Pizzeria Bianco: The Best Pizza in Phoenix
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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 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. In fact, we consider Pizzeria Bianco to be one of the best pizzerias in America.
Bonus – 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.
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
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