[[{“value”:”Sicilian-style pizza stands apart from the standard slice: It’s thicker, square-cut, and often baked in a pan to create a crisp, golden bottom beneath an airy interior. While the style has deep roots in Italian-American pizza culture, plenty of restaurant chains have put their own spin on it. To find the standouts, Eat This, Not That! asked Emma Sullivan, home chef and recipe developer at DailyCookingRecipe.com, which chains are worth ordering a Sicilian-style slice from. Here are the top five spots.
Slice House by Tony Gemignani
With locations beyond its original Bay Area roots, Slice House brings the influence of Tony Gemignani’s competitive pizza background to a fast-casual setting. The menu covers several pizza styles, making its Sicilian-style offering an interesting choice for anyone looking for a more substantial square slice. “Tony Gemignani is a 13-time World Pizza Champion and it shows in the Sicilian at Slice House,” says Sullivan. “The dough is properly proofed — thick and airy with a crispy bottom — and the sauce-to-cheese ratio is calibrated correctly. This is the chain version of a Sicilian that a serious pizza person would actually order. For a regional chain built around craft pizza, Slice House is the pick.”
Prince Street Pizza
Few modern pizza shops have become as closely associated with the square slice as Prince Street Pizza. The New York-based pizzeria is particularly recognizable for its thick, square pies and bold pepperoni-topped slices, which have helped make the brand a destination for fans of this style. “Prince Street Pizza makes the kind of Sicilian that New Yorkers argue about in a good way,” Sullivan says. “The square slice has a focaccia-like interior, a properly crispy base, and their signature spicy vodka pepperoni topping that has developed a real following. For a New York Sicilian done the way it should be, Prince Street is the reference point.”
Joe’s Pizza
Joe’s Pizza is one of the longtime names in New York’s pizza scene, with a history stretching back to the 1970s. Although the shop is widely associated with its classic New York-style slices, its menu also gives square-slice fans another way to experience the brand. “Joe’s has been making pizza in New York since 1975 and the Sicilian slice reflects that institutional knowledge,” Sullivan explains. “The crust is thick but not heavy, the sauce is bright and properly acidic, and the cheese is applied with restraint — enough to be generous, not so much that it overwhelms. For a Sicilian from a chain that actually understands the style, Joe’s is the order.”
Leona’s Pizzeria
Chicago may be synonymous with deep-dish pizza, but the city’s pizza landscape extends well beyond its most famous specialty. Leona’s Pizzeria offers a square, pan-baked option that gives diners a different take on Chicago’s long-running pizza tradition. According to Sullivan, Leona’s is the Chicago pick for Sicilian, and it’s a legitimate one. “The square pan pizza has the right interior texture and a properly browned bottom that comes from baking in well-oiled pans the traditional way. Chicago is deep-dish country, but Leona’s Sicilian proves the city knows how to do square pizza right.”
Renna’s Pizza
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Renna’s Pizza has grown from a local pizzeria into a regional operation with multiple locations. Its presence on this list also highlights how Sicilian-style pizza has found an audience well beyond the Northeast and the traditional pizza capitals. “Renna’s is the Jacksonville regional pick and the sleeper on this list,” says Sullivan. “Five locations that have built a loyal following around a Sicilian slice that holds up to any big-city version — thick, airy, properly sauced. For a Florida chain that takes Sicilian pizza seriously, Renna’s earns the mention.”
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