From time honoured recipes and carefully crafted dough to exceptional ingredients and wood fired ovens, great pizza is an art form in its own right. Across the world, chefs continue to refine this much loved classic, balancing tradition with creativity to create pizzas that are as memorable as they are beautifully made.
Condé Nast Traveller has highlighted a selection of destinations featured in the 2026 50 Top Pizza list, showcasing some of the pizzerias making their mark on the international pizza scene. From London and New York to Milan, Rome and Los Angeles, each offers a distinctive interpretation of the dish, combining traditional techniques with contemporary ideas.
Napoli on the Road, London
London’s Napoli on the Road offers a modern interpretation of Neapolitan pizza, bringing together traditional techniques with creative combinations. Founded by chef Michele Pascarella, the pizzeria focuses on carefully crafted dough and inventive toppings.
The menu includes pizzas such as the Wild Marinara, combining cherry tomatoes, Taggiasche olives, Cetara anchovies and wild garlic pesto. There are also plant based choices, adding variety while retaining a strong focus on Neapolitan traditions.
Una Pizza Napoletana, New York
In New York’s Lower East Side, Una Pizza Napoletana takes a deliberately simple approach. The restaurant is the work of pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri, whose decades of experience have shaped its distinctive style.
The menu remains focused, with Marinara, Margherita, Bianca, Filetti and Cosacca alongside a rotating special. Its light, airy dough and carefully considered ingredients are central to the experience, demonstrating how simplicity can be just as carefully crafted as more elaborate combinations.
Confine, Milan
In Milan, Confine takes pizza in a more contemporary direction, offering tasting menus alongside an à la carte selection, with wine and cocktail pairings adding another dimension to the experience.
Its open kitchen gives diners a view of the pizzaiolo at work, placing the craft behind each pizza firmly at the heart of the experience. The menu includes inventive creations such as the signature Popeye, reflecting Confine’s willingness to explore beyond more traditional combinations.
Seu Pizza Illuminati, Rome
Rome’s Seu Pizza Illuminati brings another contemporary perspective to the traditional pizzeria. Chef and owner Pier Daniele Seu has developed a menu that combines creative ideas with local ingredients, producing pizzas that offer a fresh interpretation of the classic dish.
Modern interiors and colourful art complement the restaurant’s approach, while tasting menus give diners the chance to sample a wider selection of signature dishes alongside antipasti.
Pizzeria Sei, Los Angeles
Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles takes a refined approach to Neapolitan style pizza, with owner William Joo combining traditional techniques with precise execution.
The menu focuses on beautifully charred, chewy crusts and carefully selected toppings, while antipasti, natural wines and Italian beers complete the offering. It is an example of how the principles of Neapolitan pizza can be interpreted in a different setting while maintaining a strong focus on technique.
The Continuing Evolution of Pizza
What connects these destinations is not one single definition of great pizza, but an attention to craftsmanship. Each pizzeria takes a different approach, whether through simplicity, inventive ingredients, contemporary presentation or a focus on traditional technique.
The 50 Top Pizza list also reflects how far the art of pizza making has travelled. While Italy remains at the heart of its history, pizzerias around the world continue to reinterpret the dish through their own ingredients, techniques and culinary influences.
From London to New York, Milan, Rome and Los Angeles, these destinations demonstrate that pizza continues to evolve while remaining rooted in the traditions that made it one of the world’s most enduring and beloved dishes.
Source: Condé Nast Traveller