Written by Shawn Krajewski
After this experience, I think I hate pizza now. However, I am a man of science, so my sacrifice for the greater good is something I am willing to endure. I have tried as many types of pizza as I have access to to discover the best type of pizza. (Not the best brand of pizza, or the best pizza toppings, but rather the best type of pizza.) But, before we start, I would like to thank my dad for driving hours on end to get all the pizzas in this experiment.
New York: Super Slice
When you think of pizza, you think of New York style. It’s the type of pizza we have all loved since childhood. It's the type of pizza you can always rely on, and as a result, it's the pizza you compare all other pizzas to. Not to say that New York-style pizza is not unique; it very much is. As my teacher (a resident New Yorker) told me, it’s the pizza for transit—not too messy, floppy yet firm, quick to serve, but most importantly, it's the only pizza you can eat on the go.
To represent the New York slice, there is the Super Slice. One of my personal favorite pizza places to go, not only for the pizza but also when I'm in a hurry and quickly need to get back to school. This is because they have an interesting sauce. Sure, they have good cheese and crust, but it’s the sauce that brings a pizza together, so when you're in Salem, I highly recommend picking up a slice.
However, this experiment was not about ranking locations but rather the type of pizza. So how does the New York slice hold up? Very well! It makes sense why this is the most popular type of pizza; it has everything: it's portable; its texture is perfect; the slight burn on the crust gives it a nice woodsy taste; and being just chewy enough to not be annoying but allowing you to savor it; the sauce and cheese are perfectly balanced. It really is the Pizza of All Time. But is it the best?
Chicago/Deep Dish: Pizzeria Uno
This is the type of pizza I am least familiar with. That being said, was the hype worth it? Yes, deep-dish pizza is fantastic! It is like a pie and a pizza had a baby. Imagine the texture of pie crust—buttery, savory, flaky—and then fill it with delicious tomatoes and spices to make a soft, smooth texture that curries your tongue. It is truly something to behold. But it does not come easy. Deep-dish is not sold at many places near me, and for good reason: it is incredibly hard and time-consuming to make; just the baking time alone takes around five times longer than the New York slice. Also, deep-dish pizza is not portable, meaning if you want to eat it, you can't be in a hurry because you’re going to need to sit.
For a deep-dish slice, I went to Pizzeria Uno because it was the only one nearby. I know it's a franchise, but I didn't have any other options. Still, it was very good, even though we ordered it hours beforehand, picked it up, and then heated it up back home. The pie-like crust was fantastic, almost heavenly. That is why I rank deep-dish pizza very highly compared to the other types of pizza. The only gripe, and I do mean only gripe, is that it had very little cheese, but the sauce was perfect, so I'm willing to look past that.
Detroit-Style: Volo
The Detroit-style pizza I had was essentially just focaccia with sauce and cheese on it. Now, this isn't bad, as focaccia is my favorite type of bread, and pizza is just dough with sauce and cheese on top. However, the term “just focaccia” is a little misleading, as it does have two other aspects that make it specifically Detroit-style pizza. Those two are the heavy use of sauce on top of the cheese and the use of cheese on the edges of the crust. That's right, while the sauce is only in the middle, the cheese goes from the center and out to the edges. This gives it a truly enjoyable crust experience like no other pizza on this list.
For this slice, I went to Volo. I had never been there before, but they made a great focaccia and an absolutely amazing sauce. It is probably one of the best sauces on this list. That being said, this pizza wasn't really for me. I imagine you're thinking, “Have you lost your mind?" And don't get me wrong, it is very good, but the problem is that the ratios were off. There was simply way too much bread per bite of pizza. The crust was good and the sauce was fantastic, but I could not taste it that well due to the focaccia. However, I still recommend trying Volo's Detroit-style pizza—especially if you like stuffed crust and bread—just for me, it was missing a few things to be perfect.
Bakery (Sicilian): LuLu’s Bakery
Have you ever had one of those toast pizzas? Well, this type of pizza is kind of like that. Fluffy, portable, and practically perfect in its balance of cheese and sauce and bread ratio.
For this slice, I went to LuLu's Bakery, and their pizza was good! The texture was strong and satisfying. However, this slice tasted a lot like the New York slice, just with slightly more artificial-tasting cheese and a fluffier mouthfeel. Still, it was portable and very good; however, it didn't have any standout qualities. But that is to be expected, as it's a bakery, not a pizzeria.
Neapolitan: Bambolina
The Neapolitan is the smallest and thinnest of the pizzas on this list, designed to be enjoyed fresh out of the pizza oven, possessing large pockets of creamy cheese. It's also the second most common pizza due to its similarities with the New York pizza. This slice was significantly thinner than other pizzas I tried and possessed a crispier, more burnt crust.
The slice was from Bambolina; however, I ate it two hours after purchasing it. As such, it lost a bit of its quality. I have had Bambolina's pizza fresh, and it's fantastic! It serves as a fantastic appetizer; however, it needs to be fresh to be especially good. I know it isn't ideal to end on a low note (I did not intend for it to be this way), but at least the pizza was still tasty. However, it was essentially pizza lite.
After trying five of the most popular pizza types, I have felt every emotion you can feel when eating pizzas (even immense regret when I saw the five pizzas on my counter). But I can now say that the best type of pizza is... subjective! Every person has their own tastes and interests that affect the qualities they want to see in their pizza. Some are in a hurry, while others can take their time. Some prefer cheese and other sauces. Some like it slightly undercooked, and others like it as burnt as coal. It all depends on the person who is eating it. That's why it is all subjective.
For me, the best is a deep-dish pizza, but for others, it could be a bakery pizza, New York, Detroit, or something entirely else. After all, a pizza master said, "There is no such thing as a bad pizza, just a bad taste." Now that I am truly educated on the art of pizza tasting, I believe them heartily. Every pizza, no matter how strange, is equal and deserving of the title “Best Pizza.”
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