11 Celebrity Chefs Reveal Their Favorite Pizza Chains Of All Time

Nothing beats homemade pizza, but let's be real — it's not always possible to whip up a fresh pie at home. Maybe you don't have the right equipment or ingredients. Or perhaps you're just tired and don't feel like going through the whole rigamarole. That's as true for world-class chefs as it is for the rest of us. Despite the fact that many culinary pros could put together an award-winning pizza with their eyes closed, even the most celebrated chefs turn to pizza takeout or delivery every once in a while when they're craving a slice. And just like us, many of them have favorite pizza chains that they turn to time after time.

We were curious to know which pizza chains top the list for celebrity chefs who spend their days crafting high-end meals. Do Domino's and Pizza Hut pizzas make the cut or are the chefs after smaller, more artisan-style chains? So we did some digging. Some chefs shared their go-to spots directly with us, while others have dropped hints in interviews and on social media. Their picks range from easily recognizable pizza chains to hidden-gem regional spots slinging some seriously good pies. These chefs may create Michelin-level meals for a living, but when it's pizza night and they don't want to do the cooking, here's where they're ordering from.

Chef, author, and restaurateur Judy Joo is renowned for her fresh take on Korean cooking. Her culinary skills earned her the title of the first female Iron Chef U.K. and second in the world. She's also the host of the television series "Korean Food Made Simple" and co-founder of Seoul Bird, a Korean fried chicken chain. Korean food is her passion, but when it comes to pizza, she told us she's a big fan of the Two Boots Pizza chain. "Back when their shops were scattered all over Manhattan, I spent many late nights post-kitchen or post-cocktail devouring slices with zero regrets," she said.

The first Two Boots pizza joint opened in 1987 in New York City's East Village, and quickly gained traction for its hearty pies with fun toppings that Joo said are inventive, but not too over the top. For her though, what really takes Two Boots' pizzas to the next level is the crust. She told us, "There's something magical about that cornmeal crust — crackly on the bottom, chewy through the bite, and unapologetically nostalgic." Her go-to order is usually two slices: one plain cheese and one Buckminster, which features organic spinach, roasted garlic, three cheeses, and a tangy red sauce dolloped on top. "One bite, and I'm instantly transported back to New York, grease-stained napkin in hand," she said.

Andrew Zimmern is a James Beard Award-winning chef and an Emmy-winning television personality, as well as a prolific writer who often muses about food on his Substack, Spilled Milk. He's traveled the world seeking great food, but some of his favorite restaurants are in his hometown of the Twin Cities. That's why we weren't surprised when he told us that local Minnesota spot Punch Pizza is his favorite pizza chain of all time.

Punch Pizza is VPN certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which assures the pizzas are made the authentic Neapolitan way. As Zimmern pointed out, they're handmade and served in whole pies only. He told us he always gets a variety to share with the family, including at least one with buffalo mozzarella. He said, "I get it unsliced and eat it with a knife and fork, which I know is heresy to some people, but trust me, it's necessary with real VPN pies sometimes."

When he's craving pizza on the road, Zimmern told us he gravitates towards Casey's. He said, "They're the fifth largest pizza chain in America and I don't understand why they aren't number one considering that the four that are bigger than they are offer a product that is so inferior to the Casey['s] slice." For him, the fact that Casey's makes fresh dough every day is the cornerstone of its success.

Peruse Stephanie Izard's resume, and you'll come across an utterly impressive list of accolades. She's received a James Beard Award, earned an Iron Chef title, and was the first female winner of Bravo's "Top Chef." In addition, she recently made Secret Media Network's first-ever Top 100 List of entrepreneurs and change-makers. Plus, she owns several innovative restaurants, including the renowned Girl & The Goat and Valley Goat, her newest spot in Silicon Valley. When she's not overseeing her restaurants or filming Food Network shows like "Guys Grocery Games" and "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing," she told us she enjoys the occasional slice from L.A. spot Pizzanista.

Founded in 2010, Pizzanista goes above and beyond your typical pizza delivery spot. For example, the dough is made with 200-year-old sourdough culture from Naples, the marina sauce is hand milled, and the toppings include locally grown produce and humanely raised meats. There are tons of pizzas to choose from, including meaty creations and vegan options with toppings like seitan, a plant-based meat alternative. For Izard, it's all about the classics. She told us, "My son, Ernie, and I love to go to Pizzanista and go back and forth between a classic cheese or a pepperoni, or sometimes a veggie just to get a little bit of vegetables in my life."

