America's Coolest Tricked-Out Pizza Ovens

Located on one of NOLA’s best foodie streets, Ancora serves the city's first authentic Neapolitan-style pizza. Chef Jeff Talbot bakes them in his prized multicolored Stefano Ferrara oven. To store toppings near the mouth of the oven, Talbot uses a table made out of old whiskey barrels and designed by Chip Martinson, the husband of F&W Best New Chef 1989 Susan Spicer.

Must try: The Bianca, topped with fior di latte (a fresh, creamy mozzarella made from cow milk rather than water buffalo milk), fresh basil, olives, garlic, and chile.

ancorapizza.com

Since relocating to a larger space down the street from its original home, this chef-adored, locally driven pizzeria has room for two wood-burning ovens, both built by Valoriani — a family-run Florentine company in business since 1890. Each oven is covered with beautiful tiles that Franny’s owners Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg sourced from Mexico.

Must try: Fresh clam pizza with chiles and parsley.

frannysbrooklyn.com

Eleven-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani uses eight ovens, each calibrated to cook a different pizza style. Gemignani's arsenal includes an electric oven that reaches 700 degrees for long, thin Roman-style pizza; a wood-fired brick oven set to 900 degrees for puffy, crispy-crusted Neapolitan pizzas; and a coal-fire oven set to a scorching 1,000 degrees for charred thin-crust pizza in the old-school New York-style.

Must try: Gemignani’s perfect Margherita with fresh cow-milk mozzarella, which took first prize at the World Pizza Cup in Naples.

tonyspizzanapoletana.com

At restaurateur Stephen Starr's Neapolitan pizzeria, the Renato oven (the same brand that star pizzaiolo Chris Bianco uses at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix) burns wood or a combo of gas and wood. While Stella chefs primarily stick to oak for superior flavor and high temperatures, the gas helps in quickly reheating the oven in the morning. Built in Garland, Texas, the oven was custom-tiled in the restaurant.

Must try: The decadent truffled Tartufo, topped with Fontina cheese and a soft roasted egg.

pizzeriastella.net

Sotto's massive, vibrant-yellow-tiled oven burns only white oak, and reaches more than 900 degrees. It was built onsite over the course of one week by the legendary Stefano Ferrara, a third-generation Neapolitan oven maker, and an assistant. The oven's incredibly specific internal measurements, which are kept a trade secret, help generate the heat that allows crispy-crusted pizzas to cook in less than a minute.

Must try: The ultra-creamy guanciale: house-cured pork cheek, ricotta, scallions, and a dusting of fennel pollen.

sottorestaurant.com

A literal fire-breather, Source's oven is sculpted from cement to look like the head of a huge dragon. Owner Mitchell Fox commissioned the mythical piece as a cover for his Tuscan Mugnaini oven, which is the focal point of this New Age-y vegetarian restaurant. The roaring, gas-powered oven is named King Arwen in honor of the local artist behind it, Arwen.

Must try: The rich, tangy, and enticingly named Magic Mushroom topped with assorted mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, plum tomato, and truffle oil.

source-sf.com

Named Sofia, after co-owner Matteo Cattaneo's first daughter, the wood-fired oven at this Neapolitan-style pizzeria was handmade in Naples by the master artisan Stefano Ferrara over the course of nearly five months, then shipped to San Diego. Cattaneo's wife, Alexa Kollmeier, insisted on covering the oven with golden tiles, which add to its gorgeous warm glow. "She is always right," Cattaneo says.

Must try: The sweet-salty-creamy Michelle, a white pizza topped with crème fraîche, speck, caramelized onions, Gorgonzola, and thyme.

buonaforchettasd.com

After visiting Austin in 2010 and admiring the city's inventive food trucks, former Flour + Water pizzaiolo Jon Darsky returned to San Francisco with his sights set on building a mobile pizzeria. The result: a 30,000-pound Freightliner truck topped with a 20-foot shipping container, carrying a 5,000-pound wood-burning oven that is protected with massive air bags during transit. Darsky travels the city, announcing the truck's lunchtime location via Twitter, and offering blistered, crispy-crusted pizzas topped with local produce like arugula and green garlic.

