restaurant information established 1987 current owner s chris bianco head chef chris bianco food type pizza street address 623 east adams street city phoenix state arizona postal code zip 85004 country united states coordinates 33 26 56 n 112 03 54 w 33.449 n 112.065 w 33.449 ; 112.065 coordinates 33 26 56 n 112 03 54 w 33.449 n 112.065 w 33.449 ; 112.065 seating capacity 42 seats reservations for parties of 6 10 only website pizzeriabianco.com pizzeria bianco is a pizza restaurant in downtown phoenix arizona established in 1987 that has earned very positive reviews by notable food critics . nationally recognized for its pizzas 1 the restaurant s small seating capacity can lead to wait times that sometimes surprise casual patrons . 2 the restaurant features a wood fired oven and homemade mozzarella cheese used in pizzas primarily fashioned by the owner himself . in 2013 the restaurant established a second location in the biltmore area of phoenix . 3 contents 1 history 2 pizza 3 seating 4 reviews 5 references 6 external links history edit the restaurant was originally opened by chris bianco in 1987 in a grocery store which is now aj s euro market & deli located in central phoenix . he moved locations once before pizzeria bianco found its home in downtown s heritage square in 1996 . 4 5 bianco was born in the bronx and grew up in ossining new york . 6 he had asthma as a child forcing him to stay inside where he watched his aunt cook . 6 at age 13 he began working at a local pizzeria . in 1985 he won two plane tickets anywhere in the united states and whimsically chose to go to phoenix . 6 when he got there he felt connected to the place and stayed . he began making mozzarella in his apartment and selling it to italian restaurants . 6 later guy coscos a specialty grocer in phoenix offered him the opportunity to make and sell pizzas in the corner of his store . 6 bianco s pizza was popular and he realized he could make pizza for a living . he went to italy in 1993 to improve his pizzamaking . 4 in 1994 he returned to open pizzeria bianco at town & country shopping center in phoenix . in 1996 the restaurant moved to 623 east adams street the historic site of baird machine shop in heritage square . 4 bianco also operates bar bianco located next door to the pizzeria in heritage square and pane bianco located in midtown phoenix . 4 bianco cites alice waters suzanne goin at lucques mark ladner at del posto and mario batali as chefs who have inspired him . 7 pizza edit bianco described his pizza to ed levine in the new york times there s no mystery to my pizza . sicilian oregano organic flour san marzano tomatoes purified water mozzarella i learned to make at mike s deli in the bronx sea salt fresh yeast cake and a little bit of yesterday s dough . in the end great pizza like anything else is all about balance . it s that simple . 6 the menu is short generally consisting of two appetizers three salads and six pizzas . 8 pizzeria bianco uses a wood burning oven . since opening chris bianco has made nearly every pizza himself sometimes making 250 a night . 9 he and his staff make the mozzarella fresh each morning . 6 bianco s dough is made by hand 10 and ideally he lets it ferment for 18 hours . 11 the herbs are from a garden beside the restaurant . 12 the vegetables are from the local farmer s market . 4 in january 2010 bianco announced that he was taking some time away from pizza making for health reasons the wood oven and flour in the air was aggravating his asthma . however chris bianco s brother marco will continue to make the dough and for the time being horacio hernandez bianco s assistant for 15 years will cook the pizzas . 13 14 seating edit pizzeria bianco is a small establishment with a maximum seating capacity of 42 . the pizzeria only takes reservations for parties of 6 10 . all other patrons are seated on a first come first served basis resulting in long lines and waits commonly up to four hours which can frustrate newcomers . 2 chris bianco has said it is ridiculous that it s four hours but it s 23 hours to fly to australia saying that some good things just take a long time . 2 patrons often line up starting at 3 30pm an hour and a half before opening time . 12 there is no take out or delivery . reviews edit pizzeria bianco has been rated as the best pizza in the united states by bon app tit 15 vogue 4 rachael ray 16 and andrew zimmern 17 18 and has also been recognized by martha stewart 2 oprah winfrey 9 gq 19 and gourmet 11 in 2003 chris bianco won the james beard foundation award for best southwest chef the only pizza chef to have won a regional award 20 and the restaurant received a nearly perfect zagat score of 29 in 2000 . 4 pizzeria bianco was featured in peter reinhart s book american pie my search for the perfect pizza . 10 references edit ed levine e pizza a slice of heaven . universe publishing 2005 . a b c d rose j. pizzeria bianco chef s tips and recipes in martha stewart living the arizona republic 2009 04 15 . retrieved on 2010 02 12 . roberts l. chris bianco surprises with new trattoria and pizzeria in phoenix serious eats 2013 05 10 . retrieved on 2014 02 08 . a b c d e f g rose j. the prince of pizza chef bianco s pies are best in the world the arizona republic 2006 06 21 . retrieved on 2010 2 13 . 1 a b c d e f g levine e. the road to pizza nirvana goes through phoenix the new york times 2004 07 07 . retrieved 2010 02 12 . interview with chris bianco food & wine n.d. retrieved 2010 02 12 . menu . pizzeria bianco . retrieved 2010 02 19 . a b the oprah winfrey show 2006 11 01 . retrieved on 2010 2 12 . a b reinhart p american pie my search for the perfect pizza . ten speed press 2003 . a b amster burton m. chris bianco s pizza philosophy a b rose j. world s best pizza in phoenix tucson citizen 2006 07 12 . retrieved on 2010 02 12 . seftel h. chris bianco no longer making pizzas the arizona republic 2010 01 28 . retrieved on 2010 02 12 . levine ed 2010 01 27 . statement from chris bianco regarding absence from pizzeria bianco slice pizza blog . slice.seriouseats.com . retrieved 2010 02 19 . food network special top american restaurants bon appetit picks the best . n.d. retrieved on 2010 02 12 . seftel h. pizzeria bianco bestin the nation says rachel ray the arizona republic 2010 02 12 . retrieved 2010 02 12 . http www.travelchannel.com video best brick oven pizza joints http www.travelchannel.com video best pizza ever richman a. american pie gq 2009 05 . retrieved on 2010 02 12 . worth waiting for pizzeria bianco jbf notes the james beard foundation newsletter 2008 oct nov. retrieved on 2010 02 12 . external links edit pizzeria bianco official site retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title pizzeria bianco & oldid 594548705 categories pizzerias in the united statesrestaurants in arizonacompanies based in phoenix arizonahidden categories coordinates on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate 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