My Picks For The Top 5 Pizza Places In Portland, Oregon
Just like anything else in the world, there are as many different ways to make a good pizza as there are restaurants. There are also plenty of ways to ruin a good pizza, with second-rate toppings and frozen crusts. The best pizzas will always be made from fresh dough that’s handspun into a crust. Of course, the sauce has to cook for hours and have only fresh ingredients; it can’t come from a metal can or large cardboard container. The cheeses should be a blend of at least three sources, and they’re not just thrown randomly onto the crust, they’re evenly spread so that every bite has the proper proportions. Yes, there is an art to making great pizza, and every city has its stand-out restaurants as well. Here are the top 5 best pizza places in Portland, Oregon.
Nonna Emilia Ristorante Italiano
This restaurant has been in the same place for decades, and you’ll find people that rave about their pizza on a regular basis. They have some of the best dough, especially their thick crusts and there is always lots of cheese. They are also one of the few places that always cut their square pizzas into square pieces instead of the usual wedges. They also have an accordion player playing Italian folk songs most evenings. Their pizza, spaghetti, calzone, and lasagna is to die for. If anything, they are now so popular that they have trouble keeping up with the high volume of customers. There is always a line to get in, and their order out section is swamped every evening. Take your time, even though the pizza takes a long time to come, it’s going to be worth every minute.
Ken’s Artisan Pizza In SE Portland
This is the way a real pizza should be made, with a real wood-fired, super hot, oven and fresh ingredients, many times from local farms when in season. The ambiance is fantastic with huge Doug Fir beams giving it a natural look throughout. You can watch the pizzas being made, so you know there aren’t any frozen crusts being used and the giant oven, shaped like an Igloo, sits squarely in the middle of the restaurant. The homemade salads are also sought after and come from a variety of organic farmers in the local area. Don’t forget to check out the local and regional wines offered as well; they usually have nearly 100 different wines on their list.
Sizzle Pie Pizzeria
This is a regional chain that caters to many vegan and vegetarian people of which Portland, Seattle, and Eugene seem to have plenty of. They still have plenty of meaty pizzas, and some of them are in combinations of ingredients that you wouldn’t find just anywhere. Combinations such as chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and parmesan peppercorn sauce are unique and very popular. Sometimes the hardest thing is deciding on just one particular pie because there are so many. Their complete menu is available online, plus they have a huge delivery following in the area as well.
Flying Pie Pizzeria on 78th and Stark
This is a small chain that is very proud of always using only the freshest ingredients and using hand-tossed pizza dough. They use only fresh vegetables that are cut daily, and all of their mozzarella, Romano, and Provolone, cheeses are made from 100% fresh whole milk. In most of their restaurants, there are five around Portland; you can watch your crust being tossed and the entire pizza being made from your seat.
Escape From New York Pizza
This is a traditional New York Style pizza, and they sell everything by the slice if you desire. That makes it easy to stop by their NW Portland location and grab a slice and be on your way. The restaurant is very popular with the bicycle/pedestrian crowd, and they move a lot of great quality pizza on an hourly basis. They can get very busy just around 4 PM up until almost 7 PM, so make sure you’re ready for the large crowds there.
Portland, Oregon, while not known nationally for being a pizza town, has it’s share of fantastic pizza restaurants. Many of them have great home brewed beers and local wines available that make the best pizzas taste even better.
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