GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – People in the Twin Cities do not need to travel very far to eat some of the best pizza in the world.
Pizzeria Lola in south Minneapolis was ranked 18th on a list of the Top 20 Pizza Places in the World. The rankings were based on the places that received the most nominations for Daniel Young’s book Where to Eat Pizza, published by Phaidon.
Ann Kim opened Pizzeria Lola in November of 2010, specializing in wood-fired artisan pies. She named it after her dog. It’s located at 5557 Xerxes Ave. S. in Minneapolis.
“Ah, it’s pretty fantastic. I can’t lie to you. I mean I feel like Lola has been really fortunate to get really great accolades throughout the years and we never take it for granted, and although list and awards don’t really define who we are, I got to admit that this feels pretty freaking great,” said Kim about making the list.
Pizzeria Lola is among impressive company, half of the 20 pizzerias on the list are in Italy. The other Top 20 pizzerias are located in Brazil, Denmark, New York, California, Phoenix, Arizona and New Haven, Connecticut.
“To be included with some amazing pizzerias in this country like Pizzeria Bianco, and Roberta’s and people I really respect and admire and to be in that category is just, I can’t even tell you how I feel, it’s amazing,” said Kim.
Kim also owns Hello Pizza in Edina and a soon-to-be opened restaurant, Young Joni, in northeast Minneapolis.