This Reason Is Why Buffalo Is The Pizza Capital of America

Nationally, New York City and Chicago get all the love when it comes to pizza destinations. New York-style pizza is thin, while Chicago-style is deep dish. Even Detroit-style is gaining massive popularity lately, getting its own pizza at Pizza Hut (square, pan crust-style).

But what about Buffalo? I mean, if you live in Western New York, chances are you believe Buffalo-style pizza is the best. The slightly thicker crust. The extra cheese. The sweeter sauce. The cup-and-char pepperoni. The cheese often extending closer to the crust. It's phenomenal.

Could someone argue that Buffalo is the actual pizza capital of America? Many who don't live here might think that's preposterous, but there's a very good reason why that might be the case, and it has to do with the sheer amount of pizzerias in Buffalo and Western New York.

According to New York Upstate, Arthur Bovino, who wrote the article, 'Is America's Pizza Capital Buffalo, NY?', explains that a recent pizzeria count said there were more than 600 pizzerias in Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs. As of August of 2018, there were just under 257,000 people living in Buffalo. That means there is one pizzeria for every 428 people (roughly).

Compare that to New York City, which has an estimated 1,600 pizzerias for over 8 million people. That means New York City had roughly four times fewer pizzerias per capita than Buffalo.

The vast majority of pizzerias in Buffalo are local establishments, and that is even more relevant with most Pizza Huts leaving the region in 2020...which is proof that Buffalo will always support their locally-owned places over the national chains.

The amount of great pizzerias in Buffalo is mind-boggling: Bocce Club, La Zova, Imperial, Picasso's, Casa Di Pizza, Mister Pizza, Mustachio's, Nino's, Lovejoy, Carbone's, the list goes on and on.