Warning: After reading this post, you’ll be having pizza. This isn’t so much a mind control experiment as just plain common sense. If you read about pizza and think about pizza, then you’re going to order a pizza. We all have our favorite go-to take-out eat-in pizza places. There are also the old standby fast food variety of pizza. They do in a pinch, but you would be well advised to travel outside your comfort zone to sample new regional pizzas. In other words, give pizza a chance. How many of these regional pizzas have you tried?

New York Neapolitan

The traditional Neapolitan pizza is one that is cooked in a wood-fired brick oven. The edges of the crust puff up and it might get a little sooty on the bottom. All good. The New York Neapolitan builds on this classic style by adding a little olive oil to the dough for the sake of tenderness and a dash of sugar for the browning affect. Light on the sauce and cheese, too.

New Haven Apizza

Over in New Haven, the mozzarella cheese is considered an extra topping. What the huh? They call their pies apizza and they are coal-oven baked in an oblong shape. The standard cheese is a dusting of pecorino. Can you enjoy pizza without gooey cheese?

Chicago Deep Dish

Speaking of cheesy gooey goodness, the Chicago Deep Dish has got it going on. Here the script is flipped with the cheese on the bottom of the pie and the chunky tomato sauce on the top. It’s also baked in pans that would be perfect for a classic apple pie. We’re going deep. If you’ve never had a deep dish, then book your flight to Chicago.

Detroit Deep Dish

Detroit has their own version of a deep-dish pizza which is described as a Chicago Deep Dish and a Sicilian pie having a baby. The resulting off spring is a pie baked in a steel pan with a crust that has been elevated with lard. Yes, “elevated.” The Detroit pies are also baked twice to enhance the browning potential and the cheese is on the bottom!

St. Louis Pizza

The St. Louis pie has a crust so thin you could read a newspaper through it. It’s actually unleavened cracker crust that pushes the Provel out to the edge. What is Provel you ask? A cheese fusion of cheddar, mozzarella and provolone. Okay, so after you go to Chicago, you have to go to St. Louis. That sounds just too good.

Philadelphia Tomato Pie

Pizza from a bakery? Sure. The Philly tomato pie is baked like a Sicilian pie sheet pans. The goal is to have a tender crust that is at least one inch tall. The sauce is heavy, thick and sweet. The only hitch is that there are no toppings and no cheese. Just a shake of Parmesan. Remember, this is the town who gave us the cheesesteak, so we can trust them.

California Style

The California style of pizza involves non-traditional toppings not found in Italian kitchens. Things like bar-be-que chicken or avocado. A California style pizza allows you to be creative with your taste combinations. Some work and some are downright scary.

What is the best pizza you’ve ever had?