We went to Pizzeria Bianco on a weeknight, and we didn't wait a second to be seated. We bellied up to the bar and ordered the salad Caprese - we'd heard that the restaurant made its own mozzarella cheese, and we wanted to sample it in a starring role. Needless to say, the salad was AMAZING - ripe slices of tomato, fresh springs of basil, with quality olive oil and salt and pepper sprinkled over it all. Pizzeria Bianco serves this salad the way it's meant to be eaten.

Then we ordered the Wiseguy Pizza - sausage, onions, and cheese. My personal opinion is that pizza is all about the crust, and this restaurant makes a great one. Chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, with a great wood-fired flavor.

I so enjoyed my meal at Pizzeria Bianco. I'll definitely be back!

I live in the valley (Tempe) and have been to Pizzeria Bianco probably 30 times. My husband and I are foodies, and we've lived in the valley for about 10 years, so we have tried a lot of restaurants, and Pizzeria Bianco is our favorite. Yes, it's true you will have to wait a LONG TIME, but you get to do it in the beautiful atmosphere of Bar Bianco, an old cottage glowing with tea lights and filled with dozens of tiny vases holding a single beautiful flower. Sipping a glass of wine (some great selections are available by the glass) and munching on a grilled cheese appetizer (not your kid's grilled cheese -- it's crisp, chewy, fresh ciabatta oozing w/gourmet cheeses and garnished with sweet cornichons), waiting doesn't seem so bad! It's also fun to sit in the long outdoor table while waiting, weather permitting (and it always is here in Phoenix, except for about 3 months in the summer).

Once you're seated, you'll find Chris Bianco to be just about the most humble, friendly celebrity chef imaginable -- despite his frequent appearances in a variety of gourmet magazines. He is seriously in the kitchen making your pizza every night! You can see him! He always makes a point to quietly say "Hello, thanks for waiting!" when we visit. The secret to the pizza is the combination of a fabulous pizza dough recipe, a brick oven at the perfect temperature, and fresh ingredients (Chris even grows his own herbs on the premesis). The resulting pizza always makes me wish I had a bigger appetite so that I could continue to indulge! The menu is simple and pizza-centric, showcasing Chris' carefully-selected ingredients, like a variety of wonderful imported olives.

When you're done, walk across the cobblestone walkway to the Teeter House, a tea house where there's live jazz on weekend evenings and a variety of delectable desserts to choose from. You won't be the only one with a Pizzeria Bianco pizza box eating dessert and enjoying the music! I saw that one reviewer didn't like Pizzeria Bianco (and I have seriously never met anyone who didn't love it) and they praised Nello's and NYPD Pizza instead. Those two pizza places are just like Pizza Hut or Domino's -- don't confuse them with Bianco. Bianco is in a totally different category from those establishments. My husband and I think it's the best restaurant in the valley!

My wife and I recently went to Pizzeria Bianco expecting greatness given all the hype and the astronomical wait times you'll find there during dinner. Don't get me wrong, but I love pizza and as a former east-coaster, consider myself to be a pretty good judge of pizza.

Service was nice enough and prompt once you get past the wait for a table, but the food didn't live up to the prices you'll pay. First, their are too few appetizers from which to choose. We tried the mozzarella with salami appetizer for about $9.00 and it was little more than (what appeared to be) a couple of melted, prefab mozzarella sticks with a wooden skewers through themand a bit of salami wrapped around .........hardly satisfying.

Fair enough, the pizza was the main show here. The pizzas are about 10" in diameter and were not exactly what I'd call tasty. Ours was drenched in cheese and seemed to be oven-fired a bit too long to the point that we thought we were eating 10" wheat thin with toppings.

This was a total letdown and I consider their rating as 'the best pizza in the country' to be a slap in the face to thousands of pizza shops across this great land. Ours may have been an isolated incident, but the others around us seem to have similar quality of food and liked it........strange.

I suppose you could call this "Pizza for the pâté crowd" because I can think of a few places in Phoenix that are better..........most notably NYPD Pizza and Nellos.

Although I live in town and had actually experienced Chris Bianco's pizza over a decade ago at a fancy market called "Euro Market", alas I had never been to his restaurant. Bottom line: I've been missing out.

Having been forwarned in other reviews about the wait (in a 50-seat, 12-14 table place), we arrived at 4:30pm on a Saturday for a 5pm opening; we were the fourth party there but by opening the extended line competely filled all the tables.

Yet even as a picky person, I had no complaints whatsoever about the service -- drink orders, bread, and refills were fast, and we didn't really want for anything. Overall, it was quite attentive service, say 8.5 out of 10.

The food quality was exceptional, even to the point of being unsurpassed for the concept such as it is -- oven-fired pizza with extrordinary attention to quality details and freshness. Served in a quaint, intimate brick building, it cries out as a serious place for a date.

But if you're looking for Pizza Hut, don't bother. If you want hand made dough with fresh mozarella, delicious salads and apetizers (we had the rolled Fontina wrapped in proscuitto), and excellent value (given the quality), this is THE place in Phoenix. Bar none, this is the best pizza restaurant I've ever encountered, and I can tell you that I've covered a lot of territory.

Price: $12 for a 10-inch pizza. Our tab for 3 persons was $48 excluding alcohol; we split an appetizer, a salad, 2 pizzas and 3 beverages. And yes, we had a carryout box left over.