See why we detoured to Phoenix to check out the pies at Pizzeria Bianco. Rumored to be the best pizza in Phoenix and perhaps the entire country, Pizza Bianca has an illustrious reputation among pizza fans. Would we join the frenzy?
As full-time culinary travelers, we’re not surprised to get asked the following questions – “what’s your favorite country?” and “what’s your favorite food?”
The first question is impossible to answer since we’ve loved different aspects of every country that we’ve visited so far. The second question is easier.
Though we have deep love for Asian soups like pho and ramen, they’re not our favorite, Mindi’s absolute favorite food is pizza. (Daryl doubts that sentiment but Mindi is 100% sure.) We’re not talking about fast food pizza (though we’ll gladly eat that in a pinch) with parmesan cheese and pepperoni.
We’re talking about traditional Neopolitan pizza baked in a wood-fired brick oven. We could eat this kind of pizza every day, which is what we did for four weeks while living in Naples in our ultimate pizza mission. In fact, we ate enough pizza to write a Naples pizza guide during our month in Italy before we ate the best pizza in the world at Pepe in Grani.
Discover more of our Italian food favorites.
Until twenty or so years ago, it was almost impossible to get Neopolitan pizza in the United States. Sure, people could gorge on deep dish pizza in Chicago and loaded slices in New York City, but it wasn’t so easy to find the classic pies that are the norm in Napoli.
Luckily for pizza lovers like us, things have changed since those dark 20th century days. Fast forward to the present and it’s hard to find a major American city that doesn’t have at least one pizzeria serving traditional Neopolitan pizza. That being said, Phoenix is the American city that gets credit for helping to start this trend with the opening of Chris Bianco’s eponymous pizzeria in 1994.
Update
2022 was a banner year for Chris Bianco. Not only was the chef featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Pizza, but the James Beard Foundation also recognized his as the country’s most outstanding restaurateur.
Our Experience at Pizzeria Bianco
Wanting to find out for ourselves if Pizzeria Bianco is the best pizza in Phoenix, if not the country, we detoured to Phoenix on our way from Austin to Las Vegas. Thanks to an unexpected hail storm, we raced to Phoenix’s Heritage Square neighborhood to arrive just in time for a leisurely late-night dinner.
Pro Tip
Arrive early or late to avoid long lines at Pizzeria Bianco. Since we arrived on the later side, we missed the crowds and were seated right away.
Antipasti
Although we visited Phoenix specifically to eat pizza, we started our meal by sharing a Spiedini. This starter involves organic Prosciutto wrapped around gooey Fontina cheese and served over arugula.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Spiedini, but we were anxious to try the pizza.
Pizza
We couldn’t decide on just one pizza for the main event, so we ordered two.
We had to order a Margherita pie since we always like to eat a Margherita pie as a barometer of pizza greatness. This deceptively simple pizza with just three ingredients (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil) provides the perfect vehicle for measuring the suppleness of a pie’s crusty foundation, the flavor and freshness of its tomato sauce and the herbaceousness of its leafy basil.
In addition to the Margherita, we ordered a Wiseguy pizza with freshly made, exquisitely flavored Fennel Sausage, Wood-Roasted Onions and House Smoked Mozzarella. The meat-dominated pie provided an earthy protein-packed yin to the fresh Margherita pie’s yang.
Both pies demonstrated Bianco’s attention to detail, his local sourcing of amazing ingredients and his ability to create caramelized crusts with remarkable chew, crispy crunch and savory, wheaty flavor.
Dessert
Though we were full after our pizza party for two, we somehow found room to share a dessert. Light and creamy, the Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding was the perfect ending to a beautiful night of pizza perfection.
Pro Tip
Go stargazing in Phoenix after your dinner at Pizzeria Bianco. Arizona’s capital city offers some of the best stargazing spots in the entire country.
Is Pizzeria Bianco the Best Pizza in Phoenix?
True confession – the pizza at Pizzeria Bianco is the only pizza we ate in Phoenix. We just didn’t have enough time to check out more Phoenix pizza restaurants.
However, we enjoyed our meal so much that we feel comfortable declaring these pies to be the best pizza not only in Phoenix but in the entire country! Yes, we said it. We consider Pizzeria Bianco to be the best pizza in America.
Bonus 1 – ANELLO in Tucson
ANELLO is proof that Chris Bianco’s influence has spread beyond Phoenix. We say this with confidence since Anello’s pizzaiolo Scott Girod honed his pizza-making skills at Pizzeria Bianco.
While the pies at ANELLO aren’t clones of Pizzeria Bianco, Girod clearly learned a thing or two from Chris Bianco’s tutelage. His pizzas are simply wonderful and well worth a drive from Phoenix to experience.
Discover more great restaurants in Tucson.
Bonus 2 – Awesome Donuts and Fried Chicken in Phoenix
In addition to loving pizza, we’re also self-proclaimed donut experts. If you have any doubt about this claim, check out our picks for the best donuts in America.
Wanting to try donuts in Phoenix before hitting the road, we hit up Welcome Chicken and Donuts and tried two varieties: the Red Wine + Chocolate Pudding Donut and the Cream Cheese + Tangerine Marmalade Donut. As crazy as these descriptions sound, the combinations were on point with bright flavors that counteracted the richness of the fatty, doughy pastries.
After scarfing the donuts and then sharing a piece of fried chicken for “research” purposes, we can highly recommend this donut and chicken oasis as the perfect stop on the way out of town before driving to the Grand Canyon or some other Arizona destination.
Pizzeria Bianco has multiple locations. We ate at the pizzeria located at 623 E Adams Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
ANELLO is located at 222 E 6th Street, Tucson, AZ 85705, United States
Welcome Chicken and Donuts is located at 1535 E Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85034, USA.
Hungry for More Pizza?
Learn about Chicago pizza and then check out our pizza guides for Lisbon, Naples, New Haven, New York, Rome and Verona.
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About the Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website and YouTube. The married Food and Travel content creators live in Lisbon, Portugal.
Original Publication Date: April 30, 2017
Gerard
Thursday 1st of September 2022
If you haven't had the Rosa Pizza at Pizzeria Bianco then you have missed out. The classics are great but the Rosa is an incredibly delicious change of pace that stands alone from the other menu offerings.
Patty
Wednesday 31st of August 2022
My favorite pizza is from Grimaldi’s, I know of 3 locations.
Roseanne
Friday 22nd of July 2022
No Pizzeria Bianco is the WORST pizza I've ever had!!!
Bruce Crow
Tuesday 24th of November 2020
Please go eat pizza that real people eat. This place is like a Starbucks or Dutch Brothers version of pizza. Looks fancy along with the price the average real life working person would not be caught dead in. Fancy doesn’t mean better. Go to real life pizza shops like Luna Pizza in Glendale, Arizona or other real pizza places in the valley. Ninety Percent 90% won’t eat at this place. Good write up though
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Thursday 26th of November 2020
Thanks for sharing your opinion as well as some tips for our next visit to Phoenix. That being said, we truly enjoyed the Neapolitan pizzas we ate at Pizzeria Bianco and found them to be authentic based on our experiences eating in pizza in Naples, Italy.
Nancy Iannuzzi
Sunday 7th of May 2017
There are two Pizzeria Bianco locations in Phoenix. The second is at 20th St and Camelback at Town & Country Shopping center. Wait times are not as long. Yes their Pizza is out of this world, but for order out Friday night pizza, we love Ray's. Also originally from back east it's like going back home to New Jersey for us.