12. Joey Nova’s

Tonka Bay, Minnesota

We moved into our current residence over a decade ago, and I know I’ve mentioned it a few times, but an early assignment was laying out the land, not just for pizza, but for nail salons, tanning beds, and CBD dispensaries, etc. In the surrounding ten-mile radius are dozens of places that we patronized in our early days as settlers, but haven’t visited in the ensuing years, and Joey Nova’s in one such place.

This pizza is in my personal No-Man’s Land because even though it’s a very solid offering, it’s not convenient enough to make it my everyday go-to. There are pizzas that are closer, and there are a few pizzas that are better. We’re well outside of their delivery range, so maximum effort is required to make this the pizza of choice, and take-out isn’t a great option, since it’s a 15-minute drive, and wifey demands her pizza piping hot. So, if you MUST hop in your car for a dine-in experience, wouldn’t you rather drive a little farther down the turnpike for a superior-performing pizza? The answer: usually no, but sometimes yes.

What makes this a great pizza is the quality and consistency, regardless of where it fits in the time/space/pizza continuum.

When events conspire toward an evening at Joey Nova’s, I joyously abide. It serves whole pies, and for a topping-diverse household like mine, ribcage-sized single slices are available. In fact, this is a place that I actually prefer the slice, and it earned its Best-in-Class in the By-the-Slice category. If this were the NFL draft, Joey Nova’s most resembles that marginal prospect that keeps climbing higher on my draft board. It took a few years, but I now consider it time well-spent to drive a few extra miles.