Ten Iconic Seattle Pizzerias to Try Before You Die (2024)

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There are a slew of pizza shops in Seattle, but only a few deserve to be remembered. This city is home to venerable spots that got started long before reclaimed wood and subway-tiled kitchen walls were a thing, and some newer additions that nail "artisanal-local-seasonal" pies. The youngest shop on Eater's list of 10 iconic pizzerias celebrates its fifth birthday this year, the oldest turns 60 in 2014. Here's a map of 10 pizzerias to try before you croak (or their owners retire.)

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The Northwest’s first pizzeria to nab Neapolitan certification, Tutta Bella opened its doors in Columbia City a decade back. Owner Joe Fugere now operates five perpetually kid-filled spots serving pies topped with simple, fresh ingredients with chewy, charry crust.

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After opening its first store in Capitol Hill in 2004, Via Tribunali’s Neapolitan pies started popping up at locations in Queen Anne, Georgetown, and (for a time) inside the Crocodile; the pizza chain also operates stores in Portland and on the Lower East Side. Owned by Caffe Vita founder Mike McConnell, Via Tribunali imports tomatoes from Naples and uses locally-sourced ingredients in pies baked at a white-hot 1,000 degrees.

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Northlake Tavern moved a block from its first location to make way for the I-5 bridge. The spot has been serving pies that take two hands to carry to the Husky-clad and otherwise for the past 60 years. The interior hasn’t changed much over the decades, and thankfully neither has the menu. One slice of the Northlake’s pizza--with dough that miraculously resists buckling under the weight of piles of meat, cheese, and red sauce--is a meal.

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Opening its first store on the Ave. more than three decades back, local chain Pagliacci keeps getting better. Several stores have had facelifts in recent years, all packaging is recyclable or compostable, and the shop’s Madison Valley location is LEED-certified. Pie is served whole or by the slice, and while combos aren’t breaking new ground, Pagliacci's toothsome crust and solid topping list satisfy.

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An orange couch that used to sit in the Space Needle’s lobby can now be found at World Pizza. Random keepsakes from the pie shop’s original grunge-era Belltown location are on displayed on the wall, too. Go to Aaron Crosleycone and Adam Cone’s I.D. pie shop for nostalgia, come back for whole pies (16” only) and pints of Manny’s for four dollars. The entire menu is vegetarian (yep, that’s field roast pepperoni) with a mondo slice of cheese ringing in at well under three bucks.

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Tom Douglas nailed the crust from the get-go when he opened his first Serious Pie on Virginia in 2007. The dough-a happy union of chew, char, and crunch-gets even mightier with toppings like housemade mortadella, nettle pesto, and pistachios. A second Westlake location is perpetually stuffed with the Amazon crowd.

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House-stuffed sausage, daily-made sauce and dough, and organic veggies form perfect pies at former Visqueen bassist Bill Coury’s Flying Squirrel. Coury names his pizzas after bands, which adds kitsch (and appeal). Order the seasonal Mo Le Tengo with a pint of IPA and you’re set.

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When Piecora’s opened in Capitol Hill 32 years ago, there was no other place like it in the neighborhood. The New York-style pizza shop still has the vinyl booths, checkered tablecloths, and red plastic tumblers. And its Sweet Italian with sausage, garlic, and sweet fried peppers is arguably one of the best old-school pies in the city.

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Good sober and great after a few co*cktails, Hot Mama’s has been filling stomachs of the young and hungry after hours for almost two decades. Slices are so big that ends hang off plates. Size isn’t everything, but those in search of the cheap, hot, and gooey will find happiness (before heartburn) here.

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1415 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA 98117

4411 Stone Way North, Seattle, WA 98103

The Northwest’s first pizzeria to nab Neapolitan certification, Tutta Bella opened its doors in Columbia City a decade back. Owner Joe Fugere now operates five perpetually kid-filled spots serving pies topped with simple, fresh ingredients with chewy, charry crust.

[Photo Credit]

913 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122

After opening its first store in Capitol Hill in 2004, Via Tribunali’s Neapolitan pies started popping up at locations in Queen Anne, Georgetown, and (for a time) inside the Crocodile; the pizza chain also operates stores in Portland and on the Lower East Side. Owned by Caffe Vita founder Mike McConnell, Via Tribunali imports tomatoes from Naples and uses locally-sourced ingredients in pies baked at a white-hot 1,000 degrees.

[Photo Credit]

660 NE Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98105

Northlake Tavern moved a block from its first location to make way for the I-5 bridge. The spot has been serving pies that take two hands to carry to the Husky-clad and otherwise for the past 60 years. The interior hasn’t changed much over the decades, and thankfully neither has the menu. One slice of the Northlake’s pizza--with dough that miraculously resists buckling under the weight of piles of meat, cheese, and red sauce--is a meal.

[Photo Credit]

426 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102

Opening its first store on the Ave. more than three decades back, local chain Pagliacci keeps getting better. Several stores have had facelifts in recent years, all packaging is recyclable or compostable, and the shop’s Madison Valley location is LEED-certified. Pie is served whole or by the slice, and while combos aren’t breaking new ground, Pagliacci's toothsome crust and solid topping list satisfy.

[Photo Credit]

672 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104

An orange couch that used to sit in the Space Needle’s lobby can now be found at World Pizza. Random keepsakes from the pie shop’s original grunge-era Belltown location are on displayed on the wall, too. Go to Aaron Crosleycone and Adam Cone’s I.D. pie shop for nostalgia, come back for whole pies (16” only) and pints of Manny’s for four dollars. The entire menu is vegetarian (yep, that’s field roast pepperoni) with a mondo slice of cheese ringing in at well under three bucks.

[Photo Credit]

401 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Tom Douglas nailed the crust from the get-go when he opened his first Serious Pie on Virginia in 2007. The dough-a happy union of chew, char, and crunch-gets even mightier with toppings like housemade mortadella, nettle pesto, and pistachios. A second Westlake location is perpetually stuffed with the Amazon crowd.

[Photo Credit]

4920 S Genesee St, Seattle, WA 98118

House-stuffed sausage, daily-made sauce and dough, and organic veggies form perfect pies at former Visqueen bassist Bill Coury’s Flying Squirrel. Coury names his pizzas after bands, which adds kitsch (and appeal). Order the seasonal Mo Le Tengo with a pint of IPA and you’re set.

[Photo Credit]

1401 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98122

When Piecora’s opened in Capitol Hill 32 years ago, there was no other place like it in the neighborhood. The New York-style pizza shop still has the vinyl booths, checkered tablecloths, and red plastic tumblers. And its Sweet Italian with sausage, garlic, and sweet fried peppers is arguably one of the best old-school pies in the city.

[Photo Credit]

700 E Pine St., Seattle, WA 98122

Good sober and great after a few co*cktails, Hot Mama’s has been filling stomachs of the young and hungry after hours for almost two decades. Slices are so big that ends hang off plates. Size isn’t everything, but those in search of the cheap, hot, and gooey will find happiness (before heartburn) here.

[Photo Credit]