- Kalis, in Buenos Aires, was ranked eighth in Time Out’s 2026 World’s Best Pizzas list, becoming the only Argentine entry and a benchmark for local pizza.
- The ranking highlights 18 standout pizzerias across America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, from New York and Rome to Tokyo and Johannesburg.
- Kalis serves New York–style pizza by the slice with a minimalist four-flavor menu, centered on house-made ingredients and imported San Marzano tomatoes.
- The Buenos Aires spot has quickly gained cult status, drawing long queues, industry attention and even international celebrities while turning Núñez into a global pizza reference.
In the latest global ranking of standout slices, an Argentine pizzeria has landed among the ten best in the world according to culture and lifestyle magazine Time Out. The Buenos Aires shop Kalis, tucked away in the residential neighborhood of Núñez, now shares escena with heavyweight pizza cities like New York, Rome and Naples.
For a country where pizza is already part of everyday life, seeing a local slice shop listed in the top tier of a worldwide ranking is more than a curiosity: it underlines how far the Argentine scene has evolved, and how seriously international critics are now taking the city’s ovens.
How Time Out’s global ranking put Buenos Aires on the pizza map
The latest edition of Time Out’s World’s Best Pizzas ranking, published in February 2026, brought together contributions from editors and food writers based in cities across America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Each expert nominated places that, in their view, reflect both the quality of the product and the character of their local scene.
Out of that consultation emerged a curated selection of 18 standout pizzerias worldwide. The list mixes historic institutions with newer names that reinterpret the classic pie through local lenses. In the middle of that line-up, Kalis appears in eighth place, positioned not only among the ten best on the list but also as the only pizzeria from Argentina.
The top of the table is dominated by familiar powerhouses. Mama’s Too in New York leads the ranking, thanks to its intensely creamy Cacio e Pepe pizza, layered with mascarpone, aged pecorino and parmesan over a mozzarella base. It is followed by 180grammi Pizzeria Romana in Rome, praised for its thin, crackly Capricciosa loaded with artichokes, ham, olives, mushrooms and egg.
Further down, the list includes Short Road Pizza in London with a bold marinara that combines tomato, garlic purée, spicy chimichurri, burrata and anchovies; Pizzeria da Attilio in Naples, celebrated for a traditional margherita built on San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, 24‑month parmesan and fresh basil; and Pizza Marumo in Tokyo, where an umami‑driven pie mixes shiitake sauce, mackerel, bonito flakes, mozzarella and kombu seaweed.
The selection also stretches to Little Kitchener’s in Johannesburg, recognized for its pepperoni and hot honey combination; Civerinos in Edinburgh, with a New Haven-inspired sausage and pepperoni pizza; and Baldoria in Madrid, whose Búfala Fest layers tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, confit tomatoes, crispy parmesan and pesto on a carefully fermented dough.
Within that international roster, Kalis stands out as the voice of Argentine pizza, embodying a new wave that values short menus, meticulous sourcing and a personal identity rather than sheer size or nostalgia alone.
Kalis: the Núñez slice shop that climbed to the world’s top ten
Behind the recognition there is a relatively young project. Kalis opened its doors in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Núñez, at O’Higgins 3578, and in just over a year evolved from local curiosity to cult favorite and now to international reference.
The pizzeria is run by Franco Kalifon and Martín Calzetti. Kalifon’s background includes training with well‑known figures such as chef Francis Mallmann and pastry specialist Luciano García, as well as studies at the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and experience in the United States. All that know‑how translates into an approach he sums up as “fast good” rather than fast food: the idea is to serve quickly without giving up on product quality.
From the start, the team set out a clear concept: New York-inspired pizza slices, focused on precision and consistency. There are no dining tables and no multi‑page menu. Customers order at the counter, eat standing at the bar or on the move, and watch the action in a small, open kitchen where everything is within sight.
According to figures shared by the business, the shop now serves around 1,300 slices per evening between Wednesday and Sunday. To sustain that pace, Kalis relies on an 18‑person crew that includes the founding partners, production staff and front‑of‑house team, all trained to keep each portion as close as possible to the last.
Even with the sudden exposure that comes with a global ranking, the owners insist that the main goal remains consolidating the brand at home. Requests from investors and hospitality groups in places like Miami and Spain have already arrived, but for now expansion is on hold while they fine‑tune what happens in their original Núñez space.
