What’s The Best Regional Pizza Style? Throw-Down Survey Results

On National Pizza Day Sunday, make it the original — the pie technique and recipe Italian immigrant Gennaro Lombardi is said to have brought with him to New City’s Little Italy neighborhood.

That’s according to a third of Patch readers who responded to our cheeky pizza throw down, an informal, by no means scientific survey that asked readers to choose between eight pizza styles: New York, Chicago, New Haven, Detroit, California, St. Louis, Neapolitan and Sicilian.

New Haven-style pizza, including the regional take called white clam pizza that builds on Connecticut’s reputation as a prime location for shell fishing, was the favorite among about a quarter of respondents.

Chicago’s (often, but not always) deep-dish, sauce-on-the-top pizza came in third, with about 12 percent of respondents preferring it. Detroit-style, another deep-dish pizza with cheesy crusts and Neapolitan, known for its simplicity and cardboard-thin bread crusts, tied for fourth place at about 6 percent

Other styles barely registered a blip.

Buffalo Grove (Illinois) Patch reader Bronco Rog rejects the premise one style is better than another.

“You can’t compare pizzas across types. Each type is distinct,” the reader said. “Arguing a great Chicago-style pizza against a great New York-style pizza is like arguing whether a great steak is better than a great piece of salmon. It depends on your taste and your mood.”

Asked to choose, Bronco Rog settled on St. Louis-style pizza, explaining, “The thinner crust allows you to taste the cheese, sauce and toppings more. The sweeter sauce s a good balance for most toppings.”

‘The New York Slice Gets It Perfect’

This endorsement of New York-style pizza from Smithtown (New York) Patch reader Bud comes with an etiquette lesson on the proper way to eat it.

“The crust folded with sauce and cheese in the right combination is the best, and it’s not messy,” Bud said. “The cheese is melty and stringy and you pull it away like a yarn ball unraveling and scoop it back into your mouth while raising the pizza high over your head and savoring every bite.”

“It is all about the thin crust, great sauce and high quality cheese,” said Linda, a New Jersey Patch reader. “And you can fold it!”

• Related: Where To Score National Pizza Day Deals On Super Bowl Sunday

New York City Patch reader Nat said New York-style pizza is an undisputed classic.

“There is a perfect crust, not floppy but crisp and stands on its own,” Nat said. “A perfect amount of sauce and cheese that is delectable. It’s all about ratios and the New York slice gets it perfect.”

It Tastes Like Home

Wallingford (Connecticut) Patch reader Barb said New Haven-style is “just the very best.”

“Love its thin, crispy slightly charred crust,” Barb said. “And, love all the various toppings that can be used to make a delicious, beautiful, mouthwatering meal.”

New Haven-style pizza tastes like home to Sunshine, a Dunedin (Florida) Patch reader, who grew up near the namesake city and whose ancestors emigrated from Italy.

“This is what we grew up on and love the ‘char’ — it’s not burnt!” Sunshine said “A basic pie but always delicious!”

Another Connecticut transplant, Florida Patch reader Kathy, also brought her love for New Haven-style pizza south. Kathy appreciates the flavorful crust, which she said is “cooked to a nice, lightly charred finish in a hot brick oven,” she said. “So many topping to choose but plain tomato sauce and grated cheese and clam pie are my favorites!”

Local Pizzerias Get Chicago Right

Handy, a Newtown (Connecticut) Patch reader, defected and voted for thin-crust Chicago-style pizza, sometimes called “tavern style.”

“Nothing tastes better than the original thin-crust Chicago pizza with lots of marinara, stringy mozzarella, and Italian sausage with a dusting of cornmeal on the bottom of the crust,” Handy said. “I grew up eating it and it’s definitely unbeatable!”

Ron, who lived in Chicago for 65 years before moving to New Hampshire, brought his love for Chicago-style east. But he wants to get it from a local pizzeria.

“Whether it is deep dish or thin pizza the local pizza shops make it so good, very tasty, ingredients all the way to the edge,” said Ron, a guy who knows pizza.

The big mistake New England pizzerias make is “not bringing the ingredients all the way to the edge,” and that means crust is left behind.

A New York City Patch reader who uses the social media handle @skaizun is an unapologetic fan of Chicago-style pizza. “I love a thick pizza, which gets me in trouble with my fellow Noo Yawkahs, but, hey, fuggedaboudit!” the reader wrote, adding an old-fashioned keystroke emoji — ;) — for winking.

The charm of Chicago-style pizza, said Illinois Patch reader Linda, is “not only the best flavor, but the feeling you get when presented to you. OMG.”

