You don’t need me to tell you that sometimes a slice of pizza can fix all your problems.
Or at least give you a delicious dinner to cap off a rough day!
Of course, as we all know – competition has intensified, and pizza chains have gotten ever-more creative in finding ways to appeal to American consumers.
We eat a lot of pizza – according to one estimate, 156 slices each per year (a little less than a slice every other day).
But which do we like best?
Well…
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To answer this interesting question, I took a look at YouGov Ratings from Q4 2024 to rank the top seven pizza chains in America – simply looking at percentage of people who had a positive view of the restaurant.
And no – Domino’s didn’t rank #1!
Here’s the full ranking of the twelve top chains – did one of your favorites end up there?
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 60%
Percent of Americans who like it: 38%
My take: Chicago-style pizza is divisive, to say the least. Me personally, I love deep dish – and also NY style, and also thin crust, and also…well, you get the idea. Their pizzas are good, but for me their calzones and appetizers shine best – who doesn’t love Italian nachos (topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, pepper jack, Italian sausage, and more)…pretzel sticks with Guinness mustard beer cheese sauce, and buffalo chicken rolls?
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 65%
Percent of Americans who like it: 39%
My take: Papa Murphy’s probably gets dinged a bit because you have to bake the pizza yourself. (It’s “take ‘n bake” pizza – which, if you’re ordering pizza, generally you just want to eat it immediately.) Which is a shame, because their pizzas are absolutely delicious – especially their stuffed pizzas, and doubly especially their chicken bacon stuffed pizza. You get two layers of crust with toppings on top of both layers for a pizza/sandwich combination that is incredibly indulgent.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 74%
Percent of Americans who like it: 41%
My take: California Pizza Kitchen’s pies are good (if a little pricey) and made with fresh ingredients. You’re not going to be buried in grease here, and their bbq chicken pizza remains a favorite to this day. Honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t rank higher.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 67%
Percent of Americans who like it: 41%
My take: Marco’s pizza is perfectly fine. But their pizza bowls are awesome. You get all the toppings, none of the crust, all baked in a bowl. Get the “all meat” and settle in for one of the greasiest, best meals you’ve ever had.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 75%
Percent of Americans who like it: 45%
My take: Listen, I don’t think anyone’s under the impression that Sbarro is, like, the best pizza ever…but it’s good, it’s greasy, it’s cheap, and you can get lots of it.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 75%
Percent of Americans who like it: 46%
My take: Good pizza, lots of it, good value. Godfather’s isn’t going to knock down the doors for being the “fanciest” pizza out there, but they make good, solid pies that will check the box anytime you want some pizza.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 83%
Percent of Americans who like it: 48%
My take: If you’re surprised to see CiCi’s in the top seven, so am I. I’ve always enjoyed it (especially their dessert pizzas! Apple pie and cinnamon pizzas for the win!), but buffet-style pizza is not everyone’s cup of tea, and I’ve seen plenty of online hate for CiCi’s. Nonetheless – looks like a lot of Americans know and love it!
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 96%
Percent of Americans who like it: 51%
My take: Ok, it’s probably not the pizza that has so many Americans loving Chuck E. Cheese – it’s the games! But their primary food IS pizza, and honestly it holds up surprisingly well.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 96%
Percent of Americans who like it: 59%
My take: “Pizza, pizza” goes the call, and my mouth starts watering immediately. Little Caesars isn’t my favorite pizza by any means, but I’ve always loved how they mix flavors and ideas together into innovative new pizzas. (Like – their pizza ‘n stix, which is half pizza and half cheese bread. Genius!)
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 97%
Percent of Americans who like it: 61%
My take: Papa John’s pizza was an old standby when I was a child, and it’s aged well too. More recently they’ve branched out into all sorts of new stuff (wings, bread, what have you), but I still love going for the pepperoni pizza and eating the peppers that come with each pie.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 100%
Percent of Americans who like it: 66%
My take: Domino’s is my favorite pizza, so this survey is wrong. (Just kidding – the data don’t lie.)
But seriously, their pizza is great these days. The garlicky crust is fantastic, and their new parmesan stuffed crust is the kind of thing I used to dream out.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 99%
Percent of Americans who like it: 70%
My take: Honestly, I was surprised by this. It’s not that Pizza Hut isn’t good – I have always loved their thin crust pizza – and it’s not that it isn’t nostalgic too. (Remember when a good report card earned you a free personal pan pizza? I sure do.)
It’s just that…really? Pizza Hut? More people like it than Domino’s and Papa John’s?
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So there you have it – America’s top 12 pizza chains according to YouGov.
While I don’t agree with all of them (I just really don’t think CiCi’s is all that good, I’m sorry), the data don’t lie!
But here’s the big question:
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What do YOU think?
Are these the best pizzas out there?
Or do you know somewhere with even better pies?
Let us know in the comments!
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