In 1830, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba was opened in Naples. Most historians consider this to be the world's first pizzeria. It became a meeting place for artists, students or others with little money so, in most cases, the pizza was simple.

Pizza became as popular as it did in part because of the sheer number of Italian immigrants: they made up 4 million of the 20 million immigrants who came to the U.S. between 1880 and 1920. With them, they brought their taste buds and pizza-making skills.

History. The first pizzeria in the U.S., Lombardi's, opened in New York City's Little Italy in 1905, producing a Neapolitan-style pizza. The word "pizza" was borrowed into English in the 1930s; before it became well known, pizza was generally called "tomato pie" by English speakers.