One bite of perfectly twirled pasta or a blistered wood-fired pizza can make you forget you’re sitting in the Arizona desert. It might not be the first state that comes to mind for Italian food, but Arizona is quietly home to some seriously impressive spots.
After eating my way through quite a few of them, I kept wondering why more people aren’t talking about these restaurants. From cozy neighborhood trattorias to elegant dining rooms that feel straight out of Rome, the Italian food scene here deserves far more attention.
You might want to keep a bookmark handy, because your next favorite dinner spot could be on this list.
1. Pizzeria Bianco
Few restaurants in America have earned the kind of loyalty that Pizzeria Bianco commands, and once you taste a slice, you’ll completely understand why. Chef Chris Bianco started making pizzas here decades ago, and what began as a small operation inside a Phoenix grocery store grew into one of the most celebrated pizza destinations in the entire country…