The pizza scene in Orange County has come a long way in the past 10 years. We’ve lost a few good ones along the way (thinking of Pizza e Vino, Jinny’s, Settebello and Ortica), but we’ve gained even more than what’s been lost. Every one of these pizzerias is excellent. It’s hard, and perhaps even foolish, to try to rank them. But I’ll attempt to do it anyway:   

Salame, green olives and ricotta at 2145 Eats in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

1. 2145 Eats

The best pizza in OC: spicy salame, ricotta, green olives, pickled Fresno chilies, wood smoke. 2145 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa, 949-873-5853, 2145eats.com

Pizza with pork sausage and serrano chiles at Kuro in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

2. Kuro Artisanal Pizza

Outdoor dining. Minimal service. Extraordinary pizzas. The Lab, 2930 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-714-0909, instagram.com/kuropizza

Fennel sausage pizza at Folks in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

3. Folks Pizzeria

Beautiful crusts. Fantastic fennel sausage and salsa verde. Can’t go wrong. The Camp, 2937 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-617-4888, folkshospitality.com

New York style pizza at Loosie’s in downtown Santa Ana (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

4. Loosie’s Pizza 

Game-changer for anyone who loves New York-style pizza. 300 E. 4th St., Santa Ana, 714-760-4444, iloveloosies.com

Wood-fired pizza with pork sausage and spicy salame at Brick in San Clemente (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

5. Brick 

Fabulous wood-fire pizzas and incredibly affordable wines. Anything with pork, order it. 216 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949-429-1199, brickrestaurantgroup.com

Chicago deep dish from Rance’s in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

6. Rance’s 

Legit Chicago stuffed and pan pizzas. Even the wait times are authentic. Nobody does it better. 1420 Baker St., Costa Mesa, 714-708-2143, rancespizza.com

Spicy salame pizza at Bello in Newport Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

7. Bello

When the diavola pizza arrives, you’ll think you’re in Italy. 1200 Bison Ave., Newport Beach, 949-520-7191, bellobysandronardone.com

Pepperoni pizza at Pizza X, at Brewery X, in Anaheim (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

8. Pizza X 

Seriously great pepperoni pizza. Lots of beer. Outdoor dining. Brewery X, 3191 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, 657-999-1500, brewery-x.com

The ultimate Hawaiian pizza at Pizzeria Mozza in Newport Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

9. Pizzeria Mozza

I dare you to say pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza. Just try it. 800 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, 949-945-1126, newportbeach.pizzeriamozza.com

White pizza with fennel sausage at Pietrini in Los Alamitos (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

10. Pietrini

Genuine Neapolitan crusts. Outstanding fennel sausage. 5262 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos, 562-318-3050, pietrinipizza.com

Cracker-thin pepperoni, Chicago style, at TJ’s Woodfire Pizza in San Clemente (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

11. TJ’s Woodfire Pizza

The Neapolitan pizzas are great. The cracker-thin Chicago pizza is even better. 641 Camino de los Mares, San Clemente, 949-243-6433, www.tjswoodfirepizza.com

Detroit style pizza from Lunita’s in San Juan Capistrano (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

12. Lunita’s 

OC’s best Detroit-style pizza. No onsite dining. Takeout only. Order by text. 31481 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 949-350-4670, instagram.com/lunitas_pizza

Marinara pizza at Pizzeria Sapori in Newport Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

13. Pizzeria Sapori 

Always a tough choice between the Margherita and the marinara, but the latter usually wins. 1080 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach, 949-644-4220, saporinb.com

Nduja pizza at Il Dolce in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

14. Il Dolce

Nduja is a word everyone should learn. And everyone should eat this wood-fired nduja pizza. 1902 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, 949-200-9107, ildolceoc.com

Marinara pizza with cherry tomatoes at Fuoco in Fullerton (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

15. Fuoco

Less is more. Get the marinara. You’ll go home very, very happy. 101 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton; 714-626-0727, fuocopizza.com

Pepperoni pizza at Naples Ristorante e Bar at Downtown Disney (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

16. Naples Ristorante e Bar

Wood-fired crusts. A Brinks truck worth of pepperoni. Downtown Disney, 1550 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, 714-776-6200, patinagroup.com

Margherita pizza at Foretti’s in Corona del Mar (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

17. Foretti’s

The name changed. The pizza did not. Still one of the most authentic Margheritas in OC. 2929 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar; 949-497-8222, forettis.com

Spicy pepperoni at Filomena’s in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

18. Filomena’s

Some people say the pepperoni here is too spicy. Those people are dumb. 2400 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, 949-642-3810, filomenasoc.com

Spicy salame, pineapple and jalapeno pizza at Terra in Yorba Linda (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

19. Terra

A raging wood fire and another very strong argument for pineapple. Oh, shut up. Just trust me. 4884 Main St., Yorba Linda, 714-463-4424, terrawoodfiredkitchen.com

Burrata, arugula and hazelnuts at Pitfire in Costa Mesa (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

20. Pitfire

Burrata, arugula, pesto and toasted hazelnuts, because sometimes it’s OK to put a salad on a pizza. 353 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa; 949-313-6333, pitfirepizza.com

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