We love to talk about pizza here on AL.com. We recently named our top picks in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, but that lead us to an even more difficult question: What’s Alabama’s Best pizza? What’s the top 10?

Although those seem like fun questions to get paid to answer, I will warn you: It’s a lot harder than it looks. Alabama has a lot of great pizzerias, from old standbys to up-and-comers, and it’s hard to narrow down a list to 20, much less 10. But with help from my colleagues and their decades of experience of covering Alabama’s food and culture, we narrowed the list down.

This list will probably look different than your favorites. I get it. There are lots of unique mom-and-pop pizzerias places that did not make this list. If you’re mad that they didn’t make our top 10, don’t just holler at me – order a pizza from ‘em tonight out of spite.

Now, let’s get to it.

READ MORE: Birmingham’s best pizza: Our top 5

Mobile’s best pizza: Our top 5

Huntsville’s best pizza: Our top 5

10. Mater’s Pizza & Pasta Emporium

329 Locust St. in Gadsden; Franchises in Albertville and Fort Payne. materspizza.com

Mater’s has been a mainstay in Gadsden since 1978, when it was a small eatery in the downtown area. Now, it takes up half a city block and consists of a bar, game room and outside dining. (It opened franchise locations in Albertville in 2013 and Fort Payne in early 2023.) If you’re looking for light pizza, this isn’t the place for you. The crust is thick – Sicilian style – and toppings are generous and piled sky-high. This is stretchy pants pizza, and man, is it good.

Order this: The Better Boy pizza. The pie consists of pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives and extra cheese, and it’s hearty deliciousness. Fun fact: If you buy it in the largest size (16 inches), it weighs seven pounds.

MORE: 5 things to know about Mater’s Pizza & Pasta Emporium

9. Ashland Midtown Pub

2453 Old Shell Road in Mobile; ashlandmidtownpub.com

The menu can do the talking for this one. The Old World: fresh basil, artichoke hearts, sliced Roma tomatoes with mozzarella cheese on a roasted garlic and olive oil base. Mediterranean Shrimp: Diced fresh tomatoes and shrimp with feta and mozzarella cheeses served over a sweet homemade basil pesto sauce. Zydeco: Topped with crab, crawfish, chicken, roasted garlic, bell peppers, gorgonzola and mozzarella cheeses on a white sauce base. Bacon Cheeseburger: Red Sauce, meatballs, bacon, caramelized onions and chopped dill pickle with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. The Tragically Hip: A red and white sauce, Canadian bacon, artichoke hearts, sherried mushrooms and onions with Gorgonzola, asiago and mozzarella cheeses. – Lawrence Specker

Order this: If all this is too high-flown for you, call for The Hook Up, your basic red sauce-sausage-pepperoni deal. Except for the finely chopped jalapenos. – Lawrence Specker

MORE: 5 things to know about Ashland Midtown Pub

8. Post Office Pies

209 41st St. S. in Birmingham and 270 Rele St. in Mountain Brook , postofficepies.com

People have lots of Big Opinions about Post Office Pies – because of its popularity, they either love it or hate it. (My colleague Mary Colurso did not put it in her top 5 Birmingham pizzas list, and while she is a sweet angel, I think she is just wrong for that.) But there’s no reason for the hate. Post Office Pies always serves a solid pizza. The wood-fired pizza has a light and airy crust, and the fresh mozzarella and locally-sourced ingredients make this one tasty pie. It’s not fancy, but it’s delicious.

Order this: Saw’s Soul Pie is a uniquely Alabama pizza. Topped with Saw’s BBQ sauce, BBQ pork, red onions, mozzarella and a side of white sauce, this is one eclectic pie.

MORE: Post Office Pies named one of the top pizzerias in the country

7. Original Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar

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

Valentina’s has only been in Madison since 2020, but it has a well-known figure at its helm: Joe Carlucci, who has notched a Guinness Book of World Records nod for his pizza toss. (It was a 21-foot-5-inch toss, if you’re curious.) Carlucci’s pizza at Valentina’s has already garnered another award – it received the top prize in the International Pizza Challenge’s Traditional Division at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas earlier this year. You’ll find New York, Sicilian and Detroit-style crusts on the menu – and perhaps Carlucci tossing dough high in the air, putting on a show.

Order this: The Godfather. My colleague Matt Wake calls it, “The real deal. The crust was chewy here, crispy there and crunchy along the edges. Nice.”

MORE: Huntsville’s hottest pizza joint isn’t actually in Huntsville

6. Midtown Pizza Kitchen

2940 Zelda Road in Montgomery & 584 Pinnacle Place in Prattville; mpkmontgomery.com

The Montgomery area’s pizza scene only keeps getting better, and Midtown Pizza Kitchen is a part of that. It’s a fun neighborhood joint – the way a pizzeria should be. The restaurant has a menu packed with eclectic specialty pizzas, and all of the ingredients are fresh. (“Every day is prep, prep, prep,” they explained to me in 2016.) The crust is thin, crispy and perfect. This is just top-notch pizza, y’all.

Order this: The VY pizza. Topped with red sauce, spinach, fennel sausage, artichokes, cherry tomatoes and provolone, you won’t be able to stop eating this. I normally don’t crave artichokes on pizza, but this one converted me.

