Edmonton beats out Florence, Milan on Conde Nast Traveler pizza poll
Old school pizza joins with no fuss toppings helped the city rise above in the ranks
A major international magazine has picked Edmonton as one of the world's best cities to grab a slice of pizza.
Conde Nast Traveler recently put the city on the global pizza map with its latest culinary catalog.
Based on the publication's Readers Choice Awards survey, Edmonton ranked 8th out of 14 cities (above Florence and Milan) on the magazine's list of top pizza places in the world.
And since Edmonton was the only Maple Leaf metropolis to make the cut, that gives the city a new title to boast about: "Canada's Pizza Capital."
"In an era when artisanal and hipster pizzerias are all the rage, the old-school joints still rule up north in Edmonton," wrote Daniel Young, an American food critic who writes for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian.
"You know it from the names —Tony's Pizza Palace, Packrat Louie, Rose Bowl — and of course, the toppings, like meatballs, shrimp, pineapple, and BBQ chicken."
How did Edmonton get a piece of the pizza-ranking pie?
Edmonton food critic Phil Wilson says it's all about the mounds of cheese and the gluttonous toppings served up on so many Edmonton pies — and a dedication to make each one a little slice of culinary heaven.
"You can find really great and terrible pizza in any city," Wilson says. "But what makes Edmonton a great pizza city, is the passion for pizza. And people here really have that.
"There's a lot of different styles here. And we do all the styles quite well."
Wilson should know. For his blog, he sampled pizza from more than 25 restaurants in a year-long search for Edmonton's best slice. In the end, he narrowed it down to two favourites: when it comes to thin crust, his pick was the mushroom and gorgonzola pizza served at Leva; for thick crust, Slice Pizzeria.
"I'm still trying to recover from the carb fest. But that's what I found out, Edmonton has a pretty underrated pizza scene here."
Best Pizza in the World: The 14 top cities
- Chicago
- New York City
- Rome
- Orlando, Fla.
- Naples,
- New Haven, Conn.
- Venice
- Edmonton
- Florence
- Palermo
- Milan
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
What do you think? Did Edmonton deserve the lofty pizza prize? Where is your favourite place to grab a slice? Let us know in the comments section below.