Where is the best pizza in Stanislaus County? Modesto reviewer has a list
A Modesto real estate agent is stirring up conversation with his opinions on pizza.
Damien Wilson, who works at PMZ Real Estate, posted a list of pizza review rankings in a Facebook group called Pizzaholics that boasts over 314,000 members across the country. This list garnered more than 3,400 reactions, over 3,800 comments and 814 shares.
Twelve Stanislaus County pizza shops are on his list, which makes sense after learning that Wilson works and lives in Modesto.
His reviews are casual, he doesn’t use fancy equipment or edit his videos.
“I take the first slice out of the box when I open it and I just do one take and if I ‘f’ it up, I ‘f’ it up and I just keep it rolling,” Wilson said. “That’s kind of the allure (of the) review, is it’s just my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants thoughts on it there as I’m eating it.”
How Modesto real estate agent ranks pizza shops
So, how does a real estate agent gain a hobby of ranking pizza shops?
“In my line of work, it isn’t really enough to just know homes,” said Wilson, who says he is a known pizza lover. “I just try to know as much about the community that I serve as I possibly can. (Advice on where to eat pizza) kind of seems to be what people have gravitated towards me for.”
For Wilson, reviewing pizza isn’t as simple as deciding whether or not he likes it. He judges the undercarriage to determine if it’s soggy or crunchy, he tests the “flop,” or structural integrity, of a slice and he takes value into consideration.
“I like it not flopping to the ground,” Wilson said. “You know, when you pick up the piece of pizza and everything’s sliding off the top. I guess the structural integrity of the pizza.”
The pizza at McHenry Bowl in Modesto received a rating of 7.6 from Wilson, landing at number 21 in the list of 30. That may come as a surprise, but Wilson has his reasons.
“Nowadays, with everything being so expensive, value counts,” he said. “I mean, it’s not gonna set the world on fire, but you can get a decent pizza — and it’s a large pizza — for $16.”
To keep things fair, Wilson orders the same pizza — a medium pepperoni — at every restaurant. His personal preference is a thinner, New York-style pizza.
Wilson “never gives even scores,” he said.
His rating system is inspired by David Portnoy, pizza reviewer and owner of Barstool Sports.
“He’s the biggest pizza reviewer in the world,” Wilson said. “David Portnoy isn’t walking into Livingston... He’s not in Merced, California. Let’s be real. So I kind of wanted to do a hyper-localized version of what he’s already done.”
Wilson updates his list every 10 places he reviews. Some of the restaurants that will be in the list of 40, once he completes 10 more reviews, are Jura’s Pizza Parlor and Rico’s Pizza in Turlock.
“(The rankings) will shift around,” he said. “There might be a new No. 1, there might be a new No. 2. I’ll update it based on my scores.”
Stanislaus County pizza shops make top 30 list
The list of ranked pizza shops will grow as Wilson continues to review new places. The 30 on there now are:
- Tony’s Pizza Napoletana- San Francisco, 8.6
- Little Oven Pizza- Merced, 8.2
- Pizza Plus- Riverbank, 8.1
- Rusty’s- Tracy, 8.1
- Ili Ili Cash & Carry- Honolulu, HI, 8.1
- Hella Pie Pizza Company- Tracy, 7.9
- Papa Pete’s Pizza- Castlerock, WA, 7.9
- D’Boni’s Pizza- Escalon, 7.9
- Sisters Pizza- San Diego, 7.9
- Geneo’s Pizza- Livingston, 7.8
- Family Pizza & Cocktail Lounge- Ceres, 7.8
- Bronx Pizza- San Diego, 7.8
- Michael’s Pizza Bar & Grill- Modesto, 7.8
- Gold Dust Pizza- Ripon, 7.8
- Slice of Homage Pizza- San Jose, 7.8
- Gold Dust Pizza- Oakdale, 7.7
- Desi Pizza Bites- Modesto, 7.7
- Gold Dust Pizza Express- Modesto, 7.7
- Jeff Dolen (Wilson’s friend)- 7.7
- Ferroni’s Pizza- Manteca, 7.6
- McHenry Bowl- Modesto, 7.6
- Luigi’s Pizza- Modesto, 7.5
- Stevie’s Pizzeria- Oakdale, 7.3
- Nazario’s Pizza & Grill- Modesto, 7.3
- Jack’s Pizza- Manteca, 7.3
- Churchkey- Modesto, 7.3
- Pizza Factory- Modesto, 7.2
- Crust & Crumb- Turlock, 7.2
- Michael’s New York Style Pizza- Stockton, 7.1
- Rick’s New York Style Pizza- Lodi, 5.6
On his scale, if a pizza shop is rated above an eight, Wilson would recommend traveling to it. If it’s in the sevens, it’s a good place to go if it’s local to you.
“Anything below a seven, I would try to find something above a seven,” he said.
Wilson’s video reviews can be found on TikTok @the.damienwilson.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 1:00 PM.
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