Pizza in Howard County is more interesting than it looks at first glance. Yes, you can always find a fast chain pie when dinner has become an emergency. But if you are willing to be a little more specific about what you want, there are some genuinely good choices here: Neapolitan pizza, wood-fired crust, New York-style slices, Sicilian squares, halal fusion pies, Indian-inspired curry pizzas, and sit-down Italian restaurants where pizza is only part of the appeal.
This guide skips the big national chains and focuses on places with a stronger local or regional personality. Menus and hours change, so check the restaurant before you drive across the county for one exact topping. Pizza plans should be joyful, not a test of your patience.
Short Version: Where To Go By Pizza Style
| Style or Mood | Best Fit | Address and Map | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor’s pick | River House on Main | 8293 Main Street, Ellicott City | Wood-fired pizza in the middle of Historic Ellicott City. |
| True Neapolitan | Pupatella | 9160 Old Annapolis Road, Columbia | Soft, blistered, Naples-style pies with a quick sit-down feel. |
| Wood-fired date night | Facci Ristorante | Turf Valley or Maple Lawn | Pizza Napoletana with a full Italian restaurant around it. |
| Farm brewery pizza | Manor Hill Pizza Trolley | 4411 Manor Lane, Ellicott City | Weekend brick-oven pies at the farm brewery. |
| New York and Sicilian | Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico | 8630 Guilford Road, Columbia | A long-running Columbia pizzeria with both round and square options. |
| Foldable New York-style | Tony’s of N.Y. | 10040 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City | Fresh dough, subs, pasta, and classic N.Y.-style comfort. |
| Creative local pies | HomeSlyce | 9400 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia | Good for groups, vegan substitutes, and more playful toppings. |
| Halal and fusion | Maple Lawn Pizza | 11811 W Market Place, Fulton | Halal pizzas, subs, wraps, and chicken tikka-style toppings. |
| Curry pizza | Curry & Pie | 6500 Washington Blvd Suite 104, Elkridge | Chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, saag paneer, and other curry-pie pizzas. |
| Neighborhood fusion menu | Pizza Man | 5810 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia | Pizza plus Indian and Nepali items, including tikka and butter chicken pizzas. |
| Sit-down Italian comfort | Stella Notte | 8809 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City | A cozy Italian restaurant with specialty pizzas and full entrees. |
Editor’s pick
River House on Main, Ellicott City
River House on Main is the pizza stop I would build an evening around. It is in Historic Ellicott City, which means the meal can come with a walk on Main Street, a browse through a shop, or a second stop for dessert. That matters. Some pizza is best eaten from the box. Some pizza deserves a little atmosphere.
The River House story has always been tied to wood-fired pizza. Visit Howard County describes the pizza as using a two-day slow fermentation process, high-quality flour, a 900-degree wood-fired oven, and seasonal local ingredients when available. That is exactly the kind of place where the crust should matter as much as the toppings.
Best for: a date night, a Main Street outing, and people who care about crust. Map: 8293 Main Street, Ellicott City.
Pupatella, Columbia
Pupatella is the cleanest answer when someone says they want Neapolitan pizza. The Columbia location serves the soft-centered, blistered-edge style associated with Naples, and its ordering page describes the pizzas as being prepared in the Naples tradition. Visit Howard County also notes Pupatella’s VPN-certified reputation and gluten-free options.
This is not the pizza to order if your definition of perfect is a stiff triangle that can survive a long drive home. Neapolitan pizza is more delicate. Eat it soon, ideally there. The Margherita DOC is the obvious starting point, and then you can wander into prosciutto, arugula, sausage, pepperoni, or whatever seasonal specials are running.
Best for: Neapolitan pizza, a casual Columbia dinner, and people who like a softer, charred crust. Map: 9160 Old Annapolis Road, Columbia.
Facci Ristorante, Turf Valley and Maple Lawn
Facci is a good choice when one person wants pizza and someone else wants pasta, wine, seafood, or a more complete sit-down restaurant. The Turf Valley page says the restaurant is serious about pizza Napoletana, and the menu includes Margherita, Diavola, Wild Mushroom, Genova Pesto, and other wood-fired choices.
