Alabama has great pizza. And we mean great.

The state obviously prides itself on food — traditional favorites like barbecue, burgers, meat-and-threes, etc. — but make no mistake … we know pizza, too.

We’ve sampled the best of the best for years now at AL.com, and while we’ve come to one conclusion after another on which pie is a slice above the rest, we reserve the right to change our minds. Just too much elite variety in our state.

So this list is not the end-all-be-all collection of pizza exclusivity. With the help of some of my colleagues, I just want to shine a light on 10 of the best pies Alabama has to offer, crust and all.

CARPENETTI’S

740 Park Ave. in Moody, facebook.com/Carpenettis

A word-of-mouth gem. You just have to go to know why people have loved it for years, and why it was named Bama’s Best Pizza by the Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) and Alabama Farmers Federation Dairy Division, and why it was named one of Alabama’s must-try dishes by AL.com’s Bob Carlton. AL.com’s Haley Laurence points to the “old-fashioned New York-style pizza – no frills, no fancy toppings, just good eats.” She recommends a sausage-and-pepperoni with added green peppers, but you can’t go wrong with anything, really.

DAVENPORT’S PIZZA PALACE

2837 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook; 700 Montgomery Highway, Suite 193, in Vestavia Hills; davenportspizza.com

An old-school pizza experience, per my AL.com colleague Mary Colurso. The original location in Mountain Brook, which opened in 1964, is named after baseball star Jim “Peanut” Davenport, a friend of the original owners, Rex and Ardyce Hollis. Family members still own and operate the restaurant, which hand-tosses the pizzas with thin crusts and simple toppings like sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, green peppers, anchovies and more. “The pies are cut into smallish squares, and pizza lovers who grew up on Davenport’s food wouldn’t have it any other way,” Mary wrote. The menu includes a garden salad with familiar dressings (French, Thousand Island, Ranch, etc.) and you can get soft drinks by the pitcher. Mary’s recommendation: Jim Special, made with beef, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and green peppers.

HEAT PIZZA BAR

2250 6th Street in Tuscaloosa; heatpizzabar.com

Founded in 2015, Heat Pizza Bar provides downtown Tuscaloosa with artisan pizza and salad made from fresh ingredients, not to mention their drink specials. You can get good traditional pizzas like their “perfect” pepperoni or margherita, but we say venture out with the Thai chicken (Sriracha and sweet chili base, house baked chicken, red onion, green bell pepper, diced Roma tomato, mozzarella) or the Santa Fe (chipotle ranch base, house baked chicken, roasted corn, black beans, red onion, diced Roma tomato, fresh jalapeño, cheddar, pepper jack). They also have gluten-free options. The Perfect Pepperoni is a classic, but branch out with the Buffalo Chicken (buffalo sauce, house-baked chicken, mango, red onion, cheddar, mozzarella) or the Aloha (house red sauce, ham, pineapple, jalapeno, red onion, mozzarella). AL.com Alabama football reporter Nick Kelly picked it in our Tuscaloosa Restaurant Draft.

MATA’S GREEK PIZZA & GRINDERS

1620 Quintard Ave. in Anniston; matasgreekpizza.com

Mata’s Greek-style pizza is exceptional, as Haley Laurence puts it. “Take one bite of it and you’ll realize why people drive from all over to try it,” she wrote. She rightly singles out the crust — thick and sturdy, supporting the ample toppings, plus the delicious white cheddar cheese. Haley calls it “stretchy-pant pizza … heavy, but it’s worth it.” The extra-special pizza is the way to go: Hamburger meat, pepperoni, onions, green peppers, Canadian bacon and mushroom blanketed with white cheddar cheese.

ORIGINAL VALENTINA’S PIZZERIA & WINE BAR

25951 Huntsville Brownsferry Road Suite B in Madison; valentinaspizzeria.com

Founded in 2020, Valentina’s just earned a spot on the Italy-based “50 Top Pizza USA 2024″ list. Owner Joe Carlucci, who has notched a Guinness Book of World Records nod for his pizza toss, also received the top prize in the International Pizza Challenge’s Traditional Division at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Why, you ask? The New York, Sicilian and Detroit-style crusts. We recommend The Godfather, which AL.com’s Matt Wake calls, “The real deal. The crust was chewy here, crispy there and crunchy along the edges.”

PIZZA ED

305 Main St. West in Hartselle; facebook.com/thepizzaed

Pizza Ed owners Eddie and Chandra Gwin brought world-class pizza to cozy downtown Hartselle, opening the restaurant in 2018 in the heart of downtown. But before they arrived in Alabama, the Gwins traveled to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to learn more about pizza. The pizzeria offers New York and Chicago styles, with a classic deep dish smothered in fresh toppings. Haley Laurence recommends the Cubby, a deep dish pie with a butter crust topped with Chicago sauce, a four-cheese blend, Italian sausage, meatballs, pepperoni and bacon. You won’t want to waste a bite.

PIZZERIA DELPHINA

518 Dauphin St in Mobile; www.facebook.com/delphinapizza

AL.com’s Lawrence Specker calls this “a sentimental choice that happens to be knock-your-socks off good.” The by-the-slice option also makes it one a quick-and-easy lunch spot in downtown Mobile. Owner Richie Gambino closed shop at 107 Dauphin St. before he and partner Benjamin Reese moved the pizzeria to The Insider Collective Eatery farther west on Dauphin, which Lawrence said is “much more modern, and bustles with food-court energy.” He picked The Cadillac: Pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, red pepper, beef, ham, black olive, garlic.

POST OFFICE PIES

270 Rele St. in Mountain Brook; postofficepies.com

The popular wood-fired pizza has a light and airy crust with fresh mozzarella and locally-sourced ingredients to make this a total go-to in metro Birmingham. Haley Laurence called Saw’s Soul Pie “a uniquely Alabama pizza.” Topped with Saw’s BBQ sauce, BBQ pork, red onions, mozzarella and a side of white sauce. Pizza + Saw’s BBQ? Um. Yes. Duh.

SLICE PIZZA & BREW

725 29th St. South in Birmingham’s Lakeview neighborhood; 1101 Dunston Avenue in Crestline; 3104 Timberlake Drive in Vestavia Hills; 1105 Ashville Road in Montevallo; 1010 Oxmoor Road, Homewood; slicebirmingham.com

Brothers Chris, Jeff and Jason Bajalieh opened the Lakeview Slice in 2011, quickly becoming a popular pizzeria in the Birmingham area, as four other locations followed. The Slice menu features creative toppings that range from braised beef short ribs to smoked brisket to bacon with banana peppers. They also have salads, small plates and sweets, plus one of pizza’s best pairings: canned, bottled and draft brews. AL.com’s Mary Colurso says to get the White Shadow pizza, made with garlic, caramelized onions, sliced Portobello mushrooms, feta, parmesan and truffle oil.

TRATTORIA ZAZA

207 20th St. North in downtown Birmingham; www.zazabham.com

Pizza by the slice. Perfect. The name of this restaurant has changed — ZaZa Trattoria to Trattoria Centrale to Trattoria ZaZa — and the original owners sold the place to two longtime employees in 2015. But they still serve “Italian foods from the finest ingredients, carefully everyday.” The full pies rock, but you can also grab from the mix-and-match squares, prepared Roman style and served al taglio, or “by the cut.” Mary Colurso said the pizza staples include Three Cheese, Sicilian, Pepperoni and Porkalicious. The menu also includes pasta dishes, salads, soups, desserts and more. Mary says to try the Spicy Swineapple pizza, made with bacon, ham, Calabrian chiles, pineapple, charred onion, tomato and chili oil.