Yelp’s ‘Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.’ includes Palm Beach County pizzeria

Yelp has chosen its 2024 “Top 100” restaurants in the country, and one Palm Beach County wood-fire, sourdough pizzeria is among them.

At the family-friendly How Ya Dough’n pizza shop in Boca Raton, owner and pizza-maker Garett Goodman beamed at the news.

His 2-year-old pizzeria is the only restaurant in the county to make Yelp’s 2024 “Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S.” list, which was released Tuesday, Jan. 23. Six other South Florida restaurants landed on the crowd-sourced review site’s list. How Ya Dough’n came in at No. 70 on the list.

Goodman, a former logistics company owner, took a leap into the pizzeria business after hosting a series of backyard pizza pop-ups for friends and neighbors during the 2020 shutdown days of Covid-19.

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The story behind How Ya Dough'n pizza restaurant in Boca Raton

The pandemic pivot paid off. Goodman has two more How Ya Dough’n pizza shops in the works. One of them, a 65-seat restaurant located west of Boynton Beach on State Road 7, is expected to open in mid-February. The other will be part of a restaurant/commissary kitchen concept that’s in development on Palmetto Park Road in eastern Boca Raton.

The secret to his shop’s success extends beyond the pizza, he says.

“As proud as I am about the food — and I’m extremely proud about the food — it’s about the hospitality and the customer service,” says Goodman, a 35-year-old father of three who started the business with his wife Gabby Goodman. “I believe in the cliché that says ‘treat every customer like they’re your only customer.’”

Goodman’s pizza begins with organic, high-protein flour he brings in from San Francisco, puts through a sourdough process and rests for 120 hours, a method he says helps break down gluten. For his red sauce, he uses sweet New Jersey tomatoes. His herb toppings are grown locally.

“We don’t follow pizza rules,” says Goodman, whose eclectic pizza menu seconds that thought.

The menu lists a pistachio pizza that’s topped with mozzarella, Havarti, truffle oil, pecorino, pistachio and honey ($19 for 12-inch pie, $24 for 16-inch pie). There’s a cremini mushroom pizza topped with mozzarella, fontina, mushroom cream, roasted cremini mushrooms, roasted onions and chives ($19, $24). The Hot Mozz pie boasts soppressata, mozzarella, red sauce, pickled chilis and hot honey ($20, $26). The O.G. pizza, one of Goodmans’ best-selling pies, is topped with mozzarella, Havarti, red sauce and basil ($16, $22).

Goodman says customers look forward to the batch of fleeting pizza specials he posts each month. He calls it “the chase for what you can’t always have.”

The three January specials, for instance, include a pie topped with lemon ricotta, garlic, mozzarella, rosemary and arugula.

While his two upcoming pizza shops will have more restaurant-style seating and more expansive menus, his Yelp-beloved original shop has just a few seats inside.

“You order at the counter. We don’t give you a ticket. We remember you and your food,” Goodman says.

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'Fabulous!!!!!'

Yelpers have raved about the place.

“My favorite pizza in Boca! Love the tangy sauce and the thin crust!” wrote Yelper Allison W. of Boca Raton.

“Pizza is fabulous!!!!! Best in Boca Raton... highly recommend. Great flavors, great crust... always on time for pick up,” wrote member Gary B of Boca Raton.

“First of all, great service. But of course amazing food. It’s the only place I’ve tried so far where I can eat pizza and my body won’t react adversely. I hope they stay humble, and don't compromise on ingredients as they grow,” wrote Mirely M. of Fort Lauderdale.

Yelp’s 'Top 100 Places'

To create its latest “Top 100” list, Yelp analyzed and narrowed “millions of reviews and suggestions from its community of users”, according to the website. The list includes “hidden gems in strip malls to upscale dining establishments and everything in between”, says Yelp.

In Florida, 13 restaurants made the list, including the following South Florida spots:

? Fratellino restaurant in Coral Gables, at No. 5 on the list.

? Amy’s French Bakery in Pompano Beach, at No. 34.

? Bunbury Argentinean restaurant in Miami, at No. 56.

? Bulegreen Café Yard all-day brunch spot in Oakland Park, at No. 73.

? Twice Removed gastro pub in Fort Lauderdale, at No. 86.

? Kubo Asian Fusion restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, at No. 97.

Top in the state: 13 Florida restaurants make Yelp's list of Top 100 Places to Eat

How Ya Dough’n Pizza

Located at 4251 N. Federal Hwy, Boca Raton, 561-617-1579, HowYaDoughn.com.

Hours: Open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

Coming up: 

? A How Ya Dough’n 65-seat restaurant at 8240 S. State Rd. 7, west of Boynton Beach.

? A How Ya Dough’n 40-seat restaurant and upstairs commissary kitchen at 310 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton.

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Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network. She covers the local food and dining beat. Follow her on Instagram and Post on Food Facebook. She can be reached by email at [email protected]. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Yelp's Top 100 in U.S. lists Boca Raton pizza restaurant How Ya Dough'n