The Best Pizza in America is in…Phoenix???

PHOENIX — You’ve got to be joking, right?

It sounds like a preposterous claim, and will certainly garner a a dismissive snicker from hard-core pizza enthusiasts in Boston’s North End, New York City, and Chicago. But Phoenix’s Pizzeria Bianco, tucked away in a corner adjacent to Heritage Square, has received accolades as the country’s best pizza from various outlets including Every Day With Rachel Ray, the New York Times, and even Oprah.

“After taking one bite, you will agree that you are sitting squarely in the best pizzeria in America, maybe the world,” Ed Levine wrote in Ray’s magazine.

Seriously? In Phoenix? The Southwest?

Well, technically it’s pizza with New York roots, which will give thin-crust aficionados some semblance of relief, but even though owner and chef Chris Bianco is a transplanted New Yorker, his creations aren’t inspired by his former borough buddies.

“It’s not really New York pizza, it’s influenced more by Italy,” Bianco said. “We try not to ever be better than your mother’s [pizza], or your friends back in Boston.”

The key to the praise Bianco has received during his 20-plus years in the Phoenix area is the use of local, organic products, readily-available just outside the entrance to his East Adams Street establishment. The patio garden touts the basil used to accent his pizzas and the oranges used in his salads. The immediacy of the fresh products is definitely the first thing that’s noticeable upon first bite.

“I’m not here making magic,” he said, “not turning garbage into something special.”

Bianco credits his success to the fact that his ingredients are already special (Bianco said he simply tries not to “screw them up”), yet unlike other restaurants that boast about the use of local products, the difference with his pizzas is like a slap to the face with instant realization. The basil indeed adds such an authentic addition to the palate, it’s clear to recognize what all the hype is about.

“There’s a lot of luck and good fortune has a lot to do with it,” Bianco said. “If you’re a writer, or a journalist or a musician, you want everyone to like what you write, but you want writers to respect you. Or you want a musician’s respect. For me, being a chef, I want everyone to love it, but I want chefs to go, ‘Man, that’s…’”

Bianco’s flagship location has been in downtown Phoenix since 1996, the follow-up to takeout shop that he opened in the area in 1988. The first thing you’ll notice is the menu’s simplicity takes on the same trait as the pies it offers. There are six pizza styles to choose from ($13-$18), from the classic Marinara (tomato sauce, oregano, and garlic – no cheese) to the popular “Wiseguy” (wood-roasted onion, house-smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage), but customers are welcome to add from a menu of five extras.

That’s it. If you need a laundry list of toppings, there’s a Domino’s about four blocks away.

“Here’s the thing,” Bianco said about the offerings at “his baby.” “You get to a point you have too many kids, or you have too many pizzas on the menu, there’s going to be a wing nut in the bunch. We try to keep the menu concise and small, so that any one that you pick, it’s focused and the ingredients are made every day. You see how tiny the menu is, it;s something that we can make on the fly, and keep it fresh. Our commitment to freshness and just doing it every day. Practice.”

With the Super Bowl in town this week, Pizzeria Bianco is ready for the rush of fans gearing up for Sunday’s big game, many of whom will head to this quaint spot after hearing all the rumors. He even offered to erect a Patriots banner atop the building should some eager New England fan decide to take him up on it.

In fact, Bianco’s New England roots will have him cheering for the Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. Before his Italian grandfather ended up in New York, his family settled in Providence, R.I., then Mystic, Conn.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in the New England area,” he said. “So, I guess I do have some roots there. I guess now, looking back I’ve got to root for the Patriots.”

Fans who can’t get a table at Bianco’s downtown spot without a lengthy wait can visit a second location a few miles away, where the establishment is afforded a larger space and the ability to take reservations. There, you’ll also find a trio of homemade pastas, each made with locally-grown wheat, of course.

“Every day is our Super Bowl,” he said. “In the middle of summer, when you show up, every table is important. We hope that when people leave they’re happy and that we become part of their rotation whether just visiting, or they’re stuck here for a long time.

“You come in, we just want to make everybody feel like kings and queens.”

No word on if kings and queens have actually flocked to Pizzeria Bianco, as the owner likes to keep the list of celebrities that have visited his establishment under wraps. He wants everyone to feel welcome at this neighborhood gem.

“I’m really proud of what we do and we’ve been blessed for the past 20 years or so in the business,” he said, as fans of his offerings dined on the small area in front of the restaurant.

But, the best pizza in America? Bianco smiled.

“We make sure we’re at least invited to the party.”

They’ve got the invite. I don’t know about best in the country, but it’s one, damned delicious pizza.

Boston.com’s Steve Silva also contributed to this report.