The Square Deli is home to one of the Boston area’s best pizzas. It’s hard to get better than this: Naturally leavened dough, a sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes, crispy pepperoni cups, and generous sprinklings of fresh mozzarella, provolone, and basil leaves. The sought-after pies are currently housed in a bare-bones deli, but later this year, owner Chris Moreira will be expanding into the ground floor of an apartment building in the same neighborhood and launching a full-service restaurant and bar. For now, keep an eye on Instagram to check out occasional menu specials (and to make sure they didn’t sell out yet for the day).

Detroit-style pizza can be... divisive. Those who swear by New York-style slices or coal-fired New Haven pizza, for example, may dismiss it untasted, furrowing a brow at the buried toppings or the drizzle of sauce on top or the unfamiliar look of Wisconsin brick cheese. But those who appreciate the unique pan pizza — which does bear some similarity to the South Shore bar pizzas more familiar to many Bostonians, perhaps blended with a Sicilian pie — will find a lot to love at Avenue, a lively neighborhood spot in Somerville’s Ball Square.

Food lovers from Roslindale and beyond may remember chef Charlie Redd from the now-closed Redd’s in Rozzie; these days, he’s in Somerville’s Davis Square, serving up some of the tastiest pizzas around at Dragon Pizza. It has old-school sub-shop vibes but a full bar and a lot of heart, not to mention house-made gelato.

Hot Box, one of the food vendors at Somerville’s Bow Market, is probably the definitive non-South Shore purveyor of South Shore-style bar pizza, serving up the perfect specimen of the old-school pan pizza with golden-brown cheese spots; a crispy, lacy outer edge; and a softer under-crust. If you’re dining with someone who doesn’t want pizza (but why would you?), Hot Box also serves excellent North Shore-style roast beef sandwiches, and there are also plenty of other Bow Market vendors with lots of other foods to eat and drinks to drink.

Just look at those ‘roni cups. Source debuted in Harvard Square in late 2019, focusing on local sourcing (hence the name). Pizza is the main attraction on the gastropubby menu, with the pepperoni, garnished with caramelized red onions and vin cotto, claiming top billing on social media. But don’t stop there: Other enviable combinations include Tuscan kale with goat cheese, Rhode Island mushrooms, and hot honey.

For better or worse, the Polcari family’s restaurant group has expanded significantly since the 1926 debut of Regina Pizza in the North End; these days, most locations are quick-service mall kiosks. But standing in line at the original full-service Thacher Street location is still an essential Boston pizza experience. Try the Giambotta pizza — topped with every traditional topping the restaurant offers — for a taste of Regina’s classic brick-oven pizza.

There’s no shortage of great Neapolitan-style pizzas on this list, but Locale is the place to go when you're looking for such a pie in the North End. The casual neighborhood spot is usually packed on weekend nights, with tables spilling over with pepperoni pies, cacio e pepe pies, and the Tartufo, made with mushrooms, caramelized onions, creamy Fontina cheese, and a drizzle of truffle oil. Follow the other diners’ lead and order the crowd-favorite, oven-baked meatballs on the side.

For fans of Neapolitan-style pies who have a hankering for a puffier crust, head to chef Michael Lombardi’s latest endeavor, Si Cara, in Cambridge. At this chic Central Square spot, Lombardi focuses on canotto-style pizza, a cousin to the Neapolitan with a showstopping, high-reaching crust. Don’t miss the alla gricia with tender, piping-hot guanciale. Each pizza order comes with dipping sauces for the crust.

The perfect example of Boston’s wood-fired pizza renaissance, Area Four serves up beautiful pies with a heavily blistered crust that benefits from a 30-plus-hour ferment and a sourdough starter. Try the carnivore pizza, topped with big, spicy pieces of sopressata as well as sausage and bacon.

Max & Leo’s coal-fired pizzas cook within minutes around 900 degrees and come out with a markedly blistered crust; those who don’t love pizza cooked well-done should go elsewhere. Nachos are also coal-fired, and there are a variety of roasted wings available, plus salads, sandwiches, and more. There are a couple more locations in the area, but Newton is the original.

Picco’s name is actually an acronym — Pizza and Ice Cream Company — and the popular South End restaurant does both things exceedingly well. The pizza is a dream come true for bread lovers thanks to its prominent, puffy crust, which gets just the right amount of char.

This Newton newcomer — it opened in 2021 — comes from a team with a deep Newton fanbase already, the same folks behind Sycamore, Buttonwood, and Little Big Diner. The love for Jinny’s wood-fired pizza is already catching up with its big siblings, thanks to a slow-fermented dough and a solid selection of both red and white pies. (Try anything topped with Ezzo pepperoni.)

Open since 2021, Venice Pizza is a reboot of a decades-old Savin Hill classic that closed in 2019. The new ownership team includes Todd Winer, who is also behind Fort Point wood-fired pizza gem Pastoral, but the style here is something else entirely — and just as good in its own way. This is more of a thin-crust, New York-inspired pizza. The milk-based dough gets a 48-hour ferment and comes out rich, with a bubbly and lightly blistered edge.