Yelp, Washington Post say these are RI's best pizzas. Do you agree?

Here in Rhode Island – home of one of the best Little Italys around – we have no shortage of good pizza.

Wood-fired or grilled, Sicilian to Chicago-style, Rhode Island has it all.

In fact, we reported this summer about a Rhode Island pizzeria that made the prestigious ranking of the 50 Best in the United States. Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana in Wakefield was No. 12 on the list that was released last week by 50 Top Pizza USA. Last year, owner and pizzaiolo (pizza maker) Pasquale Illiano was No. 33 and he rose substantially higher on the rankings this year.

For two years in a row now, Providence has celebrated Pizza Week, in which dozens of restaurants from Warren to Pawtucket shared specials.

Providence chef Robert Andreozzi of Pizza Marvin, an old-style pizza parlor with a modern menu of food and cocktails on Wickenden Street, was even nominated this year for a James Beard Award, one of the most prestigious honors in the culinary world.

Providence is even the birthplace of grilled pizza, invented in the 1980s by Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon of Al Forno. 

And don’t forget the pizza strip, a Rhode Island favorite served with no toppings and at room temperature.

So when the Washington Post recently created an interactive map of the “best” pizza places in each state – based on 7.5 million Yelp reviews of Chicago, Detroit, Neapolitan, New York, Roman and Sicilian pies – we were of course curious enough to check it out.

So what's the best pizza in Rhode Island?

The aforementioned Pasquale’s ranks under New York style. There’s only one listing for Chicago deep-dish style pizza: NK Chicago Pizza in North Kingstown. The Neapolitan list includes two East Bay favorites, Brick Pizza on Wood Street in Bristol (next to Pivotal Brewery in a redeveloped industrial park) and Federal Hill Pizza at 495 Main St., which began in 2005 by chef Billy Manzo out of the back of his cigar lounge on Federal Hill in Providence (he’s also been featured on Phantom Gourmet and the Food Network). The only Sicilian pie listed is Caserta’s, located on Spruce Street in Providence (we’re thinking no one told the Washington Post about the “Wimpy Skippy,” a Caserta’s specialty spinach pie stuffed with black olives, cheese and pepperoni).

The Washington Post article makes note of the very specific criteria they used, so no need to fret if your favorite pizza place didn’t make the list. Perhaps go and give it a boost for next year with a positive Yelp review!

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Yelp, Washington Post rank RI pizza restaurants according to reviews