This Montreal pizza chain is now top 50 in the world and you've probably walked past one

Montreal foodies already know that Pizzeria NO.900 makes some of the best pizza in the city, but now the rest of the world is catching on.

The Montreal-born chain just scored the 42nd spot on the 2025 50Top World Artisan Pizza Chains list, climbing one place from last year. Even more impressive, it was the only Canadian chain invited to the awards gala — for the second year running.

That's no small feat, since nearly 3,000 pizza chains are evaluated for this ranking every year. The process is similar to how the Michelin Guide works, with anonymous inspectors dropping in to assess everything from ingredient quality and technique to the overall dining experience.

And unlike most awards, this one can't be bought or applied for, since chains don't actually submit anything. The inspectors simply show up, eat, and judge.

"Being the only Canadian chain invited two years in a row is huge. And we don't submit any applications. They're the ones who discover us, visit us, and evaluate us. It's a powerful validation of our work," Alexandre Brunet, NO.900 President and Co-Founder, said in a press release.

What puts NO.900 ahead of typical slice shops is its near-obsessive commitment to authenticity. It is the only artisan pizza chain in Quebec certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the Naples-based organization that enforces strict rules around real Neapolitan pizza. That process includes wood-fired ovens, imported Italian flour, hand-kneaded dough and a process that mirrors what you would find in the dish's birthplace.

This year has taken things even further. In the spring, NO. 900's executive pizzaiolo Mirko D'Agata won first place in the Neapolitan category at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas. He beat more than 100 of the world's top pizza makers with a flawless marinara, making him the first Quebec chef to ever bring home the title.

That achievement follows a third-place finish at the Campionato Mondiale della Pizza in Parma in 2024, along with previous nods from global rankings that named NO.900 one of the best artisan pizza chains on the planet.

With 37 locations across Canada and France, the brand has become a reference point for people who want serious pizza without flying to southern Italy. The combination of traditional technique, carefully sourced ingredients and a respect for the craft has made NO.900 a standout wherever it opens.

So, if you want to taste pizza that experts around the world have celebrated, you know where to go. And it doesn't involve bringing your passport.