A Look at Pizzerias Around the U.S.
Hella Pie Pizza | Tracy, California
Beginning as a food truck in 2017, Hella Pie opened as a slice house and takeout pizzeria in October 2020. “We are locals cooking for locals,” Owner Marcus Medina says. “Because everyone is picking up their pizzas we get to have a relationship with our customers. We get to know them. Our customers know that we care and those actions are what define us and also make us stand out. Our pizza style is an expression of all things that we enjoy about pizza — long-fermented dough, freshly made sauce, melty flavorful mozzarella, and balanced toppings. It could be considered New York inspired. We like to think of it as Northern California pizza because that’s who’s making it and that’s who we’re making it for. The holy grail would definitely be the Taco Pie. It’s a chorizo refried bean base with shredded cheddar, ground taco beef, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and taco sauce. It’s basically my Mom’s Tuesday tacos on pizza dough. I think a lot of Mom’s had similar ways so it connects with everyone.”
Santarpio’s Pizza | Boston, Massachusetts
This old-school pizza shop is a no-frills spot serving up New York-style pizza. Santarpio has a long history in Boston, first opened as a bakery in 1903. People rave about its cheese pizza. Another favorite is the Shrimp Scampi. Another killer combination is the chicken, broccoli and garlic white pie or one featuring pepperoni, garlic and hot peppers. Santarpio’s also highlights barbecue meat skewers with choice of steak tips, chicken, sausage or zesty lamb sausage. Skewers are served with hot cherry peppers and fresh baked Italian bread.
TriBecca Allie Cafe | Sardis, Mississippi
Rebecca and Damian (Dutch) Van Oostendorp have streamlined to operate during peak times, which works well their small Southern town. The pizzeria was born as a farmer’s market offering and dough for its wood-fired pizza was five years in the making. Pizzas are meticulously crafted. A featured pie includes Bianca Verde with ricotta cream and whole milk mozzarella cheese, with choice of spinach or artichoke hearts. Another specialty pizza is the Florentine with ricotta cream, whole milk mozzarella cheese, spinach, mushrooms, red onion and prosciutto.
