Every summer, an Italian organization sends anonymous inspectors across the United States to eat pizza and rank what they find. Every summer, Partenope Ristorante on Main Street in downtown Dallas shows up on the resulting list. This year is no exception. The 50 Top Pizza USA 2026 rankings, released this week, place Partenope at No. 18 among the 50 best pizzerias in the country. It’s the only Texas restaurant on the list.
This is the sixth consecutive year Partenope has made the cut. The rankings have moved: No. 25 in 2021, No. 17 in 2022, No. 16 in 2023, No. 12 in 2024, No. 17 in 2025, and now No. 18. EscapeHatch first covered the recognition in 2022 and again last summer. The number moves. The restaurant doesn’t change, which is more or less the point.
The 2026 listing comes with something extra. Partenope also took home the Made in Italy 2026 Salumi Coati Award, a special distinction handed out alongside the main rankings. It’s a category that rewards fidelity to Italian tradition, which is a fair description of what Dino Santonicola has been doing at 1903 Main St. since he and his wife Megan opened the place. The inspectors called out the margherita and marinara as benchmarks for what a true Neapolitan pizza should be, and noted the spaghetti alla Nerano as a particular standout among the pastas…