14 Famous Pizzerias From Movies And TV (Real And Fictional)
Few foods carry pop-culture meaning like pizza, showing up as a symbol of comfort, friendship, and feeling at home.
Animated worlds and superhero stories alike have introduced unforgettable pizzerias, serving slices that fans remember long after the credits roll.
From wild sci-fi setups to neighborhood joints where heroes refuel between missions, these on-screen pizza spots, both real and fictional, earned a place in entertainment history.
Note: This article discusses on-screen pizza locations that include both fictional settings and real restaurants connected to movies or television. Because menus, ownership, policies, and even location names can change over time, confirm any business details (including addresses and current operating info) using the venue’s official channels before publication.
1. Pizza Planet (Toy Story)
Aliens, arcade games, and pizza all under one rocket-shaped roof – what more could a kid want?
Pizza Planet became an instant classic when Woody and Buzz landed there in the original Toy Story. The intergalactic theme park pizzeria features a giant spaceship exterior and claw machines filled with little green aliens chanting their devotion to “The Claw.”
Though fictional, Pizza Planet inspired real-world theme park locations where families can grab a slice and play games. It’s the kind of place that makes every birthday party feel like an adventure through the cosmos.
Disneyland Park, Tomorrowland, Anaheim, California (inside Disneyland Park).
2. Joe’s Pizza (Spider-Man 2)
Peter Parker’s struggle to balance superhero duties with paying rent hits home when he works as a pizza delivery guy. Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village became a cinematic landmark after Spider-Man 2 featured the famous scene where Peter loses his job for late deliveries.
In New York City, there is a genuine pizza that proudly exhibits Spider-Man memorabilia.
Where their favorite wall-crawler used to work, fans go from all over the world to have a bite.
7 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014.
3. Mystic Pizza (Mystic Pizza)
How does a small-town pizzeria launch the career of Julia Roberts?
Mystic Pizza, the 1988 romantic comedy, centered around three young women working at a Connecticut pizzeria navigating love and life. The movie put both the fictional restaurant and the real Mystic Pizza on the map, turning it into a tourist destination.
Visitors still flock to the actual location to taste the secret sauce that supposedly makes the pizza unforgettable. It’s a slice of nostalgia that reminds us how food brings people together during life’s biggest moments.
56 W Main St, Mystic, CT 06355.
4. Lenny’s Pizza (Saturday Night Fever)
John Travolta strutting down the street with a double-decker pizza slice is one of cinema’s most iconic opening sequences.
Lenny’s Pizza in Brooklyn became forever linked with Saturday Night Fever’s disco era coolness. The real pizzeria operated from 1953 until its closure in 2023, serving generations of Brooklynites and movie fans.
That legendary two-slice walk perfectly captured the working-class New York vibe of the 1970s. Sometimes the best moments happen not on the dance floor but on the sidewalk with a hot slice in hand.
5. Sal’s Pizzeria (Do The Right Thing)
Spike Lee’s 1989 masterpiece centers around Sal’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn, where racial tensions boil over on the hottest day of summer. The pizzeria becomes a microcosm of America’s complicated relationship with race, identity, and community.
The main dispute of the movie is sparked by Sal’s well-known “Wall of Fame” that exclusively includes Italian-American superstars.
Despite being fictitious, the pizzeria depicts actual community dynamics where culture and cuisine collide. It serves as a potent reminder that pizzerias may serve as more than just dining establishments; they can also serve as community hubs where significant discussions take place.
6. Lombardi’s Pizza (Food Paradise)
Lombardi’s is widely cited as an early New York pizzeria dating back to the early 1900s.
Featured in Food Paradise’s “Pizza Paradise” episode, this Little Italy landmark still uses coal-fired ovens to create crispy, charred crusts that pizza purists swear by. The no-slices policy means you order whole pies, encouraging sharing and conversation.
Tourists and locals alike wait in long lines for a taste of pizza history. When you bite into a Lombardi’s pie, you’re tasting over a century of tradition that shaped American pizza culture as we know it today.
32 Spring St, New York, NY 10012.
7. The Original Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
New Haven-style pizza reaches its peak at Frank Pepe’s, where the white clam pizza has achieved cult status since 1925. Food Paradise highlighted this Connecticut treasure where coal-fired ovens create a distinctive charred, crispy crust that locals call “apizza.”
