Pittsburgh's best pizza: Fiori's

By Jeff

The blog is mostly about sports, but let's be honest, pizza is a very important part of sports. It is the most popular food to consume when watching a game, whether it be football, baseball, hockey, tennis, etc. With this is mind, Swan and I have decided to embark on a journey to taste the city of Pittsburgh's best pizza. To do so, we are going visit a pizza shop every week and review said pizza places in this space.

Now I am not a food critic. I don't know jack about pallets and that kind of stuff. I just know what I like and what I don't, so please excuse me if I struggle to describe the pizza like a pro. 

We will NOT dine at any chain restaurants. If you think chains have the best pizza, you're probably 8 years old. Swan and I also like to keep it simple, so most of our pies will not have a topping. Some might have pepperoni.

With all that being said, our first stop on our Pittsburgh pizza tour was my personal favorite, Fiori's Pizzaria.

Located on the corner of West Liberty Avenue and Capital Avenue, I have been visiting Fiori's since about seventh grade. My brother introduced me to the place, and I have since forwarded this wise knowledge on to anyone who will listen. It was the very first place I went when I received my driver's license and if I die of a heart attack, it will have probably played a big role. And that's OK.

When Swan took this picture, a young woman asked
him if he wanted her to sign it. Not even in Bridgeport.

Fiori's has something I like to call the three stages of cheese. It comes out with the cheese bubbling, almost in a liquid state. If you haven't mastered the inward blow, you're in trouble.

After a few minutes, the cheese will return to a solid state. This is the second state. It's still hot and will fall off the pizza if you're not careful, but you will no longer burn your mouth. The cheese and sweet sauce blend perfectly together and bring me nothing but joy.

The third stage of cheese is when the cheese has cooled and is solid layer. It's that time when you have to hold the cheese farther down on the slice so you don't pull all the cheese from the pizza. It is probably my favorite stage of cheese. Probably because it's when the pizza is the easiest to eat and I can down numerous slices in no time.

While the cheese is great, the sauce is what makes Fiori's the best pizza ever made. Like I said earlier, it's a sweet sauce like none I have ever tasted. There are few places that have tried to replicate it, and even fooled my brother, but they can't compare in my mind to Fiori's.

The crust is of the thinner variety, but it's not flaky. There are few bubbles and the majority of the crust has never been burned. Sometimes the crust bubbles are a little burned, but that's it. The thinner crust is also great because it means you can eat more.

Combine all these together and you have the greatest pizza ever, an I've had a lot of different kinds. Give me a Hawaiian Punch or an Orange Fanta to go with my pizza, and I'm in heaven. I average five to six slices per visit, but have taken down a whole pizza before. It was in Mike's Zanic and I had to lay down for an hour because my stomach was too full to allow me to sit up comfortably. So worth it.

If you're feeling bold, attempt the Fiori's Challenge my friend made up. You eat at least three slices then run all the way up Capital. The road is very steep and the challenge is not for those with weak stomachs. You will feel like death immediately after, but after about an hour you'll feel like a million bucks.

Like I need to tell you Fiori's comes in with a 10/10.

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