Pizza at Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria in Edmonton
Arts festivals? Sure. A spectacular river valley? You betcha. A giant shopping mall? Of course.
But of all the attributes that might draw a tourist to Edmonton, pizza probably wouldn't be the first thing that springs to mind.
Not, at least, until a popular tourism website bestowed the city this week with the honour of being the eighth top city in the world for pizza.
Readers of Condé Nast Traveler voted for Edmonton just ahead of the Italian cities of Florence, Palermo and Milan, and just one spot behind Venice.
Chicago, New York and Rome topped the list, but the site notes that "in an era when artisanal and hipster pizzerias are all the rage, the old-school joints still rule up north in Edmonton."
That means meatballs, BBQ chicken, shrimp and – some may shudder – pineapple.
The list singled out three Edmonton staples: Tony's Pizza Palace, Packrat Louie and Rose Bowl Pizza.
But it also gave a nod to the chain pizzeria Famoso, saying "the variety of pies ... is not so much soup-to-nuts as white-sauce-to-peanuts (and surprisingly tasty)."