Five California pizzerias ranked top 27 in the US

Move over, New York.

California is giving the Big Apple’s legendary pizza scene a run for its money, with five Golden State pizzerias earning a spot on a new list of the 27 best pizzas in America.

Three Los Angeles hotspots, a San Francisco newcomer and an Oakland favorite made the mouthwatering cut in Food & Wine’s latest roundup published this week. And forget your average pepperoni slide — the California contenders are serving up everything from lamb pizza to Indian-inspired pies and crispy Detroit-style squares.

The national list celebrates both old-school pizza institutions and inventive newcomers shaking up the American pizza scene, proving that the country’s best pies aren’t just coming out of New York or Chicago.

Here’s where the Golden State is delivering the goods.

Pijja Palace – Los Angeles

At this buzzy Indian-inspired sports bar in Silver Lake, pizza gets a spicy makeover. The restaurant’s signature Chutney Pijja was highlighted for its unusual marriage of Indian and Italian flavors. The pie is loaded with green chile chutney, mozzarella, and a tangy fenugreek tomato sauce.

Pizzeria Sei – Los Angeles

This LA pizzeria is no stranger to bragging rights, and was just highlighted in this year’s 50 Top Pizza global rankings as some of the best in the world. Helmed by Chef Willian Joo, Pizzeria Sei specializes in Tokyo-style perfectly blistered Neapolitan-style pies. The pies combine traditional Neapolitan pizza-making techniques with Japanese precision, producing blistered, leopard-spotted crusts with a distinct sea salt crunch. Food & Wine singled out the Mala Garden, ad adventurous creation topped with spiced lamb, crème fraîche, lemon, herbs and cilantro flowers.

Quarter Sheets – Los Angeles

Over in Echo Park, Quarter Sheets has turned the humble square slice into a cult-favorite. The tiny pizza and dessert operation, run by Aaron Lindell and pastry chef Hannah Ziskin, specializes in thick, Detroit-inspired pies with crispy, fried-cheese edges. Its pepperoni pizza earned a shoutout on the list.

June’s Pizza – Oakland

Up North at June’s Pizza, chef Craig Murli is giving East Coast pizzaiolos some serious competition from an unlikely setting: a former warehouse. The restaurant keeps things refreshingly simple, offering just three 18-inch pies — the Red Pie, Pepperoni and a rotating weekday special. The Red Pie was called out by Food & Wine as a must, and the offering recently replaced the beloved Margherita on June’s menu. The pizza is topped with tomato, burrata, oregano, garlic oil, pecorino, salt.

Jules – San Francisco

Getting a table at the 42-seat pizzeria in San Francisco is reportedly as difficult as deciding what to order. Fan flock to the eatery for chef Max Blachman-Gentile’s sourdough pies, that combine elements of New York and New Haven pizza. Among the restaurant’s seven pizzas, the Drunken Sailor, which is a red sauce pie loaded with capers and anchovies, earned recognition

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