Complaining about Seattle’s pizza scene is a well-worn civic ritual, on par with decrying the sad state of the city’s sports teams. But wake up: It’s 2026, the Seahawks are world champs, the Sonics are coming back, and Seattle is awash in great pizza. Granted, this town of transplants has no “style” to claim as its own, unlike Detroit, Chicago, or New Haven, Connecticut. But as Seattle’s pizza culture has matured we’ve seen a blossoming of different variations on the dish, from Roman-style rectangular pies to New York-inspired slices with fermented dough for a sourdough tang.
Shane Abbott, owner of the acclaimed Lupo and Stevie’s Famous, says that Seattle’s pizza renaissance is connected to a nationwide surge in pizza quality. By 2010, he says, pizzaiolos were “putting some baking chops into their pizza, and then COVID was just a massive accelerator on that… the next thing you know, there’s pizzerias popping up everywhere.”
At a time when many restaurant operators are complaining about high costs and struggling to stay afloat, “pizza is definitely a leading candidate for something that can survive,” Abbott adds. It’s wildly popular, a classic comfort food, and relatively affordable. No matter what happens, we’ll always have pizza…