Where to Taste Rhode Island-Style Pizza in Providence and Beyond

Move over quahogs and coffee milk — pizza may be Rhode Island’s signature serve.

Home to the original grilled pizza and a nostalgic regional speciality known as pizza strips that get as much ire as adoration, Rhode Island has a quirky and enticing pizza landscape. The Ocean State is home to a plethora of worthy pizza spots — here are six to seek out.

Al Forno (Providence)

Upscale dining institution Al Forno is credited with inventing the grilled pizza. Developed by owners, chefs, and spouses Johanne Killeen and George Germon, the Providence restaurant’s trendsetting pie is served alongside a menu of coveted baked pastas and steaks. The pizza margarita starts with a high-gluten, quick-proofed dough lightly coated in oil and hand-pressed in preparation for the wrought-iron grill. After the raw dough is pre-grilled, it’s topped with a three-cheese blend, San Marzano tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil in a cooking process that takes only a few minutes. Once off the heat, the asymmetrical pizza is finished with fresh herbs — basil, parsley, and Al Forno’s signature thin strips of scallion.

Pizza Marvin (Providence)

Pizza geeks will find nods to local and regional institutions throughout the menu at Pizza Marvin, including New York City’s Prince Street Pizza and Modern Apizza in New Haven, all filtered through a distinctly Rhode Island lens. The Providence pizzeria pays homage to Al Forno with its Corny AF, for example: The corn and scallion strips are a tell-tale tip of the hat to another of Germon and Killeen’s memorable pies. Connecticut’s famous clam and potato toppings become Rhode Island’s when served as Chowdah Pie, featuring mashed potato, bacon, fresh herbs, and shell-on littleneck clams. And a thick, crunchy grandma-style rectangle topped only by tomato sauce is inspired by Rhode Island’s unique pizza strips. The drinks are cheeky, too, from a Roni Negroni — yes, the gin is pepperoni fat-washed — to Pizza Wine, a refreshing canned Lambrusco made with regional grapes, co-created by a local group including Marvin owners Robert Andreozzi and Jesse Hedberg to pair perfectly with their food.

D. Palmieri’s Bakery (Johnston, Rhode Island)

The most polarizing of Rhode Island pizza styles may be the humble “pizza strips,” also known as “bakery pizza.” Old-school Italian American bakeries throughout the Ocean State, including D. Palmieri’s Bakery, LaSalle Bakeries, and The Original Italian Bakery, top this chewy creation with tangy tomato sauce — no cheese — and serve it at room temperature or cold, typically in a nondescript white bakery box. Some people do like to toast theirs at home, and some pizzerias such as Twin’s Pizza, Caserta’s Pizzeria, and the aforementioned Pizza Marvin will also do a “strip-style” variation served warm.

Nana’s Westerly (Westerly, Rhode Island)

A baking tradition older still than the classic pizza strip is sourdough, which gets its desirable tartness and complexity from fermentation with wild yeasts and bacteria. At Nana’s, which began as a bakery and pizza shop in Mystic, Connecticut, and added a bigger sit-down restaurant with a full bar in Westerly, Rhode Island, co-owner and executive chef James Wayman leans all the way into a variety of fermentation techniques, amping up the flavor of whole-grain, Neapolitan-style sourdough pies with tomato sauce made with shio koji and parmesan mixed with dehydrated soy sauce lees from sibling business Moromi, a Connecticut producer of soy sauce and miso. Keep an eye out for a pie topped with clams and soupy, the official Town Meat Product: It’s a type of soppressata perfected by local institutions like Westerly Packing and Dipper’s. For more sourdough Neapolitan action, check out Newport’s Mother Pizzeria.

Pasquale's Pizzeria Napoletana (Wakefield, Rhode Island)

Certificated by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napolitano, Wakefield’s own Pasquale’s was once chosen to represent all of America at the third anniversary of the Neapolitan pizza style’s UNESCO induction. The classic wood-fired thin-crust pies feature a wide variety of toppings from cacio e pepe to yellow tomato sauce with thin-sliced capicola, but there’s something for everyone here, as New York- and grandma-style pies also appear on the menu. Federal Hill Pizza in Warren and Brick Pizza Co. in Bristol also make noteworthy variations on the Neapolitan style in Rhode Island.

Double Zero in Plant City (Providence)

Named for the 00-grade flour traditionally used by Italian pizza makers, Double Zero is a vegan pizza bar inside Plant City, Providence’s vegan food hall and market. The pies here are wood-fired and topped with flavorful ingredients like cashew mozzarella, shiitake bacon, and wild mushrooms. For additional pies sans meat and dairy, seek out the pizza-style focaccia at Peter Carvelli’s vegan Foglia, a rustic Italian restaurant in Bristol, and the Vegan Local Vegetable pie at Newport Vineyards in Middletown.

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