Pittsburgh is blessed with so much outstanding pizza that Dan Gigler is pleased to report that his 2026 list has no repeats from the last few How to Pittsburgh issues. He’s found fresh sauce-and-dough options for us all to try ASAP.
Craving Cheesy, Crispy Crust and Sauce? Head to These Pizza Places Around Pittsburgh
F&F Pizzeria
307 Beverly Road, Mount Lebanon
At the risk of sounding provincial, the Yinzer lurking in my black-and-gold soul takes umbrage when locals lose their minds over some new shiny bauble that enters our market from out of town. To wit: I’m wholly unmoved by shacks that make shakes or the expense account crowd’s latest Downtown steakhouse-of-the-month. So I gave healthy skepticism to the much-hyped grand opening of F&F Pizza in Mount Lebanon, the Pittsburgh outpost of the famed New York City collaboration between Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo. The hairy eyeball isn’t necessary, though: this pizza is fantastic.
They do it New York-meets-Neapolitan style and manage to honor both pizza lineages with a micro-thin crust which positively crackles when you bite into it. That it’s served in a gorgeous renovation of the former Bado’s home on Beverly Road is poetic. These are the kind of new neighbors we’re happy to welcome to town.
Il Pizzaiolo
703 Washington Road, Mount Lebanon
It’s been 30 years since Ron Molinaro opened this temple to Neapolitan pizza and somehow it only manages to get better. You can’t go wrong here, but try the purist’s choice, the Margherita DOC with San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala, Parmigiano, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil. This is the truest pizza this side of the Spaccanapoli.
LaGrassa
5336 Butler Street, Lawrenceville
At a recent pop-up, Eric Grasso pulled a gorgeous Detroit-style square pizza out of the oven. After letting it rest, he slowly cut it with his rocker blade, unleashing a slow hissing CRONCH sound that could be the stuff of an ASMR video. Their guiding ethos, “everyone gets a corner slice” is the kind of pizza populism we can get behind. La Grassa has moved up and down Butler St. from pop-ups at The Vandal to a regular Tuesday residence at Field Day. Later this year, Mr. Grasso opens a permanent spot on the 5400 block of Butler in the former home of Cure.
La Vera Brooklyn Pizzeria
656 Washington Road, Mount Lebanon
The emergence of his fellow New Yorkers at F&F understandably garnered all the social media attention, but Chef Richie Sphatt Sr., a Brooklyn-native, opened La Vera with his sons Richie Jr., Matthew, and Thomas, further burnishing Mt. Lebanon’s embarrassment of Pizza riches. The elder Richie worked for years across the street at Il Pizzaiolo and is the executive chef at Mt. Washington’s Monterey Bay Fish Grotto. The slices are excellent, but the Sicilian pies are worth the visit – get the trio with vodka, pesto, and San Marzano tomato sauces, fresh mozzarella, and pecorino.
Woodfired by Lorelei
126 South Highland Avenue, East Liberty
If this place didn’t exist you’d have to invent it: a combination cocktail and coffee bar with a wine shop and a colorful “modern German beer hall” that looks like it came out of a Wes Anderson movie. AND they also have stellar pizza – woodfired, as you might’ve guessed from the name. A ton of places do a sweet and spicy pie with pepperoni and hot honey but Woodfired kicks it up a notch with the addition of pickled jalapeños.
Lucatino
106 East Main Street, Carnegie
For over 15 years Rico Lunardi and his Slice on Broadway squad have turned out excellent “New York Style, Yinzer Made” pies with remarkable consistency at multiple locations around Allegheny County. His new Carnegie restaurant, named for his sons Luca and Santino, is an homage to the red sauce restaurant his parents owned and ran in Beechview when he was growing up, but with modern updates to the decor and especially the menu. Loud and bustling, it’s like walking in on a lively family dinner, but the only one in Pittsburgh that serves round Roman tavern pies called Scrocchiarella – an onomatopoeic Italian word for “crunchy,” as these flavor-packed pies practically shatter like glass when you bite into them. Try the white clam pie for something completely different.
The PA Market
108 19th Street, Strip District
Come for the wine and vibes, stay for the pizza. The wine library at the PA Market is as chill a hang as you can ask for in the Strip – a ton of space, lots of comfy seating, and a wine list as good as you’ll find anywhere – not to mention excellent beers and cocktails. Their thin crust New York-style pizzas make an excellent drinking partner. Pick a bold Italian red to pair with the rich and earthy White Oak – a white sauce base, with mushrooms, sautéed spinach, caramelized onion, and truffle oil.
Penn Ave. Pizza & Steaks a.k.a. “PAPS”
4065 Penn Avenue, Lawrenceville
This new pizza shop is such a recent addition to the scene that it opened the same week this article’s deadline came due, so details are scant except for one very important one: this is exceptional New York-style pizza. Chris Firman, owner of the South Side nightclub Enclave, opened this shop with his brother and his wife in a spot that’s been pretty much a revolving door location over the past few years. This place has the makings of a place that’s going to be around for quite a while.
Story by Dan Gigler
Photography by Dave Bryce
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