How much are large 1-topping pizzas at 97 Triangle pizzerias? Here’s the data
You can’t measure joy, but you can measure a large pizza.
So we did.
We took a deep dive into the Triangle’s pizza scene, from by-the-slice joints, nostalgic pizzerias and fancy wood-fired spots, discovering who delivers the best bang for your local pizza buck.
Why pizza?
Pizza is community. It’s a family sharing a cheesy, greasy moment, where everyone gets a slice. It’s leftovers and stacks of cardboard boxes, movie nights and last-minute dinners.
But times are tough and pizzas can be pricey. So we wanted to know which Triangle pizzeria shares the love for the least amount of money.
Here’s what we found.
Pizza database methodology
▪ We scoured the Triangle for as many pizzerias as we could find, ending up with 97 restaurants.
▪ The list focuses on traditional round-style pizzas. We excluded places that serve Chicago-style and rectangular pizzas, not because we don’t love them, but because they’re impossible to compare to a traditional thin or hand-tossed pizza.
▪ The list includes local Triangle pizzerias and small chains, but doesn’t include the giant pizza companies, which can have fluctuating prices depending on the day.
▪ We used each restaurant’s largest commonly ordered one-topping pizza. Sizes ranged from 11 inches to 50 inches. The most common size for a large (some call it extra large) is 18 inches.
▪ After compiling the sizes and prices of each pizza spot we used a formula for price per square inch to determine the cheapest one-topping local pizza and ranked them accordingly. The price is before tax and tip and any delivery fees.
You can see all of our pizza prices and calculations in our Triangle Pizza Database.
Best pizza value? Here’s the winner
The cheapest local large pizza comes from Big Cheese, a small chain with locations in Raleigh (1030 N. Rogers Lane) and Clayton (11373 US-70 BUS) and in small towns in Virginia and South Carolina.
Though its large pizza was only 14 inches, Big Cheese was the cheapest by far, coming in as the only pizza under $10. It bested the runner-up, Sofia’s Pizza in Durham, by nearly $10 and was a full penny cheaper per square inch.
Live larger: Bigger pizza, better value
One thing we learned is that there’s an enormous value in larger pizzas.
Big Cheese is the best bang for your buck, but at 14 inches it’s also one of the smaller pizzas. That’s great if you want to get a stack of pizzas for a crowd, but if you want to feed a family with one pizza there might be better options out there.
Most of the top 10 cheapest pizzas come from traditional carry-out or delivery joints, all offering at least an 18-inch pizza for under $20. That includes the venerable Frank’s Pizza, voted the Triangle’s favorite pizza by readers of The News & Observer,which landed fifth in the results.
A 2016 experiment in Popular Mechanics found that you’re usually better off ordering the large pizza rather than two mediums, that the increase in pizza was far greater than the extra money.
That’s what we found too, with the slice joint Alpha Pie in Chapel Hill serving the most expensive pizza on our list at $50. But at 30 inches it was also one of the greatest values, landing at No. 9 in our results, even with fancy cupping pepperoni.
How did the fancy spots fare?
Speaking of fancy, this experiment was hard on the Triangle’s many great gourmet pizzerias. These restaurants often serve smaller pizzas, around 12-inches or so, and could be eaten by one person. The most expensive pizza per square inch ended up being Giorgio Pizza Bar in North Hills, at $22 for a 12-inch one-topping pizza.
Cary’s Di Fara pizza also ended up as the most expensive 18-inch pizza at $34.
But on the other hand, fairly fancy pizza joint Oakwood Pizza Box came out pretty well, clocking in at No. 38 for its 18-inch $23 pie.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "How much are large 1-topping pizzas at 97 Triangle pizzerias? Here’s the data."
