this style. 

Unless you’re a Chicago native, you may not know that the city is home to two pizza styles: the deep dish, of course, but also the lesser known thin crust. Chicago’s less famous pizza – often called tavern style – is designed to be cut into small squares and shared, and features a super-crisp crust usually topped with Italian sausage and cheese. Thought to date back to the 1940s, its alternative moniker comes from the fact it's often served in taverns and bars. Its popularity has increased in recent years, with restaurants across the US taking inspiration from its communal, sharing style.

For an authentic taste in Chicago, look to Vito and Nick’s Pizzeria. The team has been serving this style since the 1950s and has garnered quite the cult following, featuring in several TV shows and hit YouTube series. Go classic with the thin crust, sausage-loaded pizza or personalise your pizza by piling on your toppings, from anchovies to egg. Another local favourite is Pat’s Pizzeria & Ristorante, which draws pizza lovers from far and wide. Set up in the 1950s, it’s still one of the best family-run spots serving up super-crisp crusts. 

Forget what you know about pizza today. When the dish – known then as tomato pie – was first introduced in the US, it looked a whole lot different. Originating in Philadelphia, New Haven in Connecticut and Utica in New York, tomato pies date back to the early 20th century, when Neapolitan immigrants began setting up shop in the US. Nodding to the traditional recipes found in Naples, the classic dish typically featured a focaccia-style base topped with a rich, fragrant tomato sauce – and little else. It wasn’t common for cheese to be scattered on top until later.  

This humble dish helped to transform American pizza into what we know today, with some northwestern bakeries and pizzerias still serving up traditional tomato pies. In Philadelphia, family-run bakery Iannelli's has been serving up its signature pies since 1910 and is still a true Philly institute. Meanwhile, in Utica, O’Scugnizzo has been making waves since 1914, with its founder Eugeno Burlino famed for selling his tomato pie for just a nickel. While its price has increased, the quality has remained the same over a century later.

While pizza culture is more closely linked to the East Coast, there’s one style that’s making a name for itself on the West: California style. It's a relatively new concept, coming onto the scene in the 1980s, and is characterised by its thin crust and toppings that are typically fresh and locally sourced. At the heart of it all were two chefs, Ed LaDou and Alice Waters, who separately spearheaded the movement. LaDou spent some time working at an NYC-style pizzeria before starting his restaurant, Prego, where he specialised in Italian thin crust but experimented with flavours. 

Waters, meanwhile, had been infusing regional ingredients with Italian and French flavours at Chez Panisse, Berkeley, known for fresh pizzas loaded with fresh toppings, from wild rocket to local chanterelle mushrooms. Both restaurants helped to put California-style pizza on the map, with influential chef Wolfgang Puck so impressed that he hired LaDou at his renowned Beverly Hills restaurant, Spago – now famed for its smoked salmon and caviar pizza. LaDou also helped develop the first menu at California Pizza Kitchen, which now has around 200 locations worldwide.

Defined by its square shape and extra-thick crust, Detroit-style pizza was first introduced by Buddy’s Pizza in 1946, and has since become synonymous with the city’s vibrant food culture. Made in-house by Gus Guerra and his team, they took inspiration from square Sicilian-style pizzas, and used a forged steel pan to keep the crust light and crispy. The focaccia-like dough is typically topped with pepperoni and crumbled Wisconsin brick cheese, then finished with three wide stripes of sauce before baking. 

More than 75 years later, Buddy’s recipe is still a favourite, though there are now many other pizzerias serving the style across Detroit, including Green Lantern Pizza. The small chain restaurant knocks out brilliant square styles, slathered with oozy cheese and your choice of toppings, from green olive to ground beef. Meanwhile, Loui’s Pizza was founded by a former Buddy’s pizza chef, so has perfected that proper charred base and cheese-to-sauce ratio.

While New Haven is also seen as one of the birthplaces of the tomato pie, its base is slightly different from Philadelphia and Utica, New York. This style of pizza (also known as apizza) comes complete with a thin, charred crust that’s topped with an oregano-infused tomato sauce and grated pecorino cheese. Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria is thought to have introduced this style in 1925 and has been dishing out tasty pies ever since. The restaurant has since expanded with 16 sites and is also famed for its white clam pie, a pizza piled high with cheese, garlic and fresh littleneck clams. 

Restaurants across the Connecticut city have since introduced similar New Haven–style pies to their menus, including the legendary Sally’s Apizza. Founded in 1938, the team makes the pizzas in custom-designed ovens, and the restaurant is renowned for its flavourful tomato sauce and singed crust. Now home to multiple locations, you can always guarantee a good slice here.  

The Chicago deep-dish pizza certainly divides a crowd. Famed for its thick crust (reminiscent of a fruit pie), layers of cheese and fillings, it’s topped with rich tomato sauce. While its origins are also hotly debated, it’s thought that the original deep-dish pizza dates to 1943. Ike Sewell, founder of Uno Pizzeria, apparently developed the style, featuring a buttery tall crust and Italian herb-infused sauce made with good quality tomatoes. Now a large chain across the US, Uno Pizzeria continues to serve up quality pies.  

You'll find deep-dish pizzas all over downtown Chicago these days, but Pequod's Pizza is one of the restaurants leading the pack. Serving up pan pizzas since the 1970s, the restaurant even featured in an episode of hit TV series The Bear and was named the best pizzeria in the US by Yelp in 2024, based on diner reviews. Available in four sizes, packed with layers and featuring a caramelised cheese crust, the pizza attracts diners from around the world.

New York–style pizza is as synonymous with the city as Times Square, the Empire State Building and Central Park. It’s intrinsically linked with the culture, with thousands upon thousands of people travelling just to try its thin, foldable, dollar slices, slathered with tomato sauce and mozzarella. One of the first documented pizzerias in the US was NYC institution, G Lombardi’s. The restaurant began serving up whole Neapolitan-style pizzas in 1905 for five cents. Those unable to afford it could opt to buy by the slice.

Over time, hundreds of pizza joints have popped up all over the city, so naturally there’s a lot of debate and competition. Still reigning strong for hearty pies is Coney Island’s Totonno’s, which has been serving up its signature coal-fired pizzas since 1924. For a classic slice, Luigi’s Pizza, in Brooklyn, is also pretty hard to beat. Although the slices now cost more than a dollar, they've been consistently delicious since the joint opened in 1973. 

Now discover the full, incredible history of pizza

Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.