Every pizzeria says it makes the best pizza. We can point at something more concrete: in 2026, Southern California voted, and Coastline won the Golden Slice Award for Best Specialty Pizza.
What the Golden Slice is
The Golden Slice Awards are run by SoCal Food & Beverage during SoCal Pizza Week, with three categories: Best Cheese Pizza, Best Neapolitan Pizza, and Best Specialty Pizza. There is no judging panel. Customers vote online throughout the week, the votes get tallied, and the winner in each category takes the trophy. The people who actually ate the pizza decided.
The pies that carried it
We don’t hang the specialty title on one pizza. The 16-inch New York rounds run from The Bonfire (pepperoni, creamy burrata, fresh basil, hot honey) to the Amalfi Inferno, The Tidepool with truffle mushrooms, the Shoreline Vodka Pie, and the everything-on-it Pacific Coast Pie. The Detroit-inspired squares bring Motor City Pepperoni and The High Tide. Every one of them starts on naturally leavened sourdough, fermented up to 72 hours. The whole lineup is on the menu.
In the press
The trophy wasn’t the only attention. The team joined the SoCal Restaurant Show to talk Pizza Week on the radio, and Spectrum News One came to the shop with cameras.
Judge for yourself
Coastline Pizzeria
25102 Marguerite Pkwy Ste A, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
(949) 755-6215
Open Monday through Thursday 11:30am to 9pm, Friday 11:30am to 10pm, Saturday 11am to 10pm, Sunday 12pm to 8pm.
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Golden Slice for Best Specialty Pizza?
Coastline Pizzeria in Mission Viejo, California.
How are Golden Slice winners chosen?
By public online vote during SoCal Pizza Week, run by SoCal Food & Beverage. Votes are tallied at the end of the week and one winner takes each category.
So is this the best pizza in Orange County?
That is yours to judge. SoCal voters gave us the Best Specialty Pizza title; come try The Bonfire and see where you land.