Grabbing a slice of pizza may sound simple and, if you’ve already staked out your favorite pizzeria, it probably is. But what if you want to broaden your horizons? Sample all the pizza world has to offer?
Then you probably know there’s more than one style of pizza, with roots far from South Florida. (As former Post food critic Liz Balmaseda once wrote: When it comes to pizza, a city’s or state’s name is sometimes enough to spark a visual or a memory. )
But the good news is, you can find them all in Palm Beach County.
Here’s our guide to pizza styles and where to find them.
California pizza
A thin-crusted pizza whose emphasis falls on the toppings, always fresh and often creative or non-traditional leaning. Lovers of the California pizza may consider these pies evolved, but the style has become the butt of an entire genre of pizza-style jokes —broccoli or Thai-chicken on pizza? We hate to lead the list with a chain, but the most obvious place to find California stle pizza? California Pizza Kitchen.
California Pizza Kitchen: Gardens Mall, 3101 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens; Mall at Wellington Green, 10300 Wellington Green Dr.; cpk.com
Chicago
Chicago-style pizza is a deep-dish, high-crusted affair baked in a pan and topped with loads of chunky tomato sauce.
Yelp’s pick for Palm Beach County’s best is the super cool Underground Pizza, which debuted March 2024.
Underground Pizza: 9920 Alt. A1A, (by Planet Fitness), Palm Beach Gardens, 561-429-4883, TheUndergroundPizza.com
Detroit
Detroit pizza is thick-crusted, but not bottom heavy. Balmaseda described it as “airy, crisp at the bottom and edges, with a chewy interior.” Meanwhile, the toppings are layered in reverse order — so the sauce is last. And about that sauce? Unlike other varieties which let the ovens do the work, Detroit usually uses pre-cooked sauce.
Death by Pizza the Palm Beach Post reader’s choice for the county’s best pizza in 2024 and a second placer in 2025 is all about the Detroit-style pizza. The business began with a brother-and-sister duo operating a takeout-only spot in downtown Delray Beach, and it recently expanded to suburban Delray with a sit-down restaurant space and expanded menu.
Death by Pizza: 528 NE Second St., Delray Beach, 561-666-9111, deathbypizzadelray.com
Grandma, also known as pizza alla nonna
Square like Sicilian but thinner, this style is the original sheet pan dinner created at home as an affordable easy-to-make and bake. No fancy oven needed. You’ll taste the olive oil used to coat the pan in the crust, and favorites often include drizzles of garlicky pesto for a punch of flavor. A fine example is found at Josie’s.
Josie’s: 650 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 561-364-9601; josiesristorante.com
Neapolitan
Named for Naples, the birthplace of pizza, this style has transformed from simple pies with sauce, cheese and basil (for Margaritas anyway) to a creative showcase for chefs experimenting with fun toppings and flour ratios in dough mixes that increasingly use sourdough starters since the pandemic.
Palm Beach County boasts a plethora of great examples where there’s a tiny bit of fold from wet toppings, so you often need to start with a fork and knife to eat the center before picking up the last few inches in your hands. Standouts include:
New Haven
How many pizzerias can say they’ve had a documentary narrated by an Oscar-winning actor? Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana can. The legendary New Haven-born apizza institution was the subject of a short film narrated by Paul Giamatti, who won Best Actor for “The Holdovers”. His father, Bart Giamatti, once served as president of Yale University.
On June 21, the coal-fired icon celebrated its 100th anniversary of tossing oblong thin-crusted pizzas light on the melting cheeses to the world. And though its roots are firmly planted in New Haven, the Delray Beach outpost marks a milestone for the brand as home to the chain’s first full bar.
On a personal note, my 92-year old dad, who studied in New Haven on a full scholarship, recently spoke of Pepe’s enduring legacy. Back then, it was the one restaurant he could afford and one he never forgot.
Frank Pepe: 1701 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach, 561-431-5601, PepesPizzeria.com
New York
A traditional New York slice is thinnish-crusted with a chewy texture. Other attributes are foldability and portability because it’s not unusual to see someone eating a slice on the go.
Leonardi’s, North Palm Beach’s super cute new 20-seat pizzeria that soft-opened Jan. 24, impressively rocks this style. It’s also a rare spot where you can order by the slice. Owner Kris Leonardi is a retired firefighter and Wellington High School grad whose dad, a first-generation American with Sicilian parents, grew up in Queens and took young Kris to many of the city’s pizzerias. Leonardi and his experienced pizzamakers are sticklers for precision and high-quality ingredients that shine with simplicity.
Leonardi’s: 11575 U.S. Highway 1, North Palm Beach, 561-815-1513, leonardispizzafl.com
Sicilian
Sicilian is a second pan pizza-type similar to grandma but thicker, doughier and chewier in a good way. Peter’s Pizza in Boca Raton near the beach is a standout example. Owner and former Long Islander Peter Izzo, who you might recognize from ABC’s “The Bachelorette” season 18, proudly sources quality ingredients for his pies, trademarking them as “New York flava, Florida made.” While tantalizing choices of colorful round pies compete for your affection, we’ll give his squares a first impression rose.
Peter’s Pizza: 897 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561-409-3126; mypeters.com
Tavern style
Super-thin crispy cracker crusts are the style at Al Fresco’s clubby outpost at Palm Beach Par 3, a membership-free golf spot with gorgeous views of the Atlantic and a dedicated oven for the dozen daily offerings. It just might be the most affordable date night spot in town.
Palm Beach Par 3: 2345 South Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach; 561-547-0598; golfontheocean.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The best pizza in Palm Beach County when looking to sample every style
Reporting by Diana Biederman and Sonja Isger, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