The no-reservations policy means everyone waits equally, from celebrities to first-timers.
Families pass down the tradition of Sunday dinners at Pepe’s through generations. When pizza inspires such fierce loyalty that people plan vacations around it, you know it’s something special worth the wait.
157 Wooster St, New Haven, CT 06511.
8. Sally’s Apizza
Started by Frank Pepe’s nephew in 1938, Sally’s Apizza became the friendly rival that New Haven pizza debates are built on.
Featured on Food Paradise, this family-run institution serves thin-crust pies with a slightly different technique than its famous neighbor. The tomato pie, just sauce and cheese – lets the quality of each ingredient shine through without distraction.
Die-hard fans argue passionately about whether Sally’s or Pepe’s reigns supreme. Honestly, the real winner is anyone lucky enough to try both on the same trip through New Haven’s pizza paradise.
237 Wooster St, New Haven, CT 06511.
9. Pizzeria Uno
Chicago deep-dish pizza was born at Pizzeria Uno in 1943, forever changing America’s pizza landscape. Food Paradise showcased this River North landmark where pizza becomes a knife-and-fork affair with layers of cheese, toppings, and chunky tomato sauce in a buttery crust.
What started as one restaurant spawned a nationwide chain, but the original still draws crowds.
Tourists often underestimate how filling one slice can be – it’s basically a pizza casserole. When you need comfort food that sticks to your ribs on a freezing Chicago day, deep-dish delivers every time.
29 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611.
10. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
If Chicagoans had to pick one deep-dish pizza for their last meal, Lou Malnati’s would win countless votes.
This local favorite, which is renowned for its buttery crust and unique sausage patty that fills the whole pizza, was served at Food Paradise. To counterbalance all that cheese and meat, the Malnati Chicago Classic with spinach provides a bit of green.
Multiple locations across the city mean you’re never far from a Lou’s fix. This type of pizza helps you understand why Chicagoans become upset when someone calls deep-dish pizza “not real pizza.”
6649 N Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712.
11. Giordano’s
Giordano’s takes deep-dish even further with their “stuffed pizza” featuring an extra layer of dough on top. Featured on Food Paradise, this Chicago institution has perfected the art of pizza engineering where cheese stretches for days and toppings stay perfectly contained.
The 45-minute wait for a pizza fresh from the oven tests patience but rewards it generously.
Locations throughout Chicago and beyond have spread the stuffed pizza gospel nationwide. When one slice feels like a complete meal that could fuel an entire afternoon, you know you’ve experienced Giordano’s magic.
730 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611.
12. California Pizza Kitchen
Who puts barbecue chicken on pizza?
California Pizza Kitchen does, and it revolutionized American pizza when it opened in Beverly Hills in 1985. Food Paradise featured this chain that proved pizza could be a canvas for creative, non-traditional toppings like Thai chicken and Jamaican jerk.
The casual-dining atmosphere made gourmet pizza accessible to suburban families everywhere. While pizza purists initially scoffed, CPK’s innovation influenced countless pizzerias to experiment beyond pepperoni.
Sometimes breaking the rules creates something delicious that stands the test of time.
207 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
13. Roberta’s
Before Roberta’s debuted in a converted garage in 2008, Bushwick wasn’t exactly a magnet for foodies.
The “Brooklyn Is Pizza Heaven” episode of The Pizza Show demonstrated how this trendy sanctuary offers wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas with inventive toppings and a punk rock vibe. An ambiance that is equal parts restaurant and art installation is created by the graffiti-covered walls and outside garden.
Both residents and celebrities bravely wait for pies like the Bee Sting with honey and chili.
261 Moore St, Brooklyn, NY 11206.
14. Lucali
Mark Iacono turned his old candy store into the most upscale pizzeria in Brooklyn, with lines stretching around the block since there are no reservations. Lucali’s straightforward strategy – just pizza and calzones, lovingly prepared by the proprietor – was highlighted in The Pizza Show.
The place draws devoted fans and food travelers who don’t mind a wait.
The cash-only approach and no-reservations vibe add to the neighborhood charm. When a pizzeria achieves legendary status through quality alone without marketing or expansion, you know the pizza speaks for itself.
575 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11231.