‘You Had The Rest, Try The Best’

Bert, a Shelby-Utica (Michigan) Patch reader, was a homer for Detroit-style pizza. “I’ve had the rest, now try the best,” he said, throwing down his own challenge.

“The crunchy, done-to-perfection edges compliment the soft dough in the center,” Bert said. “The sauce over the toppings leaves every bite a surprise as to what lies underneath.”

Detroit-style pizza is cut into squares, rather than triangular slices.

“The back story is great,” said a Royal Oak (Michigan) Patch reader. “The original pizza pans were steel parts trays from the auto plants. The pizza is deep-dish with a really crispy edge, thicker bread, lots of cheese and sauce. Add your favorite toppings. Yum.”

Keep It Simple With Neapolitan

Neapolitan-style is the only answer, said Danville (California) Patch reader Bob, who said the problem with most pizzas is that unlike the three-ingredient Neapolitan, they have too many toppings.

“The pizza was invented in Naples!” Bob said. “The high heat causes a slight char on the crust, but the dough stays light and airy. Also, the simple ingredients like buffalo mozzarella, sauce and basil shine.”

Boston Patch reader Linda also praised Neapolitan pizza as the most authentic. “It’s most like what is served in Italy,” she said. “Focus on a few ingredients but they have to be the highest quality.”

“There’s really only Chicago, Neapolitan and New York,” said D., a Chicago Patch reader who’s partial to Chicago-style pizza. “The others had FOMO (fear of missing out) and made-up stuff. Chicago and New York are both great, but Chicago is more of a meal.”

As a New York City-born Sicilian I have tried most of the pizza posted here. By far a true SICILIAN PIZZA is the very best.

What’s Greek-style pizza, chopped liver?

“I have tried every style of pizza on the list above and I keep going back to the Greek style,” said Warwick (Rhode Island) Patch reader Terri.

“The crust on the Greek-style pizza is perfection — thick enough to hold lots of toppings with an edge that is crispy on the outside and so soft and spongy on the inside that you never have to leave any pizza crust on your plate,” Terri said. “The sauce on a Greek pizza has a deeper, thicker, heartier tomato taste that enhances whatever toppings you put on it vs. a sweet, runny sauce.”

Nix The ‘Frilly-Willy Add-Ons’

We asked survey respondents to finish this sentence: The thing most people get wrong about pizza is …

“They think that the more toppings, the better. That’s not true. Less toppings let you be able to savor the individual toppings,” said Port Washington-Saukville (Wisconsin) Patch reader Buckles.

“Take it and eat at home. In the box, the pizza will be cold and soggy. Pizza should be eaten in the pizzeria,” said Michael, a Brookfield (Connecticut) Patch reader who is a die-hard Neapolitan fan “because pizza was invented in A Napoli and is the best.”

We’re reckoning Manchester (New Hampshire) Patch reader Mike has been hassled about his choice for the supposed “most important meal of the day.” The thing people get wrong is that pizza “can’t be eaten for breakfast,” said Michael, whose preference is New Haven-style pizza.

• Read more about different pizza styles: What’s The Difference Between Regional Pizza Styles?

Marsh, a Scotch Plains-Fanwood (New Jersey) Patch reader, said most U.S. pizzerias, regardless of what state they’re located in, don’t know how to make pizza and serve up pies with crust that “tastes like cardboard.” And some — Marsh was especially emphatic about this — even top the pizza with cheddar cheese.

“That does not belong on pizza,” said Marsh.

“The dough should have flavor, the sauce should have flavor, and no cheddar or Swiss or any other cheese but Romano or Parmesan,” Marsh said. “Also, they don’t know how to cook it. You ask for it well done and it might be lightly golden on the bottom of the crust. That is not well done.”

Marsh is a fan of Neapolitan-style pizza saying, “The flavor is incredible because it’s cooked in a very hot oven and you have little black bubbles near the crust — that is real pizza!”

“It should just be made with the basic ingredients, not frilly-willy add-ons,” said Ronny Bones, an Upper East Side Patch reader who lives in Manhattan,

Nanuet (New York) Patch reader Judy gives a hard pass to pizza with any kind of fruit as a topping. Pizza Joe, a Concord (New Hampshire) Patch reader agrees.

“Fruit does not belong on pizza,” said Sandy, a New Haven (Connecticut) Patch reader.

Neither does pineapple, said Joliet (Illinois) Patch reader Fred.

“Pineapple is a no on pizza,” Berkeley (New Jersey) Patch reader Amanda said.

LG, an Orland Park (Illinois) Patch reader, said the thing most people get wrong about pizza is the ingredients.

“Sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms peppers and onions,” LG said. “That’s all that should be on a pizza. Definitely no pineapple.”