These are the best pizza places in Sacramento area — with a clear No. 1, readers say
After more than 11,600 responses and close to a month of voting Sacramento pizza spots off one by one, it all came down to New York-style versus Chicago-style pizza — and Bee readers have chosen a winner.
More than 850 responses were recorded in the final round and Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria in South land Park and East Sacramento received more than half of them, taking the title of “best” pizza shop in Sacramento, according to Bee readers.
The more than 20-year-old family-owned New York style pizzeria dominated the month-long competition from beginning to end, ranking No. 1 in all four rounds — even in the poll that inspired the month-long competition.
Giovanni’s serves beer from local breweries and homemade food, “from their dough to their salad dressing,” according to its website. Giovanni’s serves pizza, salads and appetizers, lasagna, calzones, beer and more.
WHO RANKED NO. 2?
Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza in downtown Sacramento received 328 votes in the final round, ranking second “best” pizza spot in Sacramento. The shop also consistently ranked No. 2 in every round.
At 1415 21st St., Zelda’s serves appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, beer, wine, soft drinks and, of course, Chicago-style pizza.
HOW THE COMPETITION STARTED
“Pizza Madness,” a four-round poll to determine the “best” pizza shop in the Sacramento area started in March when a pizza poll with nearly 40 options received more than 8,700 responses and a dozen reader submissions.
It was clear a winner couldn’t be crowned yet.
In the first round, readers were given 16 choices, a combination of top votes in the original poll and repeated reader submissions. We moved on to round two and asked readers to narrow the pool of eight spots down to four. Then: on to round three, narrowing the pool to two pizza spots.
Then The Bee took the top two spots to create the final round: Giovanni’s versus Zelda’s.
In the fourth round, Giovanni’s Old World New York Pizzeria received 527 votes or 61% and Zelda’s received 330 votes or 39%.
IF YOU GO
GIOVANNI’S OLD WORLD NEW YORK PIZZERIA
Location: 5924 South Land Park Drive or 6200 Folsom Boulevard
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Sunday
Location: 1415 21st Street
Hours: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sunday to Thursday and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday to Saturday
OTHER FAVORITES
- OneSpeed Pizza
- Roma II Pizzeria
- Luigi’s Pizza Parlor
- Masullo Pizza
- Old Town Pizza
- Buffalo Pizza & Ice Cream Co.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 11:18 AM.