The world's best pizza in 2024 is not in Naples – or in Italy. Here it is…

Many New Yorkers tell anyone who will listen—and even those who won't—that they have the best pizza. And now they have a delicious new validation of their long-standing culinary claims.

This week, the 50 Top Pizza Awards held in Italy released the global list for 2024, and a Lower East Side restaurant took first place.

Opened in March 2022 by pizza master Anthony Mangieri, Una Pizza Napoletana beat out not only U.S. competitors but also international ones, including pizzerias in Naples, Italy, the holy land for pizza lovers and foodies in general.

“It's inspiring to be recognized for this after 30 years of my career, especially in Naples, where pizza originated,” Mangieri said in an email to CNN Travel on Thursday.

New Yorkers had even more to boast about, as three more pizzerias made the 2024 list, which included a total of 101 restaurants (despite the “50” in the awards name). The rankings of the other New York pizzerias were: Ribalta at number 19, Don Antonio at number 30, and L'industrie Pizzeria at number 80.

Italy dominated the overall list with 41 restaurants, while the U.S. took a total of 15 spots. And Naples outperformed New York with five entries on the list, including a tie for second place with Diego Vigtaliano Pizzeria.

The global nature of these awards is also demonstrated by the fact that the list includes countries that are not necessarily known for their pizza scene – such as South Korea, Bolivia and India, to name just three.

Why Una Pizza Napoletana?

At the 50 Top Pizza Awards, the website explained how Una snagged the top award.

“In a country where people are used to putting everything on pizza, Anthony offers only the purest tradition in terms of toppings with ingredients of exceptional quality. Marinara, Margherita, Cosacca and a pizza that changes every day based on market ingredients,” says the awards website.

Mangieri, who grew up in New Jersey, developed “a pizza obsession from a young age,” a media representative for the restaurant said in an email to CNN Travel. In his search for the “perfect pizza,” his mother eventually drove him to all the famous spots in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

Mangieri “focuses on naturally leavened, wood-fired pizzas with ingredients such as the finest San Marzano tomatoes, wild Amalfi oregano, DOP buffalo mozzarella and Sicilian sea salt,” the representative said. “He chose just one location to focus on every detail.”

Dough emphasis

To achieve his results, Mangieri focuses on the basics.

“What makes a really good pizza is first of all the dough. It's not about a specific recipe, it's about hydration and understanding how to work the dough and adapt to all the variables involved,” he told CNN Travel.

“What makes us different at Una is that our dough is naturally leavened and highly hydrated, never refrigerated, and is made from a blend of many different Italian flours. And I make the dough every day we're open.”

Una Pizza Napoletana is likely to appeal to “slow food” followers. Only three pizzas are baked in the wood-fired ovens at a time. The current location at 175 Orchard Street, just off Houston Street, is actually the sixth version of the restaurant and has been open since March 2022.

For people who prefer frozen treats to hot pizza, Una's homemade ice cream and seasonal sorbets also received praise at the 50 Top Pizza Awards.

As for the recognition, Mangieri said, “I appreciate the recognition, but ultimately it's not the reason I started, nor why after all these years I still make every ball of dough we serve at Una. It motivates us to come to the restaurant every day, give more love and focus, and not take anything for granted.”

And what does the pizza master himself like to eat the most? “Pasta, I eat that almost with every meal. Or my fiancée's Mexican food.”

If you want to stop by Una for a cake, you'll have to wait until October 4. Mangieri and his team have closed the restaurant while they're traveling to Italy.

The leaderboard

These are the best pizzerias in the world in 2024 according to the 50 Top Pizza Awards:

1. A Neapolitan Pizza (New York, USA)
2. (Draw) Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria (Naples, Italy)
2. (Draw) I Masanielli – Francesco Martucci (Caserta, Italy)
3. The Pizza Bar at 38^th (Tokyo, Japan)
4. Limit (Milan, Italy)
5. Naples on the road (London, England)
6. Tony's Pizza Napoletana (San Francisco, USA)
7. I Tigli (San Bonifacio, Italy)
8. Sartoria Panatieri (Barcelona, ​​​​Spain)
9. 50 Kalò (Naples, Italy)
10. Your Pizza Illuminati (Rome, Italy)

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