The Ultimate Pizza Journey Through Minnesota Makes For One Delicious Adventure

Our pizza road trip starts out in Mankato. Dino’s Pizzeria is a popular choice in Mankato, with several locations throughout the city. Any one of them is fantastic to visit, though we chose the spot on Belgrade Avenue. When you step in, you’ll feel right at home thanks to the cozy booth seating and welcoming atmosphere. As for the pizzas, these made-from-scratch creations are the talk of the town. The dough is made fresh daily, the sauce is made in-house, and the toppings are always fresh, quality ingredients.

Next, the route heads east into Rochester. This city has many pizza spots to choose from. One popular choice is Pasquale’s Neighborhood Pizzeria. This spot specializes in New York-style pizza, which you can get topped with any of your favorite ingredients. From the crust to the sauce, cheese, and toppings, these pizzas are packed with flavor. It’ll quickly become a favorite spot every time you find yourself in Rochester.

The Twin Cities are full of amazing pizza places. To narrow down the list, we settled on one spot each in St. Paul and Minneapolis. For St. Paul, we went with Red’s Savoy. Though there are locations across the Twin Cities, this legendary pizza chain started in St. Paul. Though the Snelling Avenue location is not the original one - that closed several years ago - it is still a great choice for those interested in trying out this famous pizza. Red’s Savoy is known for its thin-crust cut into squares, a unique style known as ‘Sota style. This, combined with the outstanding sauce and plentiful toppings, puts Red’s Savoy at the top of the list of best Minnesota pizza spots.

Next, head west into Minneapolis. Since it opened in 2008, Black Sheep has become a staple of the Minnesota pizza scene. Their specialty is incredible coal-fired pizzas that are packed with cheese and toppings. You’ll find all of your favorites here as well as some more unique options, such as the Persian beef, tomato, feta, and harissa pizza. Yum! Of course, you can always build your own creation, too. The choice is yours, but either way, you will be blown away by the coal-fired flavor of these outstanding pizzas.

As you head out of the Twin Cities, you’ll quickly run into some small towns as you head north up I-35. Wyoming, Minnesota, is one such town. Here, you’ll find some great small-town pizza flavor at Linwood Pizza. With thin crust, plenty of cheese, and flavorful toppings, you can’t go wrong with anything you order. The signature pizza is the Linwood Legend, topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, onions, olives, and green peppers. Great specials make this spot an economical as well as a delicious choice along your journey.

Pizza Pub is a regional pizza chain with many locations throughout east-central Minnesota. If you get hungry before you reach Pine City, the North Branch location is also along this route. But we chose the Pine City spot because it is the original location and because it has a unique medieval theme. The restaurant building looks like a castle. When you walk inside, you’ll find suits of armor and other unique themed items, making for a fun and quirky experience. But what about the pizza? Made with fresh dough and sauce and topped Wisconsin mozzarella cheese, each pizza is then loaded with flavorful toppings that you’ll love. The award-winning Pizza Pub Special is always a good bet: pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, olives, onions, and green peppers. Yum!

Heading north from Pine City, Duluth’s Vitta Pizza is one of the most popular pizza spots in town. Specializing in Neapolitan wood-fired pizza, the thick dough is filled with sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese. There are almost a dozen specialty pizzas, such as the classic Margherita and the Tomasso - prosciutto, goat cheese, garlic, crushed red pepper, and arugula - as well as a create-your-own option. You’ll love eating in the clean, comfortable restaurant and then taking a stroll through Canal Park to take in the Lake Superior views!

Finally, the route ends in Hibbing, Minnesota. Sammy’s Pizza has expanded into many locations throughout Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. But we think it’s worth the trip to check out the original Hibbing location. Open since 1954, the restaurant has a fun Italian vibe that you’re sure to enjoy. Combine that with the pizza that Sammy’s is famous for, and you’ll quickly have a new favorite spot to visit when you’re up north. The dough and sauce are a secret recipe that, when combined with aged mozzarella and fresh ingredients, makes for one of the best pizzas in the state. This is a fantastic spot to top off your pizza road trip through Minnesota!