Readers' Choice 2026
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Best Pizza Joint: Pagliacci
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
If you attended the University of Washington between 1979 and 2018, you likely have memories of grabbing a quick slice of pizza at Pagliacci on the Ave. From a popular student hangout to one of the city’s top pizza slingers—now with 2 locations across Puget Sound—Pagliacci serves classics like pepperoni, margherita, and Italian, made with fresh, local ingredients. It also collaborates with local businesses like Molly Moon’s, Taco Time, and Uwajimaya on limited-time flavors. Pagliacci prioritizes community involvement, throwing pizza parties for outstanding teachers, matching monetary donations to local charities, and hosting fundraisers for those in need. And you thought pizza couldn’t get any better.
Runner Up: MOTO Pizza
About Readers' Choice 2026
Once a year, we turn the tables and ask our readers about their favorite local spots. The neighborhood café with the best coffee, the restaurant you book for every special occasion, and where you send out-of-town guests for top-tier cocktails. Seattleites have opinions, and they shared them with us. This year, we received more votes than ever before, with some familiar favorites returning and plenty of new names making the list.
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