A minimalist four‑flavor menu built on standout ingredients
One of the most striking aspects of Kalis, especially when compared with more traditional Argentine pizzerias, is its deliberate restraint. The menu is famously short: just four different pizzas. Each flavor is designed to emphasize balance, texture and clarity of taste rather than piling on toppings.
The philosophy is simple: the base, the sauce and the cheese do the heavy lifting. Instead of endless combinations, the team focuses on refining dough fermentation, calibrating bake time and ensuring that every slice comes out thin, crisp at the edge and still moist in the center. That structure is what allows people to grab a portion, fold it and eat it standing up without losing integrity.
A crucial differentiator is the tomato. Kalis is described as the only pizzeria in Argentina using San Marzano tomatoes with protected designation of origin, imported directly from Italy by the owners. In a ranking where product quality is a major criterion, that decision carries weight: the acidity, sweetness and texture of those tomatoes underpin every slice.
The rest of the ingredients follow the same logic. Mozzarella and pepperoni are produced to house specifications, in collaboration with local partners who work from exclusive recipes. The hot honey used on some combinations is also made specifically for the shop, tailored to the level of heat and sweetness they are looking for.
To round off the experience, Kalis offers a house soft‑serve ice cream, often highlighted in reviews. One of the most commented versions blends pistachio with olive oil and sea salt flakes, an unusual but carefully calibrated dessert that mirrors the attention seen in the pizza itself.
From neighborhood favorite to global benchmark for Argentine pizza
Before the Time Out recognition, Kalis had already secured a reputation as a local go‑to for slice‑style pizza. Word of mouth spread quickly in Buenos Aires, particularly among those looking for something beyond the classic thick, cheese‑heavy porteño pies.
Reviews often underline the atmosphere as much as the food. The space is compact, lively and stripped of formalities. Customers can observe the entire process, from stretching dough to slicing pies fresh out of the oven. The tone is informal and direct, with a service style that aims more at genuine hospitality than theatrics.
That combination of focused product, short menu and relaxed service has also caught the eye of well‑known visitors. Artists like Duki and Emilia Mernes have been spotted eating there, and international pop star Dua Lipa reportedly ordered Kalis pizzas for her team during concerts in Buenos Aires. For the owners, the draw is less about celebrity than about confirmation that their approach resonates widely.
For many observers, the inclusion of Kalis among the world’s top pizzerias signals a broader shift in how Argentine pizza is perceived. Rather than simply replicating styles from abroad, places like this are defining their own hybrids: New York in spirit, Buenos Aires in energy and ingredients, with a clear emphasis on process.
The ranking also places Kalis as a reference point for Latin America. Within the 18 selected pizzerias, it stands out as the highest‑ranked venue from the region, ahead of other Latin American entries and reinforcing Buenos Aires as an increasingly relevant city in the global pizza conversation.
Where Kalis sits among the 18 top pizzerias in the world
In the final version of the Time Out list, Kalis appears firmly in eighth place, surrounded by venues that have become reference points for their own styles and cities. Together, these 18 addresses sketch a snapshot of how diverse pizza has become around the globe.
- Mama’s Too – New York
- 180grammi Pizzeria Romana – Rome
- Short Road Pizza – London
- Pizzeria da Attilio – Naples
- Pizza Marumo – Tokyo
- Little Kitchener’s Pizzeria – Johannesburg
- Civerinos – Edinburgh
- Kalis – Buenos Aires
- Baldoria – Madrid
- Pizzeria Bedia – Philadelphia
- Una Pizza Napoletana – New York
- Pizzeria Bianco – Phoenix
- L’Industrie Pizzeria – Brooklyn
- Diamond Slice – Copenhagen
- Pizza Pilgrims – London
- Fritti – Atlanta
- Pizzeria Mozza – Los Angeles
- Pizza East – London
Seen as a whole, the list confirms a shared trend: a focus on fresh ingredients, artisanal methods and distinctive local identity rather than a single global standard. In that landscape, the fact that an Argentine slice shop with only four flavors and a standing‑room layout can sit comfortably among such varied heavyweights says a lot about where pizza is heading.
For Buenos Aires and for fans of the dish in Argentina, Kalis’s appearance in the top ten functions as both recognition and invitation: it acknowledges the level the local scene has reached, and at the same time encourages new projects to keep experimenting with dough, ovens and toppings until the next world‑class slice emerges from an unexpected corner of the city.