There are two Howard County-area locations to know: Turf Valley in Ellicott City and Maple Lawn in Fulton, even though the Maple Lawn mailing address is Laurel. Maple Lawn also puts you near other shops and restaurants, which helps if you are turning dinner into a low-key evening out.
Best for: grown-up pizza night, wine with dinner, and groups that do not all want pizza. Maps: Turf Valley and Maple Lawn.
Manor Hill Pizza Trolley, Ellicott City
The Manor Hill Pizza Trolley is one of the more fun pizza setups in the county. It is a restored trolley at Manor Hill’s farm brewery, serving 10-inch Neapolitan-style pizzas from a custom brick oven on weekends. The menu tends to mix familiar pies with more playful names and toppings.
This is less of a Tuesday-night carryout plan and more of a weekend outing. Check hours before going, because the trolley is not open every day. When the timing works, it pairs nicely with the farm brewery setting, outdoor seating, and a slower afternoon.
Best for: weekend plans, beer-and-pizza afternoons, and out-of-town guests who want something local. Map: 4411 Manor Lane, Ellicott City.
Manor Hill Tavern, Ellicott City
Manor Hill Tavern belongs on the list separately from the Pizza Trolley because it fills a different role. The tavern is in Historic Ellicott City, serves lunch and dinner daily, and highlights a custom-built brick oven for Neapolitan-style pizzas and more.
If the Pizza Trolley is a farm outing, Manor Hill Tavern is the Main Street dinner version. It works well when you want pizza at the table with salads, beer, sandwiches, and a little more restaurant structure around the meal.
Best for: brick-oven pizza with a full tavern menu, Historic Ellicott City dinner, and casual date nights. Map: 3733 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City.
Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico, Columbia
Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico has been part of Columbia’s pizza world for a long time. Its story traces back to brothers Giovanni and Carlo Morra, who opened Trattoria da Enrico in 1988 after growing up around their family bakery near Naples. The current ordering menu lists New York-style pizza, Sicilian pan pizza, white pizza, gluten-free pizza, and classic Italian dishes.
This is the kind of place to keep in mind when you want a local pizzeria with more history than gloss. The Sicilian option is especially useful when you want something square, thicker, and more substantial than a quick slice.
Best for: New York-style pies, Sicilian pizza, and a Columbia pizzeria with roots. Map: 8630 Guilford Road C70, Columbia.
Tony’s of N.Y., Ellicott City
Tony’s of N.Y. is a straightforward pick for New York-style pizza, subs, pasta, wings, salads, and cheesesteaks. The Ellicott City location is on Baltimore National Pike, and the restaurant says its dough and pizza are made fresh daily.
There are nights when you do not need a wood-fired lecture from anyone. You need a good cheese pie, a pepperoni pie, a sub, and enough food for whoever shows up. Tony’s fits that job neatly.
Best for: foldable New York-style comfort, carryout, subs, and family ordering. Map: 10040 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City.
HomeSlyce, Columbia
HomeSlyce is a regional Maryland pizza group with a Columbia location on Snowden River Parkway. Its current ordering menu lists hand-stretched pizzas, Margherita, Four Cheese & Garlic, Vegetable Supreme, BBQ Chicken Kale, gluten-free crust, vegan cheese, and vegan pepperoni.
That flexibility is the reason it makes the guide. HomeSlyce is helpful for groups where one person wants a basic pepperoni, one person wants something with goat cheese and vegetables, and one person is quietly hoping the menu has a vegan option without making a whole thing of it.
Best for: group dinners, creative toppings, vegan substitutes, and gluten-free crust options. Map: 9400 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia.
Maple Lawn Pizza, Fulton
Maple Lawn Pizza is one of the more useful entries if you want something beyond standard pepperoni. The menu emphasizes halal food and lists pizzas with toppings like tandoori chicken, gyro, grilled chicken, ground beef, jalapeños, and a Maple Lawn Supreme with chicken tikka, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes.
