History

Buffalo-style pizza developed alongside the city's wings and Italian-American culture, with La Nova (1957) and Bocce Club Pizza (Bailey Avenue, 1959 location) the canonical homes. The cup-and-char pepperoni is the regional signature: the small cured pepperoni rounds curl into cups and char at the edges in the high-heat oven.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Makes 1 large pizzaHands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 cup tomato pizza sauce
  • 8 oz low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
  • 2 oz Romano cheese, grated
  • 4 oz Sahlen's cup-and-char pepperoni, sliced (or any small-diameter dry-cured pepperoni)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Pinch of dried oregano

Method

  1. Heat oven to highest setting (typically 500 F or 260 C) with a pizza stone or steel inside, for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Stretch dough to a 12-inch round on a floured peel.
  3. Spread sauce thinly, leaving a 1-inch border.
  4. Sprinkle Romano first, then mozzarella across the surface.
  5. Arrange pepperoni rounds on top, slightly spaced so they cup as they cook.
  6. Slide onto the hot stone and bake 8 to 10 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the pepperoni edges curl and char.
  7. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano over the top before slicing.

Tip from the editors. Use the smallest-diameter pepperoni you can find. The cup-and-char shape is what makes this Buffalo-style and not New York-style.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat buffalo-style pizza (cup-and-char pepperoni)

Buffalo-style pizza (cup-and-char pepperoni) in Buffalo

La Nova Pizzeria ★ 4.2

Sun-Wed 10:00-22:15; Thu 10:00-23:15; Fri-Sat 10:00-00:15

La Nova on West Ferry has slung Buffalo-style cup-and-char pizza since 1957, with slices and pies that anchor the West Side budget Italian-American counter.

Try: Buffalo-style pizza slice

371 W Ferry St, Buffalo, NY 14213

Bocce Club Pizza ★ 4.3

Mon-Thu 10:00-23:00; Fri-Sat 10:00-24:00; Sun 10:00-23:00

Bocce Club Pizza on Bailey Avenue serves the canonical Buffalo cup-and-char pepperoni pizza since founder Dino moved in next to UB South in 1959.

Try: Buffalo-style pepperoni pizza

4174 Bailey Ave, Amherst, NY 14226

More cities are in research. Want buffalo-style pizza (cup-and-char pepperoni) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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