For a few dollars more you can step into the Pizza Shops we have reviewed below and sit down to some pretty darn good pizza. The styles range from Classic "New York," Traditional "Chicago" styles to cutting edge California inspired pies. We even reviewed several "Buffet" lunch deals. If you love really good pizza, read on!

So who makes the best pies, and who has that obsession for baking up “Over-the-Top” Pizzas you ask? Pizza Shops with a driving Passion for turning out only the best?

As a funny sidebar to this group of reviews, I was in a local Pizzeria we had not been to in many months and ordered my favorite mix of toppings. “Extra Pepperoni, Extra Sausage, Mushrooms, Olives with extra sauce on a thin crust pie,” only to have the waiter remark “A BIG Ed Special.” Which comment caught me by surprise! So I asked inquisitively, “What is a “Big Ed Special… I don’t see it on the menu?” Who is “Big Ed?” The clerk explained that it was the “signature” pizza ordered by one of the food critics they kept an eye out for (because “Big Ed” is that particular combination of pizza toppings “Ed Wright” always orders)…. He went on, telling about how the restaurant stressed watching for food critics. I was amused that anyone would have remembered my “Trademark” pizza style other than friends who had gone out on reviews with me, let alone a local restaurant. It is not like “the Wright Gourmet” has the personal following of an Elmer Dill or Allan Borgen. I was flattered!

Somehow, I forgot to tell them that I was Ed Wright. I left, pizza in hand, after telling him the truth… “I am a Loan Officer with Central City Mortgage; We sell money for a living.” I did give him a business card, and assume he missed reading my name, "Ed Wright." Writing food reviews has its moments… and for the record the pizza failed to beat out the restaurants this article is about, but was still good.

For these articles the subject is Chefs and Pizzas that inspire other pizzerias to either excel themselves, or close their doors. Surprisingly, it is fair to note that we are not talking about the most expensive pizzas in their local areas, but pizzas that regardless of price consistently beat out the others. Pizzas diners rave about, and tell their friends about... the really good stuff!

The first restaurant featured, in Alphabetical order:

                  Click On the Restaurant Name to 
           Read Reviews with Photo Slide Show

      1)     AJ Barilie’s Chicago Pizza Company
            32999 Yucaipa Blvd, Swt. 112
            Yucaipa, Calif.92399
                (909) 790-0707