Who has the best pizza in Iowa? The Washington Post analyzed Yelp reviews to find out

Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

Who makes the best Chicago deep-dish pizza in Iowa? How about New York slices? Or Neapolitan-style pizzas?

Everyone has an opinion on who makes the best pizza, and to that end, the Washington Post took a different approach to determine the tops nationwide. The editors there started with the 7.5 million Yelp reviews of 85,000 pizza establishments nationwide, developed a formula to figure out the best — taking into consideration the rating, number of reviews, and how often reviews mentioned that particular pizza style, the Post said — and then presented it to the public.

In Iowa, the Post found diners’ favorites from six different styles of pizzas. Here’s a look at the results:

Who serves the best Chicago-style pizza in Iowa?

Wig & Pen in Ankeny serves a Union Jack on the Flying Tomato crust, a deep-dish pizza.
Wig & Pen in Ankeny serves a Union Jack on the Flying Tomato crust, a deep-dish pizza.

The Washington Post refers to the deep-dish pies the Windy City made famous for this group of pizzas and not the thin Chicago-style crusts.

  1. Zoey's Pizzeria, Marion

  2. Cappy’s Pizzeria, Cedar Rapids

  3. Rosati’s, West Des Moines

  4. Vitale's, Clinton

  5. Wig & Pen Pizza Pub, Iowa City

  6. Wig & Pen Pizza Pub, Ankeny

More: 11 Des Moines pizzerias to satisfy any craving spanning deep dish to crispy thin crust

Who serves the best Detroit-style pizza in Iowa?

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A post shared by Parlor Pizza Joint (@parlorpizzabeaverdale)

Only two restaurants statewide made this ranking of Detroit-style pies, thick crusts with cheese cooked underneath the sauce and cut into squares.

  1. Parlor, Des Moines

  2. Tomaso’s Pizza, Cedar Rapids

Who serves the best Neapolitan-style pizzas in Iowa?

Eatery A leans into Mediterranean-inspired pies, such as the Pizza #5 with lamb gyro, feta, pickled onion, and raita.
Eatery A leans into Mediterranean-inspired pies, such as the Pizza #5 with lamb gyro, feta, pickled onion, and raita.

These puffy-crusted pies are typically baked in a wood-fired oven.

  1. Sfumato Pizzeria, Alton

  2. Maggie’s Farm Wood-Fired Pizza, Iowa City

  3. Basal Pizza, Waterloo

  4. Lincoln Winebar, Mt. Vernon

  5. Rusciano’s, North Liberty

  6. Eatery A, Des Moines

More: Meet the 5 Iowa restaurants that made Yelp’s Top 100 in the Midwest

Who serves the best New York-style pizzas in Iowa?

Pizza sells by the slice and by the pie at Taste of New York.
Pizza sells by the slice and by the pie at Taste of New York.

These pizzas feature a thin center and a lip at the edge to hold in the sauce.

  1. Nonna’s Pizza & Pasta, Ankeny

  2. Smash Pizza, Bettendorf

  3. Taste of New York Pizza, West Des Moines

  4. Cappy’s Pizzeria, Cedar Rapids

  5. Dough Co Pizza, Des Moines

  6. Lopiez, Davenport

Who serves the best Sicilian-style pizza in Iowa?

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Only one restaurant made the rankings for this square pan pizza with a thick crust and crunchy base.

  1. Smash Pizza, Bettendorf

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Have a dish she should try? You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The best pizzas in Iowa, according to Yelp, Washington Post