For most people, Bobby Flay doesn't need much of an introduction. He made a name for himself through his wildly successful restaurants like Mesa Grill, Amalfi, and Bobby's Burgers, as well as the myriad of cooking shows he's appeared on like "Iron Chef America," "Beat Bobby Flay," and "Bobby & Giada in Italy." As a born-and-raised New Yorker who has also spent extended periods in Italy, Flay knows a thing or two about good pizza. When he's home in New York City and craving a quick slice, one of the pizza spots he loves is Joe's Pizza, particularly the original location on Bleecker and Carmine Street.

Flay often shares what he calls "random food thoughts" on his social media platforms. In one TikTok post, he delved into his favorite places to get pizza in New York City, and Joe's Pizza was the first place he listed. "Classic, classic, classic, classic," is how he described it. The iconic pizza chain was founded by Naples native Joe Pozzuoli in 1975. Today, there are multiple locations in New York, as well as Florida, Michigan, and Massachusetts. The pizzas are traditional New York-style pies with thin crusts, tangy sauce, and gooey cheese. Just be prepared to stand in line though because Flay isn't the only one who adores this spot.

When David Chang opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City's East Village in 2004, he may not have been aware that his first restaurant would launch him into celebrity chef status. Since then, he's gone on to open multiple restaurants, won several James Beard Awards, and appeared on a number of Netflix shows like "The Mind of a Chef" and "Ugly Delicious." In the first episode of "Ugly Delicious" he explored what makes a great pizza and revealed that he was a huge fan of Domino's.

Chang has no qualms about loving pizza from a multinational pizza chain. When he appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," he explained that he enjoys both high-end cuisine and low-brow food. "Love delivered pizza like Domino's," he said. "I grew up eating it ... I've had pizza all over the world, and it's fantastic." When Colbert asked him what his go-to order was, Chang stated it was thin-crust pizza with Alfredo sauce, onion, and bacon.

Of course, chefs are never ones to shy away from trying new restaurants. A few years after the "Ugly Delicious" series aired, Chang posted on X, "My new favorite pizza delivery chain is Jet Pizza from Michigan. So happy they expanded to NYC. Tremendous stuff." The chain specializes in Detroit-style square pizzas with ample toppings.

Chef, cookbook author, and television personality Anne Burrell is easily recognizable by her spiky platinum hair and larger-than-life personality. You may recognize her from popular cooking shows like "Iron Chef America" and "Worst Cooks in America." She grew up in upstate New York and cut her teeth working at some of the top restaurants in New York City. With that in mind, you might think that her favorite pizza chain would be one that serves New York-style pizza. Actually, her favorite spot is an iconic Chicago chain called Lou Malnati's.

On an episode of "All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate," Burrell lauded Lou Malnati's for being a Chicago institution. The business has been around since 1971 and serves up what many believe is some of the city's best deep dish pizza. However, Burrell admitted that she prefers the thin crust pizzas at Lou's. She said, "I am a thin cruster. Just the way I roll." She also revealed that her preferred order is a loaded pie with pepperoni, sausage, peppers, black olives, mushrooms, and onions, and that she prefers her pizza well-done so that the bottom gets ultra-crispy. For Burrell, it's the attention to detail that makes a Lou's pie truly fantastic. "The flavors just come together," she said. "Lou Malnati's really just scratches that itch. My absolute favorite."

If you're a fan of baking shows, then you're probably familiar with Duff Goldman. He first appeared on television screens in 2006 with the Food Network show "Ace of Cakes," which chronicled the chef and his team creating elaborate cakes for clients at his Baltimore bakery Charm City Cakes. In the years following, he went on to appear in several cooking shows, including "Cutthroat Kitchen," "Donut Wars," and "Best Thing I Ever Ate." Based on the latter show, it turns out that the best thing he ever ate was a particular pizza from a chain called Gino's East of Chicago.

For close to 60 years, Gino's East of Chicago has been serving deep dish pizzas made with special dough that's been conditioned to give the crust its divine texture and taste. The chain also serves thin-crust pizza, salads, sandwiches, and pasta. According to the Food Network, Goldman's favorite pizza at Gino's is the Sausage Patty-Style Pizza. It starts with that famous dough and a layer of cheese, then it gets a sausage patty that's made by smashing a 12-ounce ball of sausage into a plate-sized disc. The sausage covers nearly the whole pie, so there's no way you're getting any meatless bites. Sauce gets slathered on top of the sausage and then the pizza is cooked until bubbling and golden.

