Alison McLean
Audio By Carbonatix
Partenope Ristorante in Downtown Dallas serves one of our favorite pizzas in Dallas, and it’s no surprise that the Italians love it, too.
50 Top Pizza announced the results of its annual roundup of the best pizzerias in the U.S. for 2026, and Partenope was ranked at No. 18.
This is the sixth year in a row that the Naples native and master pizzaiolo Dino Santonicola has been recognized on this list: No. 25 in 2021, No. 17 in 2022, No. 16 in 2023, No. 12 in 2024, No. 17 in 2025. This year, it maintained its rank in the top 20.
50 Top Pizza is a team of more than 150 Italian food and beverage journalists who travel the world in search of the best pizza on all continents, so this award isn’t arbitrary. These are professional pizza eaters, and their rankings are based on these categories: pizza, service, atmosphere, wait times, wine, beer and other beverages offered.
Partenope also received an additional award this year called the Salumi Coati Award, which Santonicola talked about on Partenope’s Instagram page:
“This year’s recognition is made even more meaningful as we have also been awarded the ‘Made in Italy Award’ for 2026, an honor that celebrates our commitment to preserving and sharing authentic Italian culinary culture.”
In the post, Santonicola expresses his gratitude for the recognition the restaurant is receiving again:
“We are deeply honored to share that Partenope has once again been recognized by @50toppizza! To receive this recognition from such a respected organization is incredibly humbling. Every dish we serve is rooted in tradition, passion, quality ingredients, and the spirit of Naples that inspires everything we do.”
Dino Santonicola opened Partenope Ristorante in 2019 to share the flavors and generous spirit of Naples. Partenope (“Par-TEN-no-peh”) is the original name of Naples, Italy, and it’s where Santonicola was born, raised and learned to cook. He owns and runs the restaurant together with his wife, Megan.
“Dallas is the economic and cultural center of the vast Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. While there is no shortage of good pizza in the area, when it comes to Neapolitan style, there is no doubt that Partenope Ristorante is the absolute reference,” reads Partenope’s Award page. “The dough is traditional Neapolitan, soft and melt-in-your-mouth, with precise cooking techniques. We recommend starting with the eggplant parmigiana and meatballs in tomato sauce, two traditional dishes made with skill. Among the pizzas, the classic margherita and marinara are benchmarks for what a true Neapolitan pizza should be.
Much of the East Coast swept the top 20 spots like they did last year, and Una Pizza Napoletana in New York won the No. 1 spot again for the second year in a row. Again, Partenope was the only Texas pizzeria that made the list.
Partenope Ristorante, 1903 Main St. Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday/Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Partenope Ristorante, 110 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson. Monday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
