‘Worth a pilgrimage’: Pizzeria Bianco makes New York Times’ top pizza joints in the United States

PHOENIX — Local Italian restaurant Pizzeria Bianco was featured in a New York Times’ piece “22 of the Best Pizza Places in the United States” published on Wednesday.

From Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles to Razza in Jersey City, this collaborative piece identified the pie spots Americans cannot get enough of right now, and Phoenix garnered national attention.

According to New York Times’ contributor Brett Anderson, the chain with homes in Phoenix and Los Angeles “helped pave the way for the craft-pizza revolution” with its uniquely authentic and grass-roots influence.

Consumers travel far and wide to taste hand-tossed pizzas including Bianco’s spin on the Margherita and fan-favorite Rosa, a red-onion pie layered with Arizona-grown pistachios.

Chris Bianco, who founded Pizzeria Bianco in 1988, dished out the earliest version of his craft to customers in the back of a Phoenix grocery store.

From there, he expanded his footprint to two locations in the downtown area, one on Adams Street and the other on 20th Street just north of Encanto Village.

The Adams Street residence opened up in 1997 before the Town & Country rendition on 20th Street followed in 2013.

In 2003, Bianco became the first pizzaiolo to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef (Southwest) and 19 years later took home the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restauranteur.

The same year Bianco was named Outstanding Restauranteur, he also appeared on an episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Pizza which aired on Sept. 7, 2022. He was one of six pizza chefs to be featured in season seven of the Netflix original.

Pizzeria Bianco is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Sundays.

For more information and to view their menu, visit their website online.

 

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