Hamilton has quietly become one of the best pizza cities in Canada. These five spots serve the best pizza in Hamilton, from a cheese slice that won a world title to Detroit-style pies in a tiki bar and Roman-style squares made on sourdough.
Cowabunga's cheese slice won World's Best Cheese Slice at the 2024 International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas, and the lineup at the Vine Street shop shows it. The New York style pies ride on a 72-hour fermented crust, and there is a second takeout counter on Upper Wellington Street for Mountain fans.
Detroit-style pizza inside a full tiki bar sounds like a gimmick until the thick pies with crispy cheese edges land on the table. The Secret Pickle Pizza is the cult order, reservations book up fast, and it only opens Thursday to Sunday evenings.
Top Chef Canada alum Vittorio Colacitti's James North room does wood-fired Italian, and its pizza program just took home Chef of the Year at the 2026 Canadian Pizza Summit. Dinner runs Thursday to Sunday, and the potato pizza special is worth crossing town for.
Flora bakes Roman-style sourdough square pies on Young Street, served by the slice or the whole pie. The Big Bee, with pepperoni, burrata, basil and hot honey, is the one to beat.
Shorty's is the east end's New York slice shop, known for its sesame-seed crust and cup-and-char pepperoni. Save room for the Nodini knots and the banana pudding, and watch for rotating feature pies like the Rockin' Moroccan.
