A Minneapolis Pizzeria’s Pickle Pie Just Made Food & Wine’s Best Pizzas in America
Pickles on pizza might sound like something invented during a late-night refrigerator raid. But in Minneapolis, one restaurant has turned that unlikely combination into a nationally recognized specialty.
Pizzeria Lola has earned a spot on Food & Wine’s 2026 list of the 27 Best Pizzas in America Right Now, thanks to its signature Perfect Pickle Pie. The recognition puts the southwest Minneapolis restaurant alongside celebrated pizza destinations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major food cities.
Published in October 2026, the magazine’s selection highlights pizzas that stand out for their craftsmanship, creativity, and distinctive approaches to familiar favorites. For Minnesota, the attention belongs to a pizza that replaces conventional topping expectations with pickles, ranch, and potato chips.
What’s Actually on the Perfect Pickle Pie?
The Perfect Pickle Pie isn’t just a regular cheese pizza with a few pickle slices scattered over it.
According to Pizzeria Lola’s official menu, the $24 specialty combines sour pickles, mozzarella, fontina, roasted onion, ranch dressing, potato chips, and dill.
It’s an unusual mix, but the ingredients have a recognizable logic. Pickles contribute tanginess, the cheeses bring richness, ranch adds creaminess, and potato chips provide a salty crunch.
The restaurant says the pizza was inspired by chef Ann Kim’s love of fried pickles and ranch dressing at the Minnesota State Fair. That connection gives the creation a distinctly local identity, even as it earns attention across the country.
For diners who already enjoy dipping fried pickles into ranch, the combination may sound surprisingly familiar.
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The Chef Behind the Pizza
Pizzeria Lola’s story begins with chef Ann Kim, who was born in South Korea and raised in Minneapolis.
After leaving her previous career, Kim opened a neighborhood wood-fired pizzeria and named it after her dog, Lola.
Her approach to pizza reflects a willingness to combine traditional techniques with ingredients influenced by her experiences and background.
The restaurant’s menu demonstrates that philosophy. Alongside recognizable options such as margherita and pepperoni pizza, diners can find combinations featuring Korean-inspired ingredients and other unexpected flavors.
In its 2026 feature, Food & Wine specifically praised Kim’s long-fermented, wood-fired pizzas and the personal influences behind them.
The Perfect Pickle Pie is an especially clear example of that approach. It takes a Minnesota fairground favorite and turns it into something that belongs in a neighborhood pizzeria.
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Minneapolis Stands Out Among America’s Pizza Capitals
Making Food & Wine’s list is particularly notable because of the competition.
The magazine selected just 27 pizzas nationwide, spanning 16 states. Its choices include well-known restaurants such as Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City, Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, and Razza in Jersey City.
Other Midwest selections include the No Comply at Milly’s Pizza In The Pan in Chicago and the Long Drive Home at Michigan & Trumbull Pizza in Detroit.
Rather than ranking every pizza from first to last, the publication presented a collection of standout pies representing the country’s varied pizza culture.
That distinction matters. Pizzeria Lola wasn’t declared America’s single best pizza, but its Perfect Pickle Pie was recognized as one of the nation’s essential pizzas to try.
This Isn’t Pizzeria Lola’s First National Recognition
For longtime Minneapolis diners, the latest honor may feel less like a surprise and more like another chapter in the restaurant’s growing reputation.
In 2024, Pizzeria Lola ranked No. 12 on Time Out’s list of the best pizza restaurants in America. Chef Ann Kim’s work also received national exposure through Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Pizza series in 2022.
These accomplishments have helped bring attention to Minneapolis as a destination for inventive pizza, rather than a city known only for its more traditional Midwestern comfort foods.
And the Perfect Pickle Pie shows how a familiar local flavor can find an audience far beyond Minnesota.
Where to Try the Award-Winning Pickle Pizza
Pizzeria Lola
5557 Xerxes Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55410
Featured pizza: Perfect Pickle Pie
Listed price: $24
Pizzeria Lola’s official menu also features more conventional choices for anyone who isn’t quite ready to put pickles on their pizza.
Still, the newly recognized specialty is likely to attract the most curious diners.
After all, pizza has always been a food that invites experimentation. Some combinations become fleeting trends, while others earn a lasting place on restaurant menus.
For Pizzeria Lola, a pizza inspired by fried pickles at the Minnesota State Fair has now earned a place among Food & Wine’s picks for America’s best.
And that’s a pretty remarkable achievement for a pie topped with pickles and potato chips.
