Pepperoni may sound Italian, but it has no known origin in the old country. The red, soft-cased, smoked sausage has more in common with Portuguese linguica or German Thuringian sausage than any Italian cured meats. However it emerged, pepperoni has become the most popular pizza topping in America. And yet, many gourmet pizza restaurants skip the pedestrian pepperoni for more traditionally Italian cured meats: soppressata, capicola, pancetta, prosciutto, and more.
Those delicious cured meats have their place, but when the craving strikes for simple comfort pizza, skip the kale and fennel sausage pies and grab a slice of pepperoni at one of these neighborhood joints below. For a wider breadth of pizza options, check out our classic pizza map or slice map.
Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
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