The Best in DFW

PIZZA

North Texas, in the past few years, has become a remarkably serious place for pizza. Certainly, the subject of pizza doesn't yet inspire the forceful opinions that, say, burgers or steakhouses do, but it's getting there. Many local cooks and restaurateurs are looking to Italy and close-to- the-source derivations from New York as inspirations for their recipes. Others are refining the heftier Americanized pies to new levels of excellence. Crusts reveal more complexity and attention to texture. Sauces demonstrate more balance and restraint. Cheeses taste of higher quality.

So, yes, our list of the area's finest pizza options overwhelmingly favors the more recently opened places. We performed our due diligence and visited many of the standard-bearers with years, if not decades, of loyalty behind them, but we felt that the new wave of pizza restaurants – which are popping up at exciting, disarming rates – is in many cases putting out a superior product. Disagree? Feel free to let us know.

We did not include Chicago-style pizza. We visited a couple of deep-dish spots in Plano and environs, where the style seems to flourish locally, but we ultimately decided to make it its own category for another time. The list also focuses on restaurants whose main focus is pizza.

Critics' picks (presented alphabetically) are based on reviews and recent dining experiences by Bill Addison and others.

About the Best in DFW series

The Best in DFW series presents critics' picks and asks readers to chime in with their favorites on the blog.

This biweekly feature focuses first on the area's best restaurants in various dining categories.

When you see this symbol on GuideLive.com, you'll know that location is a critics' pick.

Selections are based on recent reviews and dining experiences by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Bill Addison and other regular reviewers, including Kim Harwell, Michael Hiller, Kim Pierce and Lawson Taitte.

This series will be expanded later to other high-interest areas.

How we choose

Selections are based on recent reviews and dining experiences by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Bill Addison and other regular reviewers, including Kim Harwell, Michael Hiller, Kim Pierce and Lawson Taitte.

When you see this symbol in on GuideLive.com, you'll know that location is a critics' pick. Critics' picks are presented alphabetically, without ranking. For more details on our price key and star ratings, check GuideLive.com's Restaurant Frequently Asked Questions. To join in and view other dining features, check the Restaurants page at GuideLive.com.