The NYC Pizzeria Even Italians Admit Is 'Best In The World'

Miodrag Ignjatovic/Getty Images

While pizza wasn't technically invented by Italians, Italy has a reputation for cooking up some of the tastiest pies in the world. As such, the country has become the unofficial arbiter of pizza quality, at least where 50 Top Pizza is concerned. This Italian guide evaluates and ranks pizza joints all over the globe, and in 2025, New York City-based Una Pizza Napoletana received the highest possible praise. The establishment ranked as the best pizzeria in the world, an honor it shares with I Masanielli, located in Caserta, Italy. 

Keep in mind that this isn't Una Pizza Napoletana's first rodeo where the 50 Top Pizza guide is concerned. The restaurant received the same world-class honors in 2022 and 2024. Una Pizza Napoletana was also named the best pizzeria in the U.S. in 2025, with California-based shops snagging second and third place, respectively. With so many amazing pizza places throughout America and the world, naming the best is certainly challenging. The process begins with a geographically determined survey. Next, anonymous reviewers head to shops where they test pizzas as unassuming paying customers. Top 50 Pizza co-founder Albert Sapere explained to PMQ Pizza that the guide employs an inclusive selection of American reviewers "to better represent the pizza world that operates under the banner of the stars and stripes."

Anthony Mangieri is the culinary mind behind Una Pizza Napoletana. The world-class pizza shop originally started out in New Jersey, before moving to New York, then California, before heading back to New York to the current location in NYC's Lower East Side. This is now the lone Una Pizza Napoletana location, as chef and owner Mangieri wishes to exert "an obsessive focus on every detail" (per the restaurant's website). As for Una Pizza Napoletana's menu, prepare for a mouth-watering selection of classic pies in the Neapolitan tradition. Current pizzas include marinara, Bianca, margherita, Cosacca, and filetti, plus a special pie that changes weekly. While specials and Cosacca pies are excluded, customers can add toppings like salted Italian anchovies and aged Parmigiano Reggiano to any of the other pizzas. 

If you're in the area and tempted to see what all the buzz is about, you may have your work cut out for you. As one might imagine, Una Pizza Napoletana is quite exclusive, and pizza-craving patrons are encouraged to book via OpenTable up to two weeks in advance, according to Una Pizza Napoletana's FAQ page. While the restaurant allows walk-ins, seats fill up fast. In this case, diners can join a waitlist and will be contacted should tables become available.