Hot Pizza Spots in the U.S.: Zephyr’s Street Pizza, West Hartford, Connecticut; Wrecktangular Pizza, with multiple locations in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Nick’s Pizza & Tomato Pie Wilmington, Delaware

This month we look at hot pizza places in Connecticut, Minnesota and Delaware. Each month in Destinations, we highlight great pizzerias that have hit our pizza radar. These pizza places may have just opened to rave reviews, hit best pizza lists or have exciting news. If you’re a pizzeria that would like to be featured, reach out to Executive Editor Denise Greer at [email protected].

Zephyr’s Street Pizza, West Hartford, Connecticut

Photos courtesy of Zephyr’s Street Pizza

Photos courtesy of Zephyr’s Street Pizza

Over the summer, Dave Portnoy visited Zephyr’s and gave the spot a high score of 8.1 in his One Bite Pizza Reviews. An emotional Dante Cistulli, chef/owner, relayed to Portnoy that he was coming at the right time for the three-year-old business. Initially intending to go with a food truck, Dante and wife Stephanie scooped up the spot that they had sentimental ties to and had dreamed of owning. “I’m grateful for the folks that walk through the doors every day and the people that have supported me and my business since the beginning,” says Cistulli, whose culinary career spans over 20 years. “We’re also known for high quality foods and attention to detail. We’re chef driven, and I’m extremely proud of that.” The pizza menu is filled with creativity, from a Zesty Nduja (with mozzarella, goat cheese, pepperoncini and Nduja) and the Yard Bird (with braised chicken thighs, mozzarella, Calabrian breadcrumbs, honey sriracha and pickle relish). There is also the OG Street Taco, featuring fontina, braised Calabrian pork, pico de gallo, lime crème frachie and red vinegar dressed cabbage. Zephyr also crushes it with its grinders and sandwich menu. The Ham Grinder features Black Forest ham, lite mayo, salt, pepper, EVOO, Vin, shredduce, shaved onion, aged prov, tomato and pepper relish.

Wrecktangular Pizza, Multiple Locations in Minneapolis, Minnesota

This Detroit-style pizza company is in growth mode with locations around Minneapolis and St. Paul. Last year, Wrecktangular gained national recognition when Good Morning America touted the pizzeria’s Very Nice Breakfast Pizza on its United States of Pizza. The pizza features cheddar jack, sausage gravy, scrambled egg, bacon jam and fried sage. New flavors are always rotating onto the menu like the Sportz Pizza with artichoke dip, Cry Baby Craig’s buffalo sauce, smoked chicken, cheddar jack and scallion or the Whomper Sr. with Cheese (ground beef, tomato, onion, pickle, kewpie-style mayo and toasted sesame seed). The rest of the menu is rounded out with starters and sandwiches. A unique app is the Pickle Roll-up, a pickle spear, cream cheese and ham.

Nick’s Pizza & Tomato Pie, Wilmington, Delaware

The pizza popup found a storefront home in Wilmington in 2023 after two years of pop-up operation out of his family’s breakfast diner Kozy Korner. Owner Nicholas Vouras spent five years traveling in the U.S. and Europe visiting pizzerias. The pop-up and brick-and-mortar restaurant have garnered a ton of local and regional press, including a 2024 Best of Delaware from Delaware Today. Nick’s offers round tomato pies and Detroit squares. It also offers a sesame seed crust option. In addition to traditional toppings, the small pizza shop offers toppings, like burrata, long hot peppers and cherry peppers. Nick’s offers a build to order option as well as white, Buffalo chicken and chicken bacon Ranch pizzas. The pizzeria’s menu also features sandwiches and wings.

Check out more Pizza Destinations in People & Pizzerias.