Food & Drink

15 Pizza Places Worth Trying in Portland

Detroit-Style, Neapolitan, and More
July 13, 2021
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Baker Ken Forkish's pizzeria Ken's Artisan Pizza has received national attention for its wood-fired pies. (Ken's Artisan Pizza)

Is Portland "America's best pizza city"? Modernist Pizza authors Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya seem to think so. According to a much-circulated Bloomberg piece published last week, the two experts, who sampled over 400 pizzas across the country while writing their upcoming 1,700-page tome, concluded that Portland's pies were superior to the rest of the nation's—much to the consternation of many impassioned New Yorkers. While some locals are enthusiastic about the recognition, others have responded with reactions ranging from indifference to amusement to irritation. Whichever way you slice it, the news has certainly stirred up a national conversation about Portland's food scene, and it's undeniable that the city is home to an abundance of excellent pizza. We've gathered 15 pizzerias worth your time here, from longtime favorites like Apizza Scholls Add to a List and Ken's Artisan Pizza Add to a List to relative newcomers like Jerry's Pizza Add to a List and Pizza Thief Add to a List . For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide.

Apizza Scholls Add to a List
Myhrvold and Migoya singled out this longtime favorite, which is consistently praised as some of the best pizza in the city, as one of the pioneering pizzerias that have set the standard in Portland. Brian Spangler's simple, crunchy-edged Neapolitan pies made with exceptional ingredients have earned accolades from the likes of Anthony Bourdain.
Southeast
Pickup, delivery

Baby Blue Woodfired Pizza Add to a List
Run by vegan chef and Gracie's Apizza Add to a List alum Odie O'Connor, this Rose City Food Park cart calls itself "Portland's first and only vegan wood-fired pizza cart" and slings attractively blistered pies made with sourdough-fermented dough, finished off with toppings like vegan pepperoni, vegan sausage, and even house-breaded fried "chicken."
Southeast
Pickup, delivery

Dove Vivi Add to a List
This unique spot sets itself apart from the rest of the Portland pizza scene with its non-traditional crust, which is made with locally milled organic cornmeal for a crispy, buttery result that some call addictive.
Northeast
Pickup

Gracie's Apizza Add to a List
Craig Melillo's pizza-cart-turned-restaurant makes 60 naturally leavened, wood-fired pies per night and frequently sells out. Enjoy a scoop or two of the homemade ice cream on the patio while you wait for your order.
North
Pickup, delivery, outdoor seating

Handsome Pizza Add to a List
"Handsome" is a fitting moniker for the striking, bubbly wood-fired pies made with local grains and quality ingredients at this spot sharing a space with Seastar Bakery Add to a List .
Northeast
Pickup, delivery

Hogan's Goat Add to a List
This small pizzeria, which also functions as a pastry shop and commissary kitchen, has gained a loyal following for its seasonal and locally sourced creations. The peculiar name stems from a camp song that tells a story about "old Hogan's goat," who narrowly survives being hit by a speeding train by coughing up some shirts.
Northeast
Pickup, delivery, outdoor seating, indoor seating

Jerry's Pizza Add to a List
Jerry Benedetto, who built a following selling waitlist-worthy tavern-style pies out of his home kitchen under the name Jerry's Pizza on Instagram last year, opened his highly anticipated pizzeria inside the Bear Paw Inn Add to a List in May. Pizza options include cheese, pepperoni, sausage, or the "Jerry's special," which is topped with sausage, pepperoni, and canned mushrooms. You can also customize your own pizza with toppings like olives and hot giardiniera.
Southeast
Pickup, indoor seating

Ken's Artisan Pizza Add to a List
Another restaurant referenced by Myhrvold and Migoya as evidence of Portland's pizza scene superiority, baker Ken Forkish's famed eponymous pizzeria makes thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas topped with superlative ingredients.
Southeast
Pickup

Lovely's Fifty Fifty Add to a List
Sarah Minnick's acclaimed wood-fired pizzeria serves exquisite artisan pies with seasonally inspired toppings like basil, rainbow chard, and summer squash. The restaurant has been open for takeout only for the duration of the pandemic but recently announced it will be fully reopening in early September.
North
Pickup

Pizza Jerk Add to a List
You'll find creative combinations like the "Clam Jam" (made with a white wine cream sauce and clams) and the "It's Always Sunny in Cully" (pepperoni, pineapple, Bunk Sandwiches hot peppers, basil, and honey) at this Connecticut-inspired pizza parlor with Portland punk rock sensibility. The menu also includes salads, beer, boozy slushies, soft serve ice cream, and Rice Krispie treats.
Northeast
Pickup, delivery, outdoor seating

Pizza Thief Add to a List
Darby Aldaco (a former executive chef at Nancy Silverton's acclaimed Triple Beam Pizza) and Tony Pasquale have opened this pizzeria serving naturally leavened pies in the former space of Acapulco's Gold Add to a List , with an adjoining cocktail lounge called Bandit Bar Add to a List through the archway. Toppings run the gamut from local produce to house-made sausage. In addition to whole pizzas and slices, the menu also includes whole or by-the-slice focaccia, hand pies, and triple chocolate-hazelnut cookies.
Northwest
Pickup or limited indoor seating

Pop Pizza Add to a List
Nuvrei Add to a List owner Marius Pop opened this spot selling rectangular Detroit-inspired pies last summer. The Mercury's Suzette Smith writes, "Pop Pizza has a terrific handle on the Detroit-style crust, falling in line with the aforementioned perfect crunch, square variation of Detroit pizza. The fry on the bottom of their pie essentially concludes arguments that Detroit pizza could and should be its own thing."
Southeast
Pickup, delivery

Ranch Pizza
Make sure you get a side of house-made ranch for dipping at this pizza purveyor specializing in square Silician/Detroit-style slices.
Pickup, delivery, outdoor seating, indoor seating
Southeast, Northeast, Northwest, Happy Valley

Red Sauce Pizza Add to a List
Shardell Dues's spot has earned scores of fans for its lightly charred pizzas topped with red sauce, aged mozzarella, Grana Padano, and pecorino. Back in 2015, the Mercury's Marjorie Skinner raved, "HOLY SHIT. It is so good. It completely exceeded expectations. Between three of us, my party sampled three types of pie: the vegetarian Fernandez (Mama Lil's peppers, spinach, red onion, and goat cheese), the Jack Dekovich (with pepperoni and housemade chorizo), and the Parcel (salami and arugula) plus a large, lemony, and excellent Caesar salad that mixed the standard romaine with some much-welcome tender kale. We happily burned our mouths, impatient to try each excellent variety as it arrived. My husband downright blubbered to the server about how if anyone told him he'd be living down the street from pizza of this quality in Portland, Oregon after moving back here from NYC a decade ago, he'd never have believed it, etc etc."
Northeast
Pickup, delivery

Scottie's Pizza Parlor Add to a List
Brooklyn transplant Scottie Rivera produces some of the most sought-after pizza in Portland, using naturally leavened dough made with Pacific Northwest-grown wheat. Toppings range from Calabrian chilis to cilantro arugula pesto.
Southeast
Pickup, outdoor seating

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