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Pizza is a constant. It’s nourishing and fortifying. It’s versatile — a cornerstone of our culinary experience. It’s somehow both a comfort in cold winters and a relief in the dog days of summer. Even in the humid lands of the American South, you’ll be able to find countless joints slinging pies no matter how steamy things get.
The South itself is a culturally and culinarily rich corner of our nation. It spans from the misty bluegrass hills of the Ohio Valley to the Mississippi Delta to up and down the Atlantic coastline — from the nation’s capital all the way down the Florida Keys, within spitting distance of Cuba. So you can imagine, when it comes to pizza and the South, there’s a lot of variation and deliciousness. Unique styles pop up in random corners while stone-cold classic pies dominate in others. Truly, the South is a wonderland for stylistic permutations and variations with pizza, as with barbecue.
Get your pitchers of Cheerwine and Abita ready because we’re picking the best pizza in the American South.
VIRGINIA: Benny’s Pizza, Across the State
The Virginia Slice is a radical icon of the pizza world and no one does it better than Benny’s Pizza. The simple pizza joint has spots all over Virginia and into the Carolinas these days. Why? Because it’s so good it can’t stop growing. The joints are unpretentious pizza parlors and walk-ups where you grab a quick slice or carry out a massive pie. It’s fast, delicious, and affordable.
The über slices of pizza are as fun as they are on point. The thin(ish) crust has a nice chew to it with just enough heft to keep it together. Generally speaking, there are slices of cheese, pepperoni, and sausage ready to go at all times. There are monthly specials but those vary by location. You can be assured that the specials are always clever and tasty.
This a great pizza that demands two paper plates. What’s not to love about that?
WEST VIRGINIA: The Pizza Place, Parkersburg
The Pizza Place (not to be confused with The Original Pizza Place, which ironically came later) is a West Virginia institution of one-of-a-kind pizza. The three locations around WV are classic pizza parlors with a nostalgic feel that’ll take you back to halcyon days of quarter arcades with greasy joysticks and way too many pitchers of Mountain Dew in your belly. Good times.
The pizza here is a unique mix of Sicilian proportions by way of the Ohio Valley’s love of cheese. The style of pizza you’ll find at The Pizza Place is part Sicilian sfincione, a little Detroit, and a lot West Virginia.
The square thick crusts are hand-pulled and baked to a perfect balance of chewy interior and crisp exterior. The toppings are layered more classically than Detroit’s reverse style layering but hit the same touchstones. Then small disks of piquant pepperoni are generously applied and the whole thing is baked. It’s a beautifully dense and cheesy mess of a pizza.
TENNESSEE: Aldo’s Pizza Pies, Memphis
You thought we’d go with the too-cool-for-school kids and pick a parlor in Nashville, didn’t you? Well, sorry, the best pizza in Tennessee is in Memphis.
Aldo’s Pizza Pies wins out for having a great atmosphere alongside killer pies. Aldo’s is the sort of spot where you’re bound to have a good time with friends while eating great pizza, drinking superior beer, and, likely, getting a few shots for your Instagram feed.
Instagrams aside, the pizzas really is the star of the show. The crusts are New York inspired with a nice heft but a little more refinement — there’s slightly more airiness at play in Aldo’s crusts. The toppings are unique and visionary with great combos on the menu. They make their own in-house mozz, which is fantastic, fresh, and creamy. Pies like the Trippy Truffle are loaded with four different fungi and plenty of cheese. If it’s not local or housemade, it’s not going on Aldo’s pizzas and that’s why this place is the best.
NORTH CAROLINA: Lilly’s Pizza, Raleigh and Durham
North Carolina has a varied and deeply good pizza scene. One place does stand out with a great selection and a great story to boot. Lilly’s Pizza started off as a side gig for a few musicians. They launched a fun little carry-out/ walk-up joint in an old biker bar. People loved their pizza so much, they started bringing their own lawn chairs and a scene was created around an amazing pizza. Today, the crew has two brick and mortars in the Raleigh-Durham area and they’re still slinging great pies.
The pizza is unique at Lilly’s. The crusts are hand-tossed and a tad thicker than a Costco pizza crust. It has a nice density that can withstand a pile of toppings — that’s a good thing. You can build your own pizza from a long list of organic, seasonal, and local ingredients or just dive into one of their specials. The Big Star with pesto, mozz, gorgonzola, fontina, roasted red peppers, parmesan, and a sprinkling of pistachios is a cheesy, funky, and textural delight.
