Top Pizzas in Seattle: Reviewed

Pause for a second and think: What’s YOUR favorite pizza place in Seattle? Today we’ll be diving into some of the most talked-about spots in this city!

First, let’s start with Mioposto. Their restaurant on 55th St NE is the one I will be referring to. With that in mind, however, the Mount Baker location is said to be the best.

Mioposto has been a staple in my family for quite some time; in fact, it is probably the first pizza restaurant I’ve ever been to. Aside from Pagliacci’s prominence in celebrations of all kinds, it is perhaps the most visited pizza restaurant in my family. Despite that, I entered the restaurant with a fresh outlook in mind. The dimly lit restaurant featured large paintings on both walls, a bar and one TV. The candles on the tables were ones that, in a less mature moment when I was younger, I had probably assumed were a cup of crayons and nearly stuck my hand into.

I had decided to order my favorite pizza, the Margherita, as well as cece (oven-baked chickpeas) and Caesar salad. The cece was warm with a hint of spice, and the Caesar salad crisp and fresh, a good precursor to the pizza. The pizza came, small pools of oil on the sauce. The pizza tasted delicious and familiar, in a polished, refined way. The crust was fluffy but had a good crunch and was charred in places.

Stevie’s Famous, at their Beacon Hill location, was a far leap from Mioposto’s candlelit atmosphere; the outside of the building hides a unique atmosphere inside. With vintage gaming machines, lights strung on the wall by the bar, and a disco ball, it was unexpected and refreshing, a casual yet pleasantly different setting to enjoy the pizza The Seattle Times's voter-driven contest named the best pizza in the city. The restaurant got more crowded as my Saturday night visit went on. A live band started setting up (I left before I could hear the music), but my main focus was the food. 

I ordered a slice of cheese pizza, a whole pepperoni pizza and a Caesar salad. Stevie’s Famous was different, and perhaps frustratingly so, in that a customer could order pizzas, but they would have to be one type of pizza only, thus limiting the palate unless a customer brought a large group. The Caesar salad was delightfully simplistic, with breadcrumbs that lent a good texture to the salad. The pepperoni pizza was revealed why, exactly, this place was said to be the best in Seattle. It was oily, but not greasy, thin, and the pepperoni could convince a cheese lover to convert to the ways of pepperoni. The pepperoni were crisp at the top, with an enjoyable texture, but were not overtly spicy. The pizza was less cheesy than usual, and the crust was less doughy than Mioposto, but the overall thinness and crispness were uniquely New York-style and uniquely delicious. 

The cheese pizza was a shock, though, and I remarked to myself how this slice was in no way worthy of the title of “best pizza in Seattle.” I had been warned that the slices at Stevie’s Famous would disappoint, but the lukewarm, thin yet not-crisp dough, and the sparsely sprinkled cheese proved more than true. The atmosphere was great, the pepperoni pizza was great, but a word of advice? Maybe don’t get the slice.

Pagliacci is one of the few pizzas best experienced as takeout or delivery. Pagliacci is associated with sports team celebrations, Friday movie nights, and birthday parties. To best experience this pizza as it is normally eaten, I ordered it to my house, as I have done the vast majority of times I have eaten Pagliacci. My standard order contains cheese pizza and Caesar salad, but recently I discovered a pizza that was essentially Margherita but with burrata and pesto drizzle called the Tricolore Combo. Thus, the pizza in front of me contained half pepperoni and the Tricolore. 

I started with the pepperoni. The chewy cheese and contrasting taste of the pepperoni were delicious, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t particularly like pepperoni. The cheese was warm, greasy in a delightful (but probably not healthy) way, nostalgic and familiar. 

The Tricolore Combo was similarly tasty. It was definitely different from the pepperoni, though, as it tasted fresh with the pesto but retained the same chewy texture and fluffy crust. The pizzas were flavored like two different people, but the texture and red sauce brought them both together.

These divergent restaurants were all different, with unique crusts and sauces, each tailored to a different event, evening, and style of pizza. If you’re having a team party, go for Pagliacci’s. Choose Mioposto for a more elegant evening, or host a friends’ Friday-night hangout at Stevie’s Famous location at the Clock-Out Lounge in Beacon Hill. The best-tasting pizza of all, though? That’s what you’ll have to find out.