NYC beats Italy again in the “World’s Best Pizza” category at this location

New York pizza is still the undisputed number one – no matter how you cut it.

A Manhattan culinary institution has reclaimed the title for the best pies in the world, dethroning two southern Italian icons.

Una Pizza Napoletana at 175 Orchard Street – which shared the title in 2022 and was named the best pizza in the U.S. for the third year in a row last June – was again voted No. 1 in the world this week by 50 Top Pizza.

Last year, Diego Vitagliano of Naples and I Masanielli of Caserta shared first place, with Una Pizza Napoletana in second place. This year, the two Italian restaurants were tied again, this time in second place, behind the champion from the Lower East Side.

“In a country where people are used to putting everything on their pizza, Anthony offers only toppings in the purest tradition with ingredients of exceptional quality,” says the award ceremony website. The owner, Anthony Mangieri, is also known for his Marinara, Margherita and Cosacca pizzas, as well as a changing range of cakes.

“It's inspiring to be recognized for this 30 years after I started my career, especially in Naples, where pizza originated,” the Jersey Shore native and Yankee fan, who moved his restaurant from New Jersey to San Francisco in the LES in 2022, told CNN Travel.

He believes that the dough is the beginning of a good pizza. At Una Pizza Napoletana, the utmost importance is placed on keeping the main ingredient hydrated – and only in good hands.

“25 years later, no one else makes money in the restaurant except me,” Mangieri said previously.

“For every single pizza that people eat, I still make the dough myself in the morning.”

And although Mangieri is grateful for the recognition, he still has a higher goal behind the kitchen counter.

“I appreciate the recognition, but ultimately that's not why I started, nor why after all these years I still make every ball of dough we serve at Una,” he said.

“It gives us the motivation to go to the restaurant every day, to show even more love and focus and to not take anything for granted.”

Other restaurants in the top 10 include Pizza Bar in Tokyo at number 38 (third place), Confine in Milan at number four and Napoli on the Road in London at number five.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco took sixth place and I Tigli in San Bonifacio, Italy, took seventh place. Rounding out the top 10 were Sartoria Panatieri in Barcelona, ​​Spain; 50 Kalò in Naples; and Seu Pizza Illuminati in Rome.

Locally, Ribalta near Union Square ranked 19th, Don Antonio in Hell's Kitchen ranked 30th, and L'Industrie of Brooklyn — named the organization's best play in the U.S. last June — ranked 80th.