Something funny happened this weekend: I was talking to my friend about where to go for pizza, and we both agreed we wanted to go some place different or new. And I had a craving – a SERIOUS craving – for that chewy, leopard-spotted, beautifully blistered crust that only comes from one place in NYC: Una Pizza Napoletana. My friend is vegan so I confirmed they had a tomato pie (no cheese) and we ventured out.
I have been to Una Pizza Napoletana a handful of times and it’s one of my personal favorites, but I haven’t been since pre-Covid, so I was hoping it would live up to the hype in my mind. Then 24 hours later, my Instagram feed exploded with the news:
Una Pizza Napoletana was named one of the best pizzerias in the world for 2025.
Naturally, I was like… “SAME, INTERNET. SAME.”
But here’s where I got confused – when I looked up the actual list from The Best Pizza Awards (yes, that’s a real thing), Una Pizza was listed at #17 in the world. Not #1, not even top 10. So why was everyone acting like it just got crowned the King of Pizza?
Well, because #17 in the world is still wildly impressive, especially when you consider how many pizza spots exist on this crusty-ass planet. And among U.S. pizzerias? Una is the first one on the list, if that makes sense (1-16 are all in Italy, Spain, or believe it or not, Tokyo). In fact, Time Out New York just featured Una alongside five other NYC spots that made the global top 100 for 2025. And I’ve been to 4 out of 5 of those other ones, can confirm most of them are worthy of the title, especially Lucali and L’Industrie.
Click here to download my FREE Best Pizza in NYC Guide for 2025!
Shout out to chef Anthony Mangieri too, the man behind the dough. If you’ve never heard of him, just know he’s kind of the Neapolitan pizza godfather in America. Deeply committed to tradition, obsessively focused on ingredients, and apparently uninterested in anything that dilutes the purity of the craft (read: there is no ranch dressing here and you will deal with it).
At Una, it’s not about toppings overload or IG-worthy cheese pulls. It’s about dough fermented to perfection, beautiful San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, a few leaves of basil, and some sea salt that hits your tongue at just the right time. The menu is short, the vibes are serious, and the pizza is worth every minute of that waitlist.
The full list of winners from the 2025 Best Pizza Awards is stacked with global heavy-hitters. We’re talking the likes of I Masanielli by Francesco Martucci (they took #1 this year) and Gabriele Bonci from Bonci Pizzarium in Rome (#3). And yes, there’s even a separate Best Pizza Chef Awards too, where legends like Franco Pepe and Ciro Salvo made appearances. Even chef Dan Richer of Razza Pizza in NJ made the list at #22! I’ve been there as well, delicious. But make no mistake, Mangieri’s inclusion at #17 keeps NYC firmly planted on the global pizza map.
Bottom line? If you’ve never been to Una Pizza Napoletana, go. If you’ve been, go again. Just maybe don’t expect to stroll in without a reservation now that the internet’s rediscovered it’s one of the best in the world. Again.
TL;DR:
- Una Pizza Napoletana is ranked #17 in the world by The Best Pizza Awards 2025.
- Named one of the top pizzerias in NYC by Time Out New York.
- Chef Anthony Mangieri continues to sling Italy-grade Neapolitan style pies.
- No, they don’t do ranch.
- Yes, it’s worth it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to dream about that Margherita pizza again.
