Seattle’s foodie reputation may rest on excellent—and incredibly fresh—seafood, but let’s just say the pies are giving the fish a run for its money. Whether you’re a New York-, Chicago-, or Neapolitan-style loyalist, Seattle is the city of abundance, and the only issue you’ll have is where to start (and what limited-time ingredients to pile on top). Lucky for you, we’ve gone ahead and done the very hard work of taste-testing almost every joint in town, and now all that’s left for you to do is select your first stop. So, what’s it gonna be? Keep reading for some very cheesy, very tempting suggestions.
Fremont
Gorgeously charred Neapolitan pies are the name of the game at Lupo, which replaced its predecessor Via Tribunali in 2018 when manager Justin Harcus, alongside friend Shane Abbott, bought the joint. These pies are best eaten fresh—like, as soon as they hit the table—and cut with scissors, Italian-style. Come vaccinated (if you wanna dine in, that is), order the margherita, and enjoy.
Fremont
There are two reasons to stop by The Masonry’s Fremont digs (its Queen Anne location is still closed): The pizza (duh), and the beer, both of which are equally tasty, uber fresh, and always slightly, delectably weird. Here, the pies rotate seasonally, and the star of the beer list is most definitely Fast Fashion, a pandemic project brew created by The Masonry’s Matt Storm, whose first release in September of 2020 was aptly named “Hot Pizza.” Unsurprisingly, these beers (and pies) are in high demand, so get ‘em while you can.
Multiple Locations
Opened by Seattle's beloved fried chicken purveyor, Mark Fuller, these supremely good pie spots in West Seattle and the U District are done up in red vinyl and neon that serves as a backdrop for a long list of often ironically named pizzas with either red sauce (the Bomb As Sausage with cherry bomb peppers, swiss chard & ricotta), or white (The Jabroni with pesto, artichokes, feta & arugula). Oh, and if that's not enough they've got boozy slushies, ice cream sandwiches and more.
Phinney Ridge
After a stint serving their thick, delicious pies from behind a counter at Batch206 in Interbay, Windy City finally got its own location in 2019, where they’ve been serving up 12" pan pies with a caramelized, cheesy crust ever since. You're welcome to build your own, but the pro move is picking one of their specialty pies, like the Meatza with pepperoni, sausage & candied bacon, or the Mamma Mia with meatballs & peppers.
Capitol Hill
Need a COVID-related silver lining? Bar Cotto’s got you: Their pandemic special, a $50 three-course dinner (including wine) is enough to keep even the most cynical of us going. And if you’re just here for a pie, those (obviously) don’t disappoint either: Try their version of a Hawaiian called the Tropicale, which comes with prosciutto cotto, pineapple, calabrian chili, mozzarella, pecorino & tomato, as well as more classic options like a margherita, pepperoni, etc.
Madison Park
The pies here, with their perfectly charred crust, and artfully assembled toppings are almost too attractive to eat, but look past this and sate your appetite with something like their prosciutto, Grana, fiore di latte number, which gets a crisp, summery feel from the mound of rocket they put on top. And, given the Indie’s beachside location, makes it the perfect choice for coastal dining.
Capitol Hill
Opened by the minds behind Delancey (and blessed with a hilariously retro '90s-inspired website), this trapezoidal bar/pizza on Olive doles out traditional round pies, but you're going to want to go for the square cut pieces of New Jersey-inspired Sicilian-style thick crust, as only so many pieces of it are available each day.
Ballard
Delancey is included partly because we don’t want this place’s passionate fans coming after us, but mostly 'cause this Ballard pizzeria is home to some pretty fantastic tasting (and looking) pizzas. Get the bacon & onion pie and follow it up with the D’s famous chocolate chip cookie with gray (yes, gray) salt.
Downtown
Opened in 2019 to near-instant acclaim, this pizza/booze destination from famed Bainbridge-based chef Brendan McGill slings Roman-style square pizza sold by the cut and topped with mostly classic combinations, including a margherita with pomodoro, mozzarella, basil & grana padano, and the carbonara with guanciale, onion, potato, black pepper, & an egg yolk.
Capitol Hill
This late-night destination is one of the city's only New York-style slice spots, and definitely the only place where you can drink ironically cheap beer (PBR, 40s of Olde English, etc.) unselfconsciously.
Multiple Locations
What started as a mobile pizza operation making pies at farmers markets and festivals has transformed into a mainstay pizza destination at the eastern edge of Ballard, as well as a location in Wedgewood, where the wood-fired Neapolitan-style offerings include the can't-miss-but-limited-availability Molé topped with salami from Salumi, Beecher’s Flagship, fresh mozzarella, green onions & roasted garlic on savory red sauce.
First Hill
The hand-tossed pizza at this charmingly kitschy counter service spot in Pill Hill is made to order from a sparse list of classic toppings (pepperoni, sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, etc.), and cooks in about the same time that Roger Bannister was first able to run a mile in 1954, but probably only because the guy never ate pizza.
Downtown
Super chef Tom Douglas perfected SP's slightly sweet, almost pastry-like crust at his bakery around the corner, and it's so good that almost anything would taste amazing on it. But you'll want to spend your clams on the pie topped with diced, fresh-shucked ones from Penn Cove, one of the Puget Sound's premier bivalve purveyors. Seriously, this pizza cannot and should not be overlooked.
White Center
Posted up on a block bursting with specialized grocery stores, tattoo parlors, and smut vendors, this unassuming, cafeteria-style joint uses hand-mixed dough and largely local ingredients to produce RAT-City's best pizza's including one with Mondo & Sons Italian sausage, fresh garlic, and Mama Lil’s peppers that's called The Favorite… and is the favorite of, well, everyone presumably since that's its name.
West Seattle
From a guy who helped launch places like Via Tribunali, this narrow 40-seater with a dark wood bar takes Neapolitan pizza traditions more seriously than most places, as evidenced by the red tiled wood-fired pizza oven that was handmade in Naples and weighs 2,500lbs, or how heavy you'll be after eating as many of their deliciously simple pies, highlighted by two different margherita pizzas, a four cheese, and a pancetta with mushroom & onions -- all of which can be topped with a perfectly runny fried egg.
International District
Fifteen years after closing, this grunge-era Belltown mainstay reimagined itself as a salvaged, wood-heavy Chinatown pizzeria with seats for 20, and tons of touches from the old space including the vintage signage. They've also got a selection of pies that do something almost impossible: make you forget they’re vegetarian. We're not kidding. Just try the veggie pepperoni and see what we mean.
Bradley Fosteris a former Thrillist editor who you and your guests will probably run into at Dick's.
Emma Banksis a contributor for Thrillist.
