Merced pizza shop gets high rating from local reviewer. Why does he like it so much?
A Central Valley real estate agent has put Merced on the map — his map, at least — by saying the city is home to the second-best pizza joint he’s ever tried.
Damien Wilson, who works at PMZ Real Estate in Modesto, posted a list of pizza review rankings in a Facebook group called Pizzaholics that boasts over 314,000 members across the country. This list garnered over 3,400 reactions, more than 3,800 comments and 819 shares.
Needless to say, people were talking. And they were talking about places like little ol’ Merced, where the No. 2 slice of pie exists at Little Oven Pizza, according to Wilson.
Well, more like they were wondering how some of the best pizza can come from small towns in California when places like New York and Chicago exist. But this list wasn’t curated by somebody who lives in those regions.
“It started out with a few places close to my house,” Wilson said. “Then people started suggesting, ‘Hey, go here. We love this place.’ So right now, I actually have a Rolodex of probably 100 to 110 places that I’ve either reviewed or I’m going to review between Tracy to the Turlock area.”
Little Oven earned a high score from Wilson not only because it matches his preferred pizza type — thin crust, New York-style — but also for the “awesome” staff.
“Little Oven is small, but very busy with both professionals and students alike,” Wilson said.
The Merced pizza shop was scored 8.2 out of 10, beat only by Tony’s Pizza in San Francisco, which earned an 8.6.
Little Oven is an unassuming place. Nestled in Merced’s downtown, the restaurant offers original recipe, hand-tossed dough and ingredients sourced from the Central Valley, according to its website.
“Anything that can be made from scratch, will be,” the website says.
The restaurant offers pizza by the slice, priced at $3.75 for cheese, $4.25 for pepperoni, and $4.75 for daily specials, which can be found at instagram.com/littleovenmerced. Whole pies range from $19 to $27.
While you can’t go wrong with a slice of pepperoni, one customer who visited for lunch on March 25 recommended trying whatever is put out for the daily special. That day was the Peppa Fig — one of her favorites.
The Peppa Fig is topped with bacon, fig jam, jalapeño, honey and goat cheese.
Beer, cider and wine also are sold at Little Oven, and the restaurant has a small bar with seating for five. It seats 15 in total inside, and there are a couple of tables outside as well.
Modesto real estate agent turned pizza connoisseur
So, how does a real estate agent gain a hobby of ranking pizza shops?
“In my line of work, it isn’t really enough to just know homes,” said Wilson, who says he is a known pizza lover. “I just try to know as much about the community that I serve as I possibly can. (Advice on where to eat pizza) kind of seems to be what people have gravitated towards me for.”
For Wilson, reviewing pizza isn’t as simple as deciding whether or not he likes it. He judges the undercarriage to determine of it’s soggy or crunchy, he tests the “flop,” or structural integrity, of a slice and he takes value into consideration.
To keep things fair, he orders the same pizza at every restaurant — a medium pepperoni.
The scores may seem oddly specific, but Wilson has a reason for that, too.
His rating system is inspired by David Portnoy, pizza reviewer and owner of Barstool Sports.
“He’s the biggest pizza reviewer in the world,” Wilson said. “He’s not in Merced, California. Let’s be real. So I kind of wanted to do a hyper-localized version of what he’s already done.”
Pizza shops across the Central Valley make top 30 list
The list of ranked pizza shops will grow as Wilson continues to review new places. The 30 on there now are:
- Tony’s Pizza Napoletana- San Francisco, 8.6
- Little Oven Pizza- Merced, 8.2
- Pizza Plus- Riverbank, 8.1
- Rusty’s- Tracy, 8.1
- Ili Ili Cash & Carry- Honolulu, HI, 8.1
- Hella Pie Pizza Company- Tracy, 7.9
- Papa Pete’s Pizza- Castlerock, WA, 7.9
- D’Boni’s Pizza- Escalon, 7.9
- Sisters Pizza- San Diego, 7.9
- Geneo’s Pizza- Livingston, 7.8
- Family Pizza & Cocktail Lounge- Ceres, 7.8
- Bronx Pizza- San Diego, 7.8
- Michael’s Pizza Bar & Grill- Modesto, 7.8
- Gold Dust Pizza- Ripon, 7.8
- Slice of Homage Pizza- San Jose, 7.8
- Gold Dust Pizza- Oakdale, 7.7
- Desi Pizza Bites- Modesto, 7.7
- Gold Dust Pizza Express- Modesto, 7.7
- Jeff Dolen (Wilson’s friend)- 7.7
- Ferroni’s Pizza- Manteca, 7.6
- McHenry Bowl- Modesto, 7.6
- Luigi’s Pizza- Modesto, 7.5
- Stevie’s Pizzeria- Oakdale, 7.3
- Nazario’s Pizza & Grill- Modesto, 7.3
- Jack’s Pizza- Manteca, 7.3
- Churchkey- Modesto, 7.3
- Pizza Factory- Modesto, 7.2
- Crust & Crumb- Turlock, 7.2
- Michael’s New York Style Pizza- Stockton, 7.1
- Rick’s New York Style Pizza- Lodi, 5.6
On his scale, if a pizza shop is rated above an eight, Wilson would recommend traveling to it. If it’s in the sevens, it’s a good place to go if it’s local to you.
“Anything below a seven, I would try to find something above a seven,” he said.
Wilson’s video reviews can be found on TikTok @the.damienwilson.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
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