The Best Pizza in Denver (2026) — A Local's Guide
The Best Pizza in Denver (2026) — A Local's Guide
A recent study named Denver the best pizza city in the country. That landed as a surprise to people who don't live here — Denver has never had the coastal pizza credibility of New York or the deep-dish mythology of Chicago, which means it built its scene quietly and without anyone watching too closely. The result is a city where a certified Neapolitan institution sits three blocks from a shipping-container sourdough spot, where a 100-year-old house in Platt Park has been serving handmade pies for decades, and where the newest wood-fired room came from one of Denver's most decorated chefs.
This guide covers the full range: the certified legends, the neighborhood classics you go back to every time, and the trendy newcomers worth the hype. Whether you want a disco-ball patio on a Friday night or a quiet corner table with a glass of natural wine and a cacio e pepe pie, Denver has it. Here's where to go.
The List
1. Marco's Coal Fired
Ballpark — 2129 Larimer St
The most credentialed pizza in Denver, full stop. Marco's is the only Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana-certified pizzeria in Colorado — meaning the dough, the ingredients, the oven temperature, and the technique have been verified by the organization that governs authentic Neapolitan pizza in Italy. The pies cook at 900°F in a coal-fired oven and are done in roughly 60 seconds, which produces that signature charred cornicione and a center that stays soft without going soggy. Marco's ranked 49th on the USA 50 Top Pizza list, which is the kind of recognition that puts it in rare company nationally. It's a Ballpark neighborhood anchor steps from Coors Field, which means it's also the right call before or after a Rockies game. marcoscfp.com
2. Cart-Driver
RiNo / LoHi — Two Locations
Cart-Driver built its name out of a converted shipping container in RiNo and has since added a LoHi location — and both rooms earn their reputation. The pizza is wood-fired sourdough, naturally leavened, with a crust that has enough structure to hold serious toppings without losing the char. The Daisy (mozzarella, basil) and the Potato (rainbow chard, peppadews, raclette, crème fraîche) are the signature builds, but the rotating specials are where the kitchen shows off. Oysters on the half shell and antipasti plates make this as much a drinks-and-snacks destination as a pizza one. Two daily happy hours — 3 to 5 PM and 10 PM to midnight — mean there's always a good reason to be here at the wrong hour. cartdriverdenver.com
3. Redeemer Pizza
RiNo — 2705 Larimer St
Redeemer makes what it calls "New York 2.0" — naturally leavened dough with a subtle sour note, cooked to produce a chewy-crunchy base that sits somewhere between Neapolitan and New York without being either. The cacio e pepe pie is the one that gets cited most, and for good reason: the restraint required to make that work on pizza dough is harder than it looks. The slice window on Larimer is a RiNo lunch staple; the heated patio handles the evening. Westword named Redeemer Best Pizzeria in Denver, which is the right call. The sourcing is local, the menu is focused, and the room doesn't try to be more than what it is. redeemerpizza.com
4. Happy Camper
Sunnyside — 3211 N Pecos St
Happy Camper is what happens when someone builds the ideal pizza patio and then remembers to put good pizza in it. The outdoor space runs fire pits, creative seating configurations, disco balls, and neon lights in a combination that shouldn't work and completely does. The thin-crust wood-fired pies match the energy: the Street Corn (cotija, roasted corn, avocado crema, Tajín) is the order everyone at the table ends up wanting a slice of, and the Josh (BBQ, jalapeños, pulled pork, pineapple) is the chaotic good option. Brunch service, a long happy hour, and one of the best summer patio situations in Denver round it out. Come for the pizza. Stay because you don't want to leave. happycamper.pizza
5. Hops & Pie
Berkeley — 3920 Tennyson St
Voted Best Restaurant in Berkeley by Westword's 2026 Best of Denver readers, and it earns that title every week. Hops & Pie has been anchoring the Tennyson Street strip since 2010 with a combination that sounds simple on paper — creative seasonal pies plus an excellent rotating craft beer list — and executes it better than almost anyone in the city. The crust holds up under heavy toppings, the topping combinations rotate with the seasons and the kitchen's impulses, and the beer list is curated with the same care as the menu. It's the Berkeley neighborhood dinner spot that out-of-neighborhood regulars make the trip for. Go on a weeknight when you can actually hear yourself talk. hopsandpie.com