This is also a good reminder that pizza does not have to stay in one lane. A halal neighborhood pizza place with tikka toppings can be exactly right for a weeknight when the usual pie sounds too predictable.
Best for: halal pizza, chicken tikka toppings, subs, wraps, and an easy Maple Lawn pickup. Map: 11811 W Market Place Unit A2, Fulton.
Curry & Pie, Elkridge
Curry & Pie is the place to look when the phrase “chicken tikka masala pizza” sounds like a good idea instead of a dare. The Elkridge menu includes familiar pies, but the real reason to add it to a Howard County pizza list is the curry-pie section: chicken tikka masala pizza, chicken makhni, saag paneer, paneer tikka masala, paneer makhni, and lamb vindaloo.
It is also useful for mixed-order households. Someone can get curry and naan, someone can get a regular cheese pizza, and someone else can go all in on a butter chicken pizza. The menu also lists 10-inch gluten-free versions of several curry pizzas, which is helpful if you are ordering for a group.
Best for: Indian fusion pizza, curry lovers, gluten-free curry-pie options, and Elkridge carryout. Map: 6500 Washington Blvd Suite 104, Elkridge.
Pizza Man, Columbia
Pizza Man is the surprise pick for people who like a menu with odd little turns. Alongside the usual homemade pizza, vegetarian pizza, white pizza, and New Yorker pizza, the menu also lists chicken tikka pizza, veggie masala pizza, butter chicken pizza, chicken momo, samosas, naan, and mango lassi.
That does not mean every order has to be adventurous. It means you can order a normal pizza for one person and still let someone else chase the spicy, saucy, tandoori-adjacent thing they actually want.
Best for: fusion pizza, Indian and Nepali sides, and carryout with more range than expected. Map: 5810 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia.
Stella Notte, Ellicott City
Stella Notte is a sit-down Italian restaurant on Baltimore National Pike with specialty pizzas, pastas, seafood, chicken, veal, and kids’ options. The current menu includes white pizza, Greek pizza, chicken spinach feta, Fresca, veggie, and the house Stella Notte pizza with Alfredo, tomato, pesto, blackened chicken, and mozzarella.
This is a comfortable choice when pizza is part of dinner but not the entire dinner. It is especially useful for a group that includes one pizza person, one pasta person, and one person pretending they will only have a salad.
Best for: sit-down Italian comfort, specialty pizzas, pasta, and mixed-opinion families. Map: 8809 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City.
Also Worth Knowing: Whole Foods Market, Columbia
This is not a local pizzeria, so it does not belong in the main list in quite the same way. Still, the Whole Foods Market in Columbia is worth remembering if you are near downtown Columbia and want a quick slice or an easy prepared-foods dinner. The store is at 10275 Little Patuxent Parkway and has the usual grocery-store advantage: you can add salad, fruit, drinks, dessert, or picnic supplies in the same stop.
Best for: an easy Columbia slice, casual takeout, and last-minute dinner backup. Map: 10275 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia.
FAQ: Pizza in Howard County
What is the best Neapolitan pizza in Howard County?
Pupatella in Columbia is the most direct Neapolitan choice, while Facci and Manor Hill also serve Neapolitan-style or pizza Napoletana options in a fuller restaurant setting.
Where should I go for wood-fired pizza in Ellicott City?
River House on Main is the strongest Historic Ellicott City pick for wood-fired pizza. Manor Hill Tavern and the Manor Hill Pizza Trolley are also good choices depending on whether you want Main Street dining or a farm brewery outing.
Which Howard County pizza places are good for groups?
HomeSlyce, Facci, Manor Hill Tavern, Tony’s of N.Y., and Trattoria E Pizzeria Da Enrico are especially useful for groups because their menus go beyond pizza.
Are there halal pizza options in Howard County?
Maple Lawn Pizza in Fulton is the clearest halal-focused pizza option in this guide. Curry & Pie in Elkridge and Pizza Man in Columbia also offer Indian-inspired and fusion-style pizza toppings.