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Big Mario's Pizza
Big Mario's Pizza opened its Capitol Hill location in 2010, backed by a group of Seattle hospitality figures including Jason Lajuenesse, Mike McConnell, David Meinert, Jordan Neff, and Mario Vellotti — a genuine cross-section of local restaurant and bar operators rather than a single chef-founder, which shows up in how confidently the concept blends a real pizza program with an unapologetic bar-food attitude. The pizza is built in the New York style — big, foldable slices sold both individually and as whole pies, the kind of format built for late-night orders and a fast in-and-out counter rather than a sit-down dinner. Thrillist summed up the vibe directly, noting there aren't many places in Seattle where a customer can "slug an Olde English 40 and bask in the glory of true New York-style pizza" — a description that captures both the pizza's quality and the restaurant's deliberately dive-y, no-pretension setting. Beyond the standard menu, Big Mario's has built a reputation for creative specials that push past a typical New York slice shop — macaroni and cheese pizza and rotating seasonal offerings keep regulars checking back for something beyond the reliable classic slice. The concept expanded from that original 2010 Capitol Hill location to Lower Queen Anne in 2015 and Fremont in 2017, growing into a small but well-regarded local chain without losing the late-night, cheap-beer-and-a-slice identity that defined the original. For a Seattle pizza list, Big Mario's is the essential "real New York slice, dive-bar attitude" entry — big, foldable, by-the-slice pizza built by a team of Seattle hospitality veterans, served in a setting built for a cheap beer and a late night rather than a quiet dinner.
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Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria
Tutta Bella was founded by Joe Fugere, who opened the first location in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood in January 2004. From that single storefront, Tutta Bella became the first restaurant in the Pacific Northwest to earn certification from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the Naples-based organization that sets the formal standard for what can technically be called authentic Neapolitan pizza — a rigorous, ingredient-and-technique-specific bar that most American pizzerias don't bother pursuing. That certification shows up directly in the kitchen's approach: San Marzano tomatoes imported from Naples, tipo 00 flour, fior di latte cheese, and thick-bottomed, bell-shaped wood-fired ovens built specifically for the fast, high-heat cook Neapolitan pizza requires. It's a meaningfully more exacting standard than most "wood-fired" pizzerias hold themselves to, and Tutta Bella has kept that discipline consistent since its 2004 opening. Fugere's commitment to doing Neapolitan pizza by the book, rather than a looser American interpretation of it, has translated into a level of national attention few small regional chains ever reach — Tutta Bella prepared a special pizza called "Il Presidente" that was served aboard Air Force One during a visit by President Barack Obama to a local Air Force base, a genuinely unusual distinction for a pizzeria that started as one Columbia City storefront. The business has since grown to six locations across the Seattle area — including Stone Way, Westlake, and Crossroads — plus outposts in Issaquah and Kirkland and a food truck operation, expanding well beyond its South Seattle roots while keeping the VPN-certified standard consistent across every kitchen. For a Seattle pizza list, Tutta Bella is the essential "certified, no-shortcuts Neapolitan" entry — a Columbia City original that became the Pacific Northwest's first VPN-certified pizzeria, disciplined enough about its imported ingredients and technique to have once fed a sitting president.
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