So, someone said that Portland is a top destination for pizza. Again.
The last few times this has happened, it’s caused a furor. Controversy. Online discourse.
There’s some data to back it up, of course. Portland is home to some of the most highly ranked pizzas in the world. But it’s also not a town with a reputation for its pizza, exactly.
Portland does have a reputation for great food, in general, though — which is why Time Out magazine ranked it the tenth best city in the world for food.
So, this time around it’s about more than just pizza, but pizza was a key factor in the No. 10 ranking for the Rose City.
Portland’s pizza scene was its highest-rated cuisine in the survey that powered Time Out’s ranking — so praised, in fact, that the magazine declared that Portland pizza is the “must eat dish” for visitors to the city.
As noted above, these declarations have caused controversy in the past. So, we urge you to judge for yourselves.
Here are seven of our favorite Portland pies, for your perusal:
Apizza Scholls
Apizza Scholls in Portland serves a pie called Apizza Amore, a margherita pizza with cured pork shoulder on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.Vickie Connor/The Oregonian
The East Coast-style pies at Apizza Scholls (4741 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.) are widely considered Portland’s best, and the crowd waiting for tables at this pizzeria is a testament to its lasting popularity — it’s been a Portland favorite for 20 years.
If you go: Sometimes they, uh, run out. Of pizza. Order early (they only take orders via phone) if you want a pie to go. The restaurant starts taking phone orders at 4 p.m. daily.
Ken’s Artisan Pizza
The wood-fired oven at Ken's Artisan PizzaThe Oregonian/2016
While the list that proclaimed Ken’s Artisan Pizza (304 S.E. 28th Ave.) the second-best pizza in the entire world might be a little sketchy, Ken’s is an undoubted Portland institution that serves up some fine pies.
Since that world’s best list came out, Ken’s has been proclaimed the No. 3 pizza in the United States by Italy’s Top 50 Pizza organization, a pretty legit honor. That same group later ranked Ken’s No. 19 worldwide.
If you go: Ken’s specializes in wood-fired, Neapolitan-inspired pies with super crispy crusts and simple seasonal ingredients. Don’t expect to find pineapple, but ranch is available on the side.
Lovely’s Fifty Fifty
A chanterelle mushroom pizza is prepped at Lovely's Fifty Fifty in Portland on Friday, October 27, 2023.Vickie Connor/The Oregonian
Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (4039 N. Mississippi Ave.) serves up creative, seasonal pizzas in North Portland.
Food critic Michael Russell described the pizza at Lovely’s as “Ken’s Artisan Pizza after a hike through the Oregon forest,” referring to the fresh and unique local ingredients atop most of the pies. The pizzeria was one of Russell’s picks for 2016′s best Portland restaurants.
If you go: Ask for some flowers on your pie.
Mucca Pizzeria
The Spicy Calabrese pizza at Mucca Pizzeria at 1026 S.W. Morrison St., Portland.Courtesy of Mucca Pizzeria
Mucca Osteria (1026 S.W. Morrison St.), one of Portland’s most quietly beloved Italian restaurants, opened a pizzeria alongside its original location on Southwest Morrison Street to rave reviews.
If you go: Try the Spicy Calabrese, then follow it up with a scoop of house-made gelato.
No Saint
A pepperoni and pineapple quince pizza above and an alla Gricia-inspired pie below at No Saint, a new Northeast Portland pizzeria.Michael Russell | The Oregonian
The inventive pizza at No Saint (1603 N.E. Killingsworth St.) is offered alongside rustic salads, baked pastas and good wine.
If you go: Get pizza, but also get one of the beautiful salads and some good Italian wine.
Pan Con Queso
Pan Con Queso, a self-described “naturally leavened modernist pizza” restaurant located at 2730 S.E. Gladstone St. offers pizza with nontraditional toppings that fuse the founders’ Mexican and Pacific Islander heritages with a well-made pie. Mark Graves/The Oregonian
Pan Con Queso (2730 S.E. Gladstone St.) offers pizza with nontraditional toppings that fuse the founders’ Mexican and Pacific Islander heritages with a well-made pie. Pan Con Queso opened its first brick-and-mortar location on June 1.
If you go: Try the personal-sized “pixxas” with house-pulled mozzarella.
Scottie’s Pizza Parlor
A pepperoni slice at Scottie's Pizza Parlor on Southeast Division Street in Portland. February 28, 2018Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian
Scottie’s Pizza Parlor (2128 S.E. Division St.) has been serving up classic New York-style thin-crust pizzas in Southeast Portland since 2015.
Scottie’s pizzas are available by the slice. If you want to venture outside the foldable NY-style pizzas, the 16-inch square “grandma style” pizza is the way to switch it up.
If you go: You can get a par-baked pizza to finish in the comfort of your own home, like an upmarket Papa Murphy’s experience.
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— Julie Evensen covers trending topics and popular culture. She can be reached at jevensen@oregonian.com or @juliecevensen on Twitter and @julieevensen on Threads.
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