Rachael Ray has built her brand on being relatable. She got her big break when she was working at a gourmet market and offering 30-minute cooking classes. The local media took notice, and before long, she was hosting her own hit show called "30 Minute Meals." Ray went on to star in numerous Food Network shows and author several cookbooks. She also launched a lifestyle magazine and landed her own talk show. Despite her fame, she's always stuck to her ethos that food doesn't have to be complicated to be good . It should come as no surprise then that one of Ray's favorite restaurants is a pizza chain.

Motorino Pizzeria offers Neapolitan-style pizzas from its locations in New York City, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur. It gets rave reviews for its wood-fired pizzas that feature soft, slightly charred crusts. According to the Food Network, Ray is a huge fan of the spot's Colatura di Alici pizza, which features buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, white anchovies, olives, red onion, chili flakes, and parsley. We're not sure if Ray has any other favorite pies at Motorino, but we do know that she loves the spot so much that it was listed in a 2010 issue of the now defunct Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine as the best pizza place on the East Coast.

Cleveland native Michael Symon opened his first restaurant Lola in 1997, and just a year later, Food & Wine magazine named him Best New Chef. That catapulted his career, leading to more successful restaurants and spots on cooking shows like "The Next Iron Chef." Symon has also published several bestselling cookbooks where he offers tips on everything from crafting crave-worthy salads to grilling the perfect steak. Despite his fine-dining chops, Symon has never strayed far from his roots, and when it comes to pizza, he's all about the Cleveland-style pies he grew up with.

In a Facebook post, Symon explained how a Cleveland-style pizza should be baked in a pan in a deck oven and include ample sauce and cheese, producing a pie that's medium thick and similar to what you find in Rome and Sicily. "Geraci's does this best," he said. Founded in 1956, Geraci's is a family-run chain that has just five locations in Ohio. To this day, it still uses recipes passed down by the family's Sicilian ancestors. For Symon, it's the little touches that make all the difference. In an X post, he shared a picture of his Geraci's pie with a caption that read: "My favorite Cleveland-style pizza by a mile is Geraci's ... hand cut pepperoni puts it over the top!"

To say that Lidia Bastianich influenced how Americans view Italian cuisine today would be an understatement. She was one of the first chefs to move away from Italian-American dishes that aren't actually Italian at all and serve authentic regional Italian dishes. Through her successful restaurants, television shows, and cookbooks, she's been a champion of showcasing true Italian flavors. She also partnered with her son Joe to bring the Eataly brand to America, making authentic Italian ingredients accessible to more people. Being the ambassador of Italian cuisine that she is, you might think that American pizza chains wouldn't be her style at all, but there's actually one that stands out for the acclaimed chef.

In an interview with CTbites, Bastianich cited Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana as the spot that serves up her favorite New Haven-style pie. "For me it's Frank Pepe's one with the clams," she said. Founded in 1925 by Naples-born Frank Pepe, this historic pizza chain has built a reputation on its delicious coal-fired pizzas with light, bubbly crusts and fresh toppings. Bastianich's pick, the White Clam Pizza, is one of its most popular pies thanks to its flavorful combo of fresh clams, garlic, oregano, grated pecorino Romano, and olive oil. In fact, it's the pie that helped put Frank Pepe's on the map as one of the best pizza chains in the nation.

Best known as the Food Network's "Sandwich King," Jeff Mauro has built a career out of making comfort food feel fresh and fun. He started his culinary career by founding a deli and catering company in his hometown of Chicago, and would later go on to complete the Le Cordon Bleu culinary program. At the same time, he also pursued his passion for performing, so it's easy to see how he ended up on Season 7 of "Food Network Star." Winning that competition is what led to him starring in his own show. Sandwiches may be his main jam, but he's no stranger to a Chicago deep dish pie, and one chain that he thinks does them right is Pizano's.

With just four locations in Chicago, Pizano's is a small chain, but it has a lot of history. As Mauro told Tasting Table, it's "part of a dynasty of deep dish makers." Owner Rudy Malnati Jr. learned how to make pizza from his father, Rudy Malnati Sr., who was one of the first chefs to serve deep dish pizza at a restaurant called Pizzeria Uno. When the younger Malnati opened Pizano's in 1991, he enlisted his mother to create her signature, top-secret dough for his pies. For Mauro, it's that buttery crust that makes the pies at Pizano's so irresistible.