1. Tony’s Little Italy
1808 N. Placentia Ave., Unit B, Placentia; 714-528-2159; tonyslittleitaly.com
Thin crust, extra-thin crust, or thick, deep dish Chicago-style pizza – Tony’s Little Italy is the place for a delicious fresh pizza no matter where the toppings are placed.
Tony’s Little Italy has been a family-owned and operated favorite pizza restaurant since 1978. Founder Tony Manzella, a native of Palermo, Italy, first opened a pizza restaurant in Chicago when he was 21 years old. He and his wife, Rosalie, ran their Chicago restaurant for over 20 years then continued the tradition at their new eatery in Placentia when the family moved to Southern California.
Tony Manzella passed away in 2021 on National Pizza Day. Today his family – including Rosalie and son Tony Jr. – carries on the tradition. Tony Jr. said he has been working in the family business since he was a child, side by side, with his folks. “We do everything ourselves. Everything is homemade, from scratch. My dad taught me everything,” he said. “We make everything for our customers like it’s for our family. We take pride in what we do.”
All pizzas are made fresh to order from the finest ingredients and the pizza dough is made on the premises. Tony’s offers a variety of toppings including sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, artichoke, Canadian bacon, pineapple, mushrooms, anchovies, olives, green pepper, onion, chicken, garlic and jalapeño. Also on the menu are appetizers, pasta entrees, Italian sandwiches and an Italian favorite — cannoli — for desert.
2. Sgt. Pepperoni
Aliso Viejo, Newport Beach, Irvine; SgtPepps.com
Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store has been spreading love through pizza since 1976, making fresh dough, pizza sauce and desserts, and hand-grating cheese daily. The owners/partners expressed gratitude for their win.
“Continuing to be honored among the best at our craft is very meaningful to us. Our standards are unique in our industry with our commitment to being a scratch kitchen at each location and it is invigorating to see that our customers recognize this and continue to appreciate and support us. It is because of this support that we’ve grown from one store to three through the pandemic and are experiencing sales growth at each of our locations,” said Rob Dodman. Stan Frazier added, “We are so grateful to receive such a tremendous acknowledgment and none of this would be possible without our incredible staff and team members who work tirelessly, day in and day out.”
Sgt. Pepperoni’s is also charitable, donating LEGO kits to children at Children’s Hospital of Orange County and providing free pizza to local police and first responders to thank them for their service.
3. Zito’s Pizza
Multiple locations; zitospizza.com
Zito’s philosophy about its pizzas can be summed up in the word “abondanza,” which means “abundance” or “plenty” in the Italian language. Zito’s says their large pepperoni pizza has at least 50 pepperoni slices on it and that every large Zito’s pizza is covered with nearly a pound of fresh mozzarella cheese.
“The key to our success has been from our loyal customers, some of whom have been dining with us since we opened 34 years ago. We are thankful for their continued support, especially during these trying times, and for making us a community favorite,” Zito’s said regarding news of their Best of OC win.
“Zito’s is a family-owned restaurant serving the community of Orange since 1988. We only use the best ingredients available for all our menu items, providing our customers with a top-quality product. Other pizzerias claim to have the best ingredients, but unlike them we make our dough daily and ship our cheese from Wisconsin. We have more than just pizza to choose from including our famous homemade garlic and dessert knots.”