Pizza in Orange County is becoming increasingly popular. New pizzerias and pizza parlours are opening one after another in the county, offering a variety of styles of pizza. Last month, the Italian group “50 TOP PIZZA”, which ranks the world’s best pizzas, selected two Orange County pizza shops in its “50 Best Pizza Places in America” for 2024.
At the official awards ceremony held in New York City on June 25, Truly Pizza in Dana Point was ranked 42nd and Nardo Italian Restaurant in Huntington Beach was ranked 26th.
“We are incredibly honored to be recognized as one of the top 50 pizza places in the United States,” said Donna Baldwin, co-founder of Truly Pizza. “This honor is a testament to our team’s dedication and passion for creating exceptional, innovative pizza.”
New York’s Una Pizza Napoletana, run by Anthony Mangieri, took the top spot for the third year in a row. Other Southern California pizzerias include Pizzeria Say in Los Angeles at No. 8 and Tribute Pizza in San Diego at No. 36.
50 Top Pizza is an Italian organization founded in 2018 that sends anonymous researchers around the world to compile its 50 Top Pizza list, which also includes rankings of the 50 best pizzas in Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Spain.
The acclaim for Truly Pizza comes as it celebrates its one-year anniversary since opening in Dana Point last summer. Co-founded by Baldwin and helmed by World Pizza Champion teammates John Arena, Chris Decker, and Michael Vakneen, Truly offers both round and square pizzas. The square has a light, airy crust that’s sometimes called “Grandma’s slice,” while the round is a more traditional, New York-style thin crust. Both pizzas feature a “micro-blister” technique that creates tiny air bubbles in the dough and bakes it to a crispy crust.
John Arena, Michael Vakneen and Chris Decker of Truly Pizza attend the “America’s 50 Best Pizza Places” awards ceremony.
(Provided by Truly Pizza)
Nardò Italian in Pacific City, Huntington Beach, is a concept from restaurateur Gianni Ciroiro, who named the restaurant after his mother’s maiden name. Nardò specializes in the Puglia region, and the pizzas are wood-fired Neapolitan-style.
The menu is divided into red pizzas made with San Marzano tomato sauce, white pizzas without red sauce, and specialty pizzas with fillings like calzones and tronchettos. Nardo has locations in West Hollywood and Culver City, but it’s the Orange County location that 50 Top Pizza highlighted.
As a member of the Orange County pizza community, Baldwin said being ranked in the top 50 means a lot to her.
“This honor not only enhances Truly Pizza’s profile, but also highlights Orange County’s growing reputation as a foodie destination,” she said. “We’re proud to represent our community and contribute to its vibrant and diverse food scene.”
Inspired by the lemon trees planted throughout Truly Pizza’s patio, the restaurant is celebrating the ranking and its first anniversary with a lemon-infused special: The Lemon Pizza is topped with smoked fresh mozzarella, white sauce, sliced lemon, stracciatella, lemon curd, basil and finished with a black pepper frico.
“We’re excited to continue this journey and share our love of pizza with even more people,” Baldwin said.