You’re going to need to hit this place more than once if you’re in town. The pizzas are so funky and delicious that one visit won’t be enough.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Andolini’s Pizza, Charleston
Charleston is one of America’s premier food cities. It should come as no surprise there’s great pizza here. Andolini’s Pizza has been making sure the pizza scene stays strong for almost three decades now.
The chain has three locations around the city — each of them are great so we’re not going to single one out here. The places have a chill pizza parlor vibe with plenty of wood tables, big plastic cups for soda, airy patios, and big open pizza kitchens (so you can watch the magic happen).
The pizza is freakin’ fantastic, obviously. The pies are close to a New York style with a thin, chewy crust. The toppings tend to lean classic Americana pizza with plenty of sausages, pepperoni, onions, peppers, and olives. But it doesn’t end there, they like to have a little fun with their pizza with Bacon Cheeseburger pizzas and Meatball specials. Our suggestion is to grab a slice of whatever the Monday Special is (if you’re there on a Monday that is). Or, just grab any two large slices and a can of PBR for seven bucks. It’s all good.
ARKANSAS: Deluca’s Pizzeria, Hot Springs
Unless it’s your home state, you’re probably not going to call out Arkansas as a spot for must-eat pizza. Let’s change that. Deluca’s Pizzeria is doing Brooklyn pizza in the heart of Arkansas with a keen eye on keeping things local, fresh, and very seasonal.
Deluca’s leans more towards the beautiful pies of places like Di Fara, Roberta’s, and Totonno’s than a regular New York slice — that is, it’s delicious and complex and not a rubbery, greasy mess. The pizzeria is a great place to watch a master pizzaiolo do their work. The dough is tossed in-house and in very limited quantities. You may actually want to call ahead to reserve a pie. We’re not kidding.
Speaking of that dough, Deluca’s has managed to transport the essence of a Brooklyn pie all the way to the middle of Arkansas. It’s got the wonderful chew at the center that crisps and crunches as you reach the cornice. The red sauce is a glorious balance of sweet and umami. Then there are the toppings. Deluca’s tries to keep it as local and seasonal as possible in the great Italian tradition of cooking what’s good now. The menu is full of great concoctions and mixes of classics and modern takes. There are plenty of vegan pies, specialties of the house, meaty, and veggie alike, assuring there’ll be something you love.
If you can’t choose, start with the Patsy Searcy Pie. It has sharp soppressata, Calabrian chili oil, peppadews, and honey. It’s a spicy, umami, and an earthy sweet mix of pizza delight.
GEORGIA: S&J’s Woodfired Pizza, Atlanta
Picking a place in Georgia is a tough job. The state has three great food centers between Atlanta, Athens, and Savannah (no disrespect to Macon). With that great food culture, comes great pizza.
We’re going with one of the most unique pizza spots in the country right now for our pick in the Peach State. The mobile pizza kitchen, S&J Woodfired Pizza is a moving pizza oven that turns out some of the best pies in the whole state. This all started when the eponymous S&J (Sarah and John) left the world of nursing behind to follow their pizza dreams. Instead of opening a brick and mortar like everyone else, they went mobile with a pizza food truck pulling a trailer which houses a wood-fired oven.
The pizzas are a testament to S&J’s devotion to local and seasonal. Their hand tossed dough is topped with ingredients from farms around Atlanta and Georgia. That devotion makes their pizzas unique and fun. The style is very Neapolitan with a Southern edge. If you’re in the Atlanta area, look for their portable wood-fired oven at farmer’s markets around the city. You won’t be disappointed.
LOUISIANA: Fleur de Lis Pizza, Baton Rouge
This was a tough choice, people. Louisiana is a food haven. A land of oysters, po’ boys, dirty rice and beans, endless Bloody Marys, and so much more. This is a wholly unique corner of American food culture and the pizza is as delicious and unique as it gets.
We’re going deep for this one. Fleur de Lis Pizza in Baton Rouge does a special pie that’s called “Roman Pizza.” It’s a long rectangular pie that’s cut into smaller squares a la the Roman pizza al taglio. Before we get into the pies, we would be remiss not to mention how cool this joint is in general. There’s a very old school neon sign on the street advertising “Roman Pizza” in bright red letters. The inside is a wood-paneled throwback dive bar that feels like a home-away-from-home when you walk in. It’s all real atmosphere and thick nostalgia.
