Pizzeria Bianco is a

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

in downtown

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

established in 1987 by Chris Bianco, and has earned very positive reviews by notable food critics. Nationally recognized for its pizzas,Ed Levine, E: ''Pizza: A Slice of Heaven''. Universe Publishing, 2005. the restaurant's small seating capacity can lead to wait times that sometimes surprise casual patrons.Rose, J
Pizzeria Bianco chef's tips and recipes in 'Martha Stewart Living'
''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'', 2009-04-15. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. The restaurant features a

wood-fired oven upA double oven A ceramic oven An oven is a tool which is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been use ...

and homemade

mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

cheese used in pizzas primarily fashioned by the owner himself. In 2013, the restaurant established a second location in the Biltmore Area of Phoenix. In 2022, the restaurant opened a third location, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

History

The restaurant was originally opened by Chris Bianco in 1987 in a grocery store which is now AJ's Euro-Market & Deli located in central Phoenix. He moved locations once before Pizzeria Bianco found its home in downtown's Heritage Square in 1996. Bianco was born in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, and grew up in

Ossining, New York Ossining may refer to: * Ossining (town), New York, a town in Westchester County, New York state *Ossining (village), New York, a village in the town of Ossining * Ossining High School, a comprehensive public high school in Ossining village * Ossi ...

.Levine, E
"The road to pizza nirvana goes through Phoenix"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 2004-07-07. Retrieved 2010-02-12. He had

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

as a child, forcing him to stay inside, where he watched his aunt cook. At age 13 he began working at a local pizzeria. In 1985 he won two plane tickets anywhere in the United States and, on a whim, chose to go to Phoenix. When he got there, he felt connected to the place, and stayed. He began making mozzarella in his apartment and selling it to Italian restaurants. Later, Guy Coscos, a specialty grocer in Phoenix offered him the opportunity to make and sell pizzas in the corner of his store. Bianco's pizza was popular and he realized he could make pizza for a living. He went to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 1993 to improve his pizzamaking. In 1994, he returned to open Pizzeria Bianco at Town & Country Shopping Center in Phoenix. In 1996, the restaurant moved to 623 East Adams Street, the historic site of Baird Machine Shop in Heritage Square. Bianco also operates Bar Bianco, located next door to the pizzeria in Heritage Square, and Pane Bianco, located in

Midtown Phoenix The Central Avenue Corridor is a significant stretch of north–south Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. Roughly bounded by Camelback Road to its north, and McDowell Road to its south, this is one of Phoenix's most vital and heavily trafficked s ...

. Bianco cites

Alice Waters Alice Louise Waters (born April 28, 1944) is an American chef, restaurateur, and author. In 1971 she opened Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its role in creating the farm-to-table movement and for pioneering Californi ...

Suzanne Goin Suzanne Goin is a chef and restaurateur from Los Angeles, California. As a restaurateur, she runs three fine dining restaurants in the Los Angeles area: a.o.c., Lucques, and Tavern, which she runs with partner Caroline Styne, as well as four Larde ...

at Lucques, Mark Ladner at

Del Posto Del Posto was a Michelin starred fine ding Italian restaurant in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan owned by Lidia, Tanya and Joe Bastianich. In the spring of 2021, after sixteen years, the space was sold to three employees. Mario Batali was ...

, and

Mario Batali Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, and restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and ...

as chefs who have inspired him.

Pizza

Bianco described his pizza to

Ed Levine Ed Levine (born January 27, 1952) is the creator/founder of Serious Eats, the author of the entrepreneurial memoir Serious Eater: A Food Lover's Quest for Pizza and Redemption (Portfolio Penguin/Random House, 2019), and the host of the podcast Spec ...

in ''

'', “There’s no mystery to my pizza. Sicilian oregano, organic flour,

San Marzano tomato A San Marzano tomato is a variety of plum tomato. Description Compared to the Roma tomato, San Marzano tomatoes are thinner and more pointed. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is stronger, sweeter, and less acidic. Th ...

es, purified water, mozzarella I learned to make at Mike’s Deli in the Bronx, sea salt, fresh

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

cake, and a little bit of yesterday’s dough. In the end great pizza, like anything else, is all about balance. It’s that simple.” The menu is short, generally consisting of two appetizers, three salads, and six pizzas. Pizzeria Bianco uses a wood-burning oven. Since opening, Chris Bianco has made nearly every pizza himself, sometimes making 250 a night. He and his staff make the mozzarella fresh each morning. Bianco's dough is made by hand, and ideally he lets it ferment for 18 hours. The herbs are from a garden beside the restaurant.Rose, J
'World's best' pizza in Phoenix
''

Tucson Citizen The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''. When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the daily ...

'', 2006-07-12. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. The vegetables are from the local farmer's market. In January 2010, Bianco announced that he was taking some time away from pizza making for health reasons (the wood oven and flour in the air was aggravating his asthma). However, Chris Bianco's brother Marco will continue to make the dough and for the time being Horacio Hernandez, Bianco's assistant for 15 years, will cook the pizzas.

Seating

Pizzeria Bianco is a small establishment, with a maximum seating capacity of 42. The pizzeria only takes reservations for parties of 6–10. All other patrons are seated on a first come, first served basis, resulting in long lines and waits commonly up to four hours, which can frustrate newcomers. Chris Bianco has said, “it is ridiculous that it’s four hours, but it’s 23 hours to fly to Australia,” saying that some good things "just take a long time." Patrons often line up starting at 3:30 pm, an hour and a half before opening time. There is no take-out or delivery.

Reviews

Pizzeria Bianco has been rated as the best pizza in the United States by '' Bon Appétit'', ''

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'',Rose, J
"The prince of pizza: Chef Bianco's pies are best in the world"
''

'', 2006-06-21. Retrieved on 2010-2-13.

Rachael Ray Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program '' Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series ''30 Minute Meals'' ...

,Seftel, H
"Pizzeria Bianco bestin the nation, says 'Rachel Ray'"
''

'', 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2010-02-12. and

Andrew Zimmern Andrew Scott Zimmern (born July 4, 1961) is an American chef, restaurateur, television and radio personality, director, producer, businessman, food critic, and author. Zimmern is the co-creator, host, and consulting producer of the Travel Channe ...

, and has also been recognized by

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

,The Oprah Winfrey Show
2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2010-2-12. '' GQ'', and ''

Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...

''Amster-Burton, M
"Chris Bianco's pizza philosophy"
/ref> In 2003, Chris Bianco won the

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

for best Southwest Chef (the only pizza chef to have won a regional award)"Worth waiting for: Pizzeria Bianco"
''JBF Notes: The James Beard Foundation Newsletter'', 2008 Oct/Nov. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. and the restaurant received a nearly perfect

Zagat The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering ...

score of 29 in 2000. Pizzeria Bianco was featured in Peter Reinhart's book ''American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza''.Reinhart, P: ''American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza''. Ten Speed Press, 2003.

References

External links