Conde Nast Just Named Edmonton As One of the Best Pizza Cities in the World

Pizza may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Edmonton – but if a recent poll is anything to go by, the Canadian city is the best place in the country to grab a slice of the stuff.

A recent accolade in Conde Nast Traveler magazine placed Edmonton eighth in the world for cities to find the best pizza. Which makes Alberta’s capital (unofficially) home to the greatest pizza city in Canada, since no other city in the great north made it onto the list.

Which means that pizza in Edmonton is better than Pizza Libretto or Queen Margherita in Toronto and Via Tevere Pizzeria or Pizzeria Farina in Vancouver – since the foodie metropolises were noticeably absent from the list.

Edmonton – the northern most city in North America with a population of over one million – found its way onto the list thanks to its unpretentious, classic pizza offerings. American food critic Daniel Young has this to say:

“In an era when artisanal and hipster pizzerias are all the rage, the old-school joints still rule up north in Edmonton. You know it from the names —Tony’s Pizza PalacePackrat LouieRose Bowl —and of course, the toppings, like meatballs, shrimp, pineapple, and BBQ chicken. In a pinch? The variety of pies at Famosa, a Canadian chain, is not so much soup-to-nuts as white-sauce-to-peanuts (and surprisingly tasty).”

The rest of the pizza cities on the list were largely from the US, with Chicago – “not just a one pizza town” – topping the list for its deep-dish, Neapolitan, coal oven, and tavern-style pies.

And of course Italy, the birth place of the fast food flatbread, featured prominently on the list, with Naples in fifth position, as well as Venice, Florence, Palermo and Milan all making it into the top 14.

And while some may be miffed to see their city absent from the rankings, or surprised to see Edmonton so high on the list, we should remember that Edmontonians were pioneers of pizza years before the edgier, trendier varieties arrived on the scene. Boston Pizza began way back in 1964, after Greek immigrant, Gus Agioritis, opened the first in the chain in Edmonton.

Here are Conde Nast’s 14 top cities for pizza in the world:

1. Chicago
2. New York City
3. Rome
4. Orlando
5. Naples
6. New Haven
7. Venice
8. Edmonton
9. Florence
10. Palermo
11. Milan
12. Philadelphia
13. Los Angeles
14. Las Vegas

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