Then there are the Roman pizzas. The pies have a fairly thin crust. Not so thin as to be a German Flammkuchen cracker but not so thick to be an NY slice. Sweet red sauce, hard mozz, and toppings are piled on. It’s cut into squares and you dig in. Their signature pizza, the “Round The World,” is the perfect introductory pizza. It’s topped with anchovy, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, and salami. It’s a little over-the-top, or exactly how you want food in Louisiana to be.
ALABAMA: Pints & Pies, Montgomery
You can never go wrong with pizza and beer. Pints & Pies gets this and pairs unique pies with a stellar beer list. If you’re anywhere near Montgomery, you have to drop in.
Pints & Pies is a chill joint with a vibe that leans towards downing a few too many beers as you eat some of the best in the whole region. There are 35 beers on tap, offering almost every pairing possibility while you nosh. It’s really spectacular.
The pies are all about fresh local ingredients with a bent towards innovative, unique, and a little funky. Their Grape and Gorgonzola pie is a mix of fresh red grapes, earthy gorgonzola, and dashes of fresh rosemary. It’s a delight that challenges your perceptions of pizza in the best way possible.
That, above all things, is what we love about Pints & Pies — they don’t adhere to any made up rules about what pizza is “supposed” to be.
MISSISSIPPI: Stromboli’s Italian Eatery, Starkville
Stromboli’s Italian Eatery makes serious pizza. They make serious baked sandwiches, actual stromboli, and calzones too — but it’s the pizza were after here. The pizzeria bridges old-school neon Americana with modern (Instagrammable) street art surrounding some damn good food. The chill atmosphere of the restaurant will draw you in with the smells of baking cheese and pepperoni on bread. Once you take a bite, you’ll be hooked for life.
The pizza here is unique to say the very least. They’re a little bit of the Colorado and Iowa styles with a big puffy rim around the crust that’s sometimes folded over. The difference here is that Stromboli’s crust has a lightness that’s divine. The thick, fluffy crust means you have a serious piece of bread for dipping into a nice marinara or ranch once you’ve eaten the core of the slice.
The toppings lean towards classic American. There are definite standouts like the Muffaletta. The olive mix, salami, ham, pepperoni, and mozz make a lot of sense and bring a slightly briny new dimension to a standard olive pizza.
FLORIDA: Spris Pizza, Miami
Florida is a big place. Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Tallahassee, Pensacola all have great pizza. So, we had to make the hard choice and go with the pizza we love above the reast. In this case, that’s Spris Pizza in Miami.
Spris has four locations around Miami because it’s goddamn delicious. It helps immensely that the vibe at these pizza spots is relaxed and welcoming. You can take your time, drink a little vino, maybe order a dessert as a counterpoint to your pie. It’s all good.
The pizzas lean very Brooklyn crust with straight Neapolitan toppings. The crust is wood-fired, giving it a chewy center and wonderfully charred edge. The toppings are fresh and bright. They feel like they’ve just arrived from the farm and went straight onto the pizza. Spris is classic pizza that’s executed damn near perfectly. You can’t beat that.
KENTUCKY: Impellizzeri’s Pizza, Louisville
Benny Impellizzeri started baking pies back in the 1970s. His innovation was to double up the layering of toppings and cheese. This trick was a huge hit and Louisville-style pizza was born.
Impellizzeri’s Pizza is a great spot for great pizza in Louisville. There are five joints around town to pick from. We can’t really decide which is best. Each spot has that little bit of old-school pizza parlor charm with plenty of red bricks, neon, greasy parm and red pepper flake shakers, and old aluminum serving pans that have been used a gazillion times.
The pizzas come in many forms at Impellizzeri’s. The classic pie is the thick crust. There’s also a stellar thin crust, gluten-free, and “Sicilian” deep crust. We definitely recommend the classic thick crust as it’ll give you the best sense of what Louisville-style pizza is. The soft dough supports heaps of cheese and toppings. This is fortifying pizza that’s as indulgent as it’s delicious. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better or more unique pizza in the whole Ohio Valley.
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