MORE: 5 things to know about Midtown Pizza Kitchen

5. The Ravenite

102 N. Section St., Fairhope; theravenite.net

The Ravenite has been a bastion of Eastern Shore pizza for a long time, and if you Google “best pizza in Fairhope” you’ll probably wind up looking at a list that it tops. Once bite of The Special and you’ll know why. The lineup of ingredients is pretty common – pepperoni, sausage, onions, green pepper, mushroom, beef, ham, black olive and garlic – but the garlicky flavor just explodes off the top of it. The menu starts with the basic cheese pizza and a la carte toppings, then goes to the mid-tier “combination” pizzas, which include Greek, Mexican and Pulled Pork Hawaiian specialty jobs, then to the top-tier Gourmet pizzas such as The Special. So there’s no shortage of choices here. – Lawrence Specker

Order this: Our second choice after The Special was The Southwestern, with broiled chicken, black beans, red onion, roasted red pepper, chipotle, fresh tomato, white queso sauce and Monterey jack cheese over red sauce. But honestly, The Special would be hard to beat. – Lawrence Specker

4. Broadway Pizzeria

5400 McFarland Blvd E., Tuscaloosa, and Highway 43 North, Northport; broadwaypizzatuscaloosa.com

Broadway Pizzeria has been a Tuscaloosa mainstay for 21 years since Eric Wyatt and Rob Coons decided they wanted to bring the taste of New York City pizza to the college town. And although plenty of new, stellar pizza options keep popping up in the area, Broadway remains first-class. The wood-fired pizza has a perfect chewy crust, and they’re more than generous with toppings. (And with the fresh veggies they put on ‘em, you’ll want all you can get.) Simply, this is great pizza.

Order this: I’ve been going on and on about the fresh veggies, but just a classic pepperoni and cheese pizza is perfection here. It’s the right amount of grease, toppings and cheese.

MORE: 5 awesome Tuscaloosa pizza places

3. Carpenetti’s

740 Park Ave. in Moody

You’ve probably heard of Carpenetti’s, and it has nothing to do with advertising. The small town pizza joint is pretty much inactive on social media and has no website. But what it lacks in PR it makes up for in word of mouth. It’s gotten a reputation as a must-visit Alabama pizza joint and was named Bama’s Best Pizza by Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) and Alabama Farmers Federation Dairy Division and was named one of Alabama’s must-try dishes by AL.com’s Bob Carlton. And why do people love it so much? It’s because it’s old-fashioned New York-style pizza – no frills, no fancy toppings, just good eats.

Order this: A sausage-and-pepperoni with added green peppers. Or anything, really. It’s gonna be good.

2. Mata’s Greek Pizza & Grinders

1620 Quintard Ave. in Anniston; https://www.matasgreekpizza.com/

In 1980, people told William and Mata Rodopoulos that opening a pizzeria in Anniston would be a bad idea and would never succeed. We’re glad they never paid attention to that advice, because Mata’s Greek-style pizza is exceptional. Take one bite of it and you’ll realize why people drive from all over to try it. The crust is the star of the show here – it’s thick and sturdy. It supports all the toppings (and it has ample toppings) but especially the white Cheddar cheese, which is just pure cheesy goodness. This is another stretchy-pant pizza – it’s heavy, but it’s worth it. (Note: The dining room isn’t open right now, but you can call in your order or order online and pull up to the drive-thru window to pick up your pie.)

Order this: The extra-special pizza is what I’d imagine cheese heaven would taste like: hamburger meat, pepperoni, onions, green peppers, Canadian bacon and mushroom blanketed with White Cheddar cheese. Oh, y’all. I can’t even begin to describe how good it is.

MORE: How Mata’s Greek Pizza & Grinders became Alabama’s Best Pizza

1. Pizza Ed

305 Main St. W. in Hartselle, facebook.com/thepizzaed/

Pizza Ed Owners Eddie and Chandra Gwin have brought world-class pizza to cozy downtown Hartselle. The eatery opened in 2018 right in the heart of downtown, and it’s made a name for itself in the five years since. But the owners didn’t just open a pizzeria; they made sure they did their homework first, traveling to New York, Chicago and LA to learn more about pizza. “If you’re going to do something, you should do it right, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he told the Hartselle Enquirer in 2018. “If you want to get into the pizza business, you need to go to New York and learn how to make a pizza.”

And y’all, this pizza is amazing. Pizza Ed offers New York and Chicago styles, and both are must-tries. The crust of the New York style is just right (I’m a monster who sometimes throws away her crust, and I would never throw Pizza Ed’s away), and the Chicago deep dish is smothered with fresh toppings. (You can also get a Chicago stuffed crust.) And soon, Hartselle won’t be the only place you can get Pizza Ed’s. A downtown Guntersville location is planned to open around July Fourth – so there will be two locations you can get Alabama’s Best Pizza.

Order this: We can’t choose, so we’ll give you two. The most popular deep-dish pizza is the Cubby. The butter crust is topped with Chicago sauce, a four-cheese blend, Italian sausage, meatballs, pepperoni and bacon, and you won’t want to waste a bite. And even if you’re not a fan of chicken bacon ranch pizza, you’ll love it at Pizza Ed’s: It’s not too ranch-y and it’s just right.

More on Alabama pizza:

11 Alabama pizza places we love

A classic Alabama pizzeria reopens

11 creative Alabama pizzas that go way beyond pepperoni