Must try: The classic Margherita — topped with tomato sauce, basil, and fresh mozzarella — showcases the blistered, chewy crust.

delpopolosf.com

Even Disney World knows to leave pizza to the experts, so you won't find Mickey Mouse tossing dough at Epcot's authentic Neapolitan pizzeria. The three ovens, however, are show-stopping, sculpted to look like the ancient Roman gods who ruled over Italy’s active volcanoes: Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius, and Stromboli. Pizzaiolo Charlie Restivo sources ingredients from Italy, such as the Caputo flour, San Marzano tomatoes, and Parma cotto — he even goes as far as to use water calibrated to the pH level in Naples.

Must try: Inspired by the classic Italian dish, the Prosciutto e Melone is a white pizza topped with Fontina cheese, mozzarella, prosciutto, cubes of cantaloupe, and peppery arugula.

disneyworld.disney.go.com

This Aegean-blue oven was hand-built and tiled by Raffaele Vassallo (a.k.a. Lello) — an apprentice of Stefano Ferrara’s equally masterful father, Natale — in Naples. While being forklifted into the restaurant — a wall had to be removed in order to make way for it — the oven's heft became too much for the sidewalk, which cracked and caved. Today the oven stands on firm ground, producing Neapolitan-style pizzas.

Must try: Corno di Capra with house-made sausage, pickled peppers, garlic, mozzarella, and Grana Padano, a hard, salty Italian cheese.

bardelcorso.com

Known for his specialty, flash-fried then oven-fired pizzas crusts, Forcella chef-owner Giulio Adriani uses Neapolitan Acunto ovens at his Williamsburg and East Village locations. He decorated them himself with hand-cracked black tiles. Oven maker Mario Acunto sells his ovens at whatever price he feels is right for the buyer. "He doesn’t care about selling the oven," Adriani says. "In Napoli they call him Mario matto — Mario the crazy guy."

Must try: The Montanara, a Margherita with a fried crust that's finished in the oven.

forcellaeatery.com

The West Hollywood location of this Southern California chain of artisanal pizzerias has a bright-red oven inspired in part by the Neutra House (an iconic modular house designed by the Los Angeles architect Richard Neutra) and in part by the off-kilter tornado from The Wizard of Oz. The wood-fired oven was made by Mugnaini in Italy.

Must try: The creamy, crunchy Burrata Pie topped with burrata, tomato sauce, wild arugula, sweet caramelized onions, and hazelnuts, finished with a pesto drizzle.

pitfirepizza.com

His quest for a versatile oven led owner Bill Rizzuto to outfit his Westport location with a shimmering, copper-covered Le Panyol that he calls "Angelina." He loves it for its ability to withstand high heats — great for pizza — and for its heat retention, which is perfect for baking bread the morning after a night of pizza making. Underneath the copper, the oven is made from white clay mined from mountains in the south of France.

Must try: "Grown-Up" Pepperoni Pie, topped with hot soppressata, caramelized onions, garlic, tomato sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

rizzutos.com

A partnership with the Naples-based restaurant chain Rossopomodoro, La Pizza at Mario Batali’s sprawling Italian market uses a fornodoro (golden oven) designed by the Italian artist-architect-designer Riccardo Dalisi. The wood-fired oven, which is kept at a constant temperature of 800 degrees, has a cooking surface made from volcanic stone that originated near Mount Vesuvius. The oven bakes six pizzas at once; the pies are available adorned with classic Italian toppings like quality anchovies, fresh mozzarella, and house-made sausage.

Must try: The umami-packed Capricciosa, topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, prosciutto cotto, artichokes, tomato sauce, and olives.

eataly.com

This Neapolitan-inspired restaurant's massive, black Stefano Ferrara-made oven weighs "about as much as a small school bus," according to co-owner Nicolas Wayne. The wood-burning oven can reach a temperature of 1,200 degrees and cook pizzas in just 90 seconds.

Must try: Fig + Prosciutto, a sweet-savory pie topped with fig jam, prosciutto, Fontina cheese, and arugula salad.

atavolapizza.com

Get more great pizza content from Food & Wine:

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