Pizza Ovens
Ooni Ovens
More Pizza
Pizza Recipes
Pizza Accessories
Kitchen Tools
Outdoor Cooking
Valpo (and Indiana as a whole) has been blessed in recent years with a wealth of fantastic pizza joints. While some names on this list may be near and dear to your heart already, they each deserve a moment in the spotlight. From the award-winning crazy concoctions of The Rolling Stonebaker to coal-fired New Haven-style pies, there’s a lot to cover to find the best pizza in Valparaiso.
With that said, let’s get right to the good stuff — and there’s a lot of that today.
Tomato Bar is a joint that’s taken the tradition of crafting classic pizzas to heart. They offer fantastic pies made with clean-label ingredients (i.e., ethically sourced and often organic) in a fun — and endearing — location. And if you’re somehow not a pizza person, their menu can accommodate you, too.
Their pies are simple, rarely breaking the mold, but that’s not a slight — after all, classics are classics for a reason. While those who want truly groundbreaking pies may be a bit lacking for options, Tomato Bar’s dedication to quality ingredients shows in every bite. Their crusts are thin and buttery, the sauce luxurious, and their meats fresh and expertly sourced.
Perhaps even better (depending on your mood, of course), they boast a surprisingly large tap list, making them a go-to spot for grabbing a drink and slice with friends and family. As per usual, simplicity done right will win me over — and Tomato Bar certainly won my heart.
The Rolling Stonebaker is a food truck turned brick-and-mortar with accolades from Food Network Magazine (FNM), among (many) other publications. Their claim to fame is the aforementioned win of Best Pizza in Indiana from FNM, though they’ve also won a number of awards as one of the best food trucks in the States.
This may seem like a lot, but the reality is that The Rolling Stonebaker knows pizza like few others in the area. They began in a 1949 Studebaker truck serving wood-fired pizzas on short notice, and quickly earned a spotlight from locals. In time, they’d grow into a full-size brick-and-mortar, earning an easy spot as one of the best joints in Indiana for classic wood-fired pizza.
Their pies stand out for a few reasons, though the degree of creativity on their menu is hands-down my favorite part of the operation. From a Cubano pizza to one featuring a bacon marmalade, there is so much to love about The Rolling Stonebaker. And perhaps best of all, they won’t break the bank, leaving them as not only one of the best pizza carts in the States, but also one of the most affordable.
Lenny’s Coal-Fired Pizza is a must-try for those who love classic New Haven-style pies. While this isn’t much of a common sight outside of Connecticut, a good coal-fired pie is quite hard to replicate. The character that charcoal imbues into a pie isn’t the same as wood-fired, nor really anything else. It’s hearty, earthy, and all-around delectable — something that Lenny’s knows very well.
Their pies are simple creations, leaning heavily on the flavor imbued by the style of cooking implied by their namesake. While you shouldn’t go to Lenny’s expecting the creative flair of others on this list, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They do my favorite thing very well — simple pizza made with quality ingredients and dedication to the finer details.
Ultimately, if you’re a fan of New Haven-style pies, there are few places to get them outside of Connecticut — but Lenny’s does them justice. Swing by for a slice (or six, we don’t judge) and enjoy the character that their coal-fired oven provides.
We've certainly found a few hidden gems (and one award-winning, not-so-hidden one), but we're not done. While these didn't make the top 3 in our list of the best pizza in Valparaiso, they still deserve a touch of attention.
Aurelio’s Pizza is a hometown name for those from Chicago and, eventually, Valparaiso. Opened in 1959, they’ve been crafting classic pies for over fifty years, and it shows with every bite. They’ve gone corporate in the years since, hence their spot in the honorable mentions, but that doesn’t change the reality of their food.
Quality ingredients and old-school techniques have joined here to create something that’s honestly quite good — if standard — pizza.
Greek’s is another longstanding name that was born out of Chicago and, eventually, grew into a franchised (but still personally-run) business.
As a rule, I keep franchises and corporate pizza joints out of the top three — but Greek’s has been a mainstay in the area since 1969. And, seeing as it was opened by 17 year-old Athanasios Chris Karamesines, they’ve had quite a long time to perfect the formula. Since then, Chris has slowly built the menu and offerings to accommodate a more traditional Italian eatery. But I’ll be damned if their pizza isn’t still a stellar example of (surprisingly) west coast-style pizza — so give them a shot.
