Pizza Prize

Pasquale Illiano of Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana in South Kingstown. Photograph courtesy of Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana.

50 Top Pizza USA named its top fifty pizzerias in the united states and Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana in South Kingstown came in at number thirteen. Owner Pasquale Illiano is a Naples, Italy, native who learned how to make authentic Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana-certified Neapolitan pizza from pizzaiolos in his home country. Take a bite of his pie and watch the streaming videos from the streets of Naples and you’ll swear you’re there. Pasquale’s D.O.P. pizza is topped with piennolo tomatoes that grow on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, followed by imported Italian buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil on pizza dough made from his proprietary blend of flours. It’s then fired in a 500-degree woodburning brick oven for only ninety seconds. It’s very specific, and that’s what makes it so good.

The annual 50 Top Pizza guide is published by an Italian-based team of inspectors who evaluate pizzerias anonymously across the United States and worldwide, including Italy, the USA, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. The first fifteen positions on the list of the 50 Top Pizza USA 2025 compete in the 100 Best Pizzerias in the World ranking.

“This is a huge achievement, not only for me, but now Rhode Island is on the map,” says Illiano.

“It is an amazing reward because the best pizzaiolos in the country are on this legit list. 50 Top Pizza is an organization of Italian and global gastronomic journalists and professionals,” Illiano says. “Putting Rhode Island on the map is the ultimate achievement.” 60 South County Commons Way, South Kingstown, 783-2900, pasqualespizzeriari.com

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Here’s what the judges had to say about Pasquale’s: “The pizzeria is spacious and airy, dominated by the wood-fired oven that recalls the Neapolitan tradition with its crescent-shaped mouth. In addition to a variety of salads and typical Neapolitan appetizers (meatballs in tomato sauce, eggplant parmigiana), there is a table supported by three legs: the New York style, the Grandma, typical of Long Island, and the traditional Neapolitan pizza to satisfy different tastes. The ingredients, starting from the tomatoes, cheeses, and mozzarella, are excellent, with a dough that satisfies various preferences. In particular, we highlight the research on tomatoes, including the lesser-known cannellino flegreo. In the glass, there is a good selection of beer, Italian and Campanian wines, cocktails and liqueurs. The service is lively, typically Neapolitan, professional and fast. An excellent quality-price ratio that makes it a reference in the neighborhood.”