Hot Pizza Spots in the U.S.: Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, NY; Jerry’s Pizza Pies Honeybrook, PA; Pizza Thief Portland, OR

This month we look at hot pizza places in New York, Pennsylvania and Oregon. Each month in Destinations, we highlight great pizzerias that have hit our pizza radar. These pizza places may have just opened to rave reviews, hit best pizza lists or have exciting news. If you’re a pizzeria that would like to be featured, reach out to Executive Editor Denise Greer at [email protected].

Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, New York

The Cacio e Pepe Pizza at Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, New York. The pizza features Mozzarella, Parmiggiano Pepper Cream, Post Bake Ricotta, Pecorino Bianco Sardo, Black Pepper. Photo courtesy of Pizzeria Florian.

The dining area at Pizzeria Florian, East Aurora, New York. Photo courtesy of Pizzeria Florian.

Co-owner Jay Langfelder says Pizzeria Florian is an accumulation of past business and life experiences — enclosed wood fired pizza food trucks and the brick-and-mortar Jay’s Artisan Pizzeria. After relocating to Savannah, Georgia, the couple returned to New York in 2022 and started Pizzeria Florian as a wood fired pizza pop up and caterer in 2023. “We quickly realized we needed a permanent home for the concept and took out a lease near our home in East Aurora,” he says. “With a chance to make any pizza we wanted we went back to the drawing board creating a pizza with all of our favorite characteristics from New York, New Haven, Naples and even a bit from our favorite pizzas in Toronto. We wanted a pizza that had the freshness of Neapolitan, but would also hold crispy for dine in or in a box, learning from our experiences during the Covid 19 pandemic. With all that in mind we created a pizza that was highly technical and featured the best ingredients from many of our local farmer friends and companies we have enjoyed using over the years from both the United States and Italy.” Round pies include Cacio e Pepe with mozzarella, Pecorino pepper cream, post-bake ricotta, black pepper and Parmiggiano. The Kale and Sausage is topped with lemon cream, mozzarella and Parmiggiano.

Jerry’s Pizza Pie, Honeybrook, Pennsylvania

Jerry’s Pizza Pie has been recognized by the Washington Post as one of Pennsylvania’s best pizzas for its Sicilian. The old-school restaurant has been going strong for over 30 years. The Sicilian Gourmet Pizza menu offers several options including the Sicilian Chicken Bruschetta Pizza with fresh mozzarella, bruschetta tomatoes, grilled chicken, olive oil and seasonings and the Sicilian Honey Mustard Chicken Pizza with crispy chicken, mozzarella cheese and honey mustard. In addition to the Sicilian, its pizza menu also features gourmet round pizzas including the Stuffed Cheesesteak Pizza with American cheese, mozzarella & steak. Jerry’s also has a full menu of sandwiches, stromboli, calzones, appetizers, hoagies, pastas and desserts.

Pizza Thief, Portland, Oregon

This Slabtown pizza spot has garnered a reputation among Portland pizza lovers. Pizza Thief has recently opened its second location inside Great Notion Brewing. The pizza is New York inspired. According to its website, “our dough is naturally leavened with a precise combination of sourdough and whole grains with high hydration that makes for an excellent texture, crumb, and flavor.  All of our ingredients come from locally sourced farms, markets and mills here in the Northwest.” Pizzas include Hot Tony with tomato sauce, pepperoni, schiacciata salami, Calabrian chili, piquillo peppers, jalapeño mozz-provolone, fior di latte, grana, and Sicilian oregano. There is also the Wildwood with roasted mushrooms, cream, mozz-provolone, fontal, caciotta al tartufo and rosemary.