FOOD NEWS
The Best Pizza Joint In America Is In California (According To Yelp)
By Margaret McCormick
Pizza might be the last dish that comes to mind when you think of famous California foods, especially when compared to states like New York or Illinois. The state is better known for sourdough bread, cioppino, and fortune cookies, but according to Yelp, the best pizza joint in America is in Pasadena.
Yelp, the crowd-sourced review website, gave Pasadena's Sapori di 786 Degrees the top spot on its list of the top 100 pizza joints. The restaurant has received nearly 800 five-star reviews and is noted for its wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pies with international flavors like Bombay tikka masala pizza, and the Habibi pizza with lamb, beef, and garlic-infused yogurt sauce.
Sapori di 786 Degrees’ owner Ali Haider discovered his “amore” for Neapolitan margherita pizza, along with his true calling, during a trip to Italy with his wife for their honeymoon. Haider opened his first pizza restaurant in Sun Valley, California, where his Italian and halal fusion pies were a big hit — enough so to warrant a second restaurant in Pasadena.