6. Blue Pan Pizza
Multiple Locations — Including West Highlands and Empower Field
Denver's Detroit-style destination and the pizza style most worth understanding if you haven't had it. Blue Pan bakes in seasoned steel pans that produce a spongy, airy dough with caramelized cheese-crusted edges — the "frico" crust that makes the corner pieces the most sought-after slice. The whole milk mozzarella and brick white cheddar blend gives the cheese pull a different character than standard pizza. Order the small four-corner pie if you want maximum crispy-edge ratio. The Sweetie Pie (pineapple, jalapeños, ricotta, bacon) is the unexpected combination that works. Blue Pan also has concession spots inside Empower Field, which tells you something about how far Detroit-style has come in Denver. bluepandenver.com
7. Kaos Pizzeria
Platt Park / South Pearl — 1439 S Pearl St
Kaos sits in a 100-year-old house on South Pearl Street with one of the best outdoor dining patios in Denver — covered, strung with lights, the kind of patio that makes you understand why people talk about Denver summers. The kitchen mixes 50+ pounds of dough twice daily by hand, and that commitment to process shows in the crust. The menu is built around quality ingredients and farm-to-table sourcing rather than novelty toppings, which means the pies taste like something made with intention rather than assembled. South Pearl is the right neighborhood for it — walkable, unhurried, and better for a long dinner than most strips in the city. Reservations are worth making ahead on weekends. kaospizzeria.com
8. Fat Sully's
East Colfax / Tennyson — Multiple Locations
Massive New York-style slices inside The Atomic Cowboy bar on East Colfax, with a Tennyson Street location for the Berkeley crowd. Fat Sully's is the late-night answer — open until 3 AM on weekends — and the slices are enormous, classic, and correct. Red sauce, ranch for dipping, no apologies. It shares the Atomic Cowboy building with Denver Biscuit Co., which means the kitchen knows its way around a dough situation. The Colfax location has the better energy: dive bar next door, a walk-up slice window, the kind of late Friday crowd that makes the whole thing feel exactly like it should. The pizza doesn't need to be more than what it is, and it isn't. theatomiccowboy.com
9. Benny Blanco's Slice of the Bronx
Capitol Hill — 616 E 13th Ave
A no-frills counter-service pizza window on 13th Avenue in Cap Hill that closes at 10 PM most nights and 3 AM on Thursday through Saturday — which tells you exactly who this is for. The slices are enormous, the crust folds the right way, and the garlic knots are a non-negotiable side order. Benny Blanco's is the pizza you eat standing up after a show at the Ogden or the Fillmore, or after leaving whatever Cap Hill bar you just came from. There is nothing fancy about it and that's entirely the point. Denver has plenty of wood-fired destination pizza. This is the 1 AM slice that you'll think about the next morning and not regret. bennyblancos.com
10. Famous Original J's Pizza
Five Points — 715 E 26th Ave
A proper New York-style pizza spot in Five Points, a few doors down from Rosenberg's Bagels on one of Denver's best blocks for eating. The pies are honest, the crust has the right chew, and the atmosphere is the low-key Five Points neighborhood regulars room rather than a destination spot. Famous Original J's doesn't need to perform — it just makes good pizza consistently in a neighborhood that has some of the city's best food per block. 5280 Magazine has given it consistent coverage for years. Go for a whole pie, not a slice, and plan it around a walk through the Five Points corridor before or after. famousoriginaljs.com
11. Bar Dough
LoHi — 2227 W 32nd Ave
Bar Dough is the upscale Italian room in LoHi that does pizza well enough to anchor a list like this alongside the pure pizza specialists. The Salsiccia — mozzarella di bufala, fennel sausage, spicy orange honey — is the pie that made its reputation, and it holds up every time. The sauce balance is precise: sweet, spicy, and savory in proportions that actually work. The room is modern and considered, the cocktail program is serious, and the 32nd Avenue location makes it the right call for a LoHi dinner before or after drinks at Williams & Graham or Lady Jane. It's one of those rooms where you end up ordering more pizza than you planned because the first one disappeared too fast. bardoughdenver.com
12. Gusto
Sloan's Lake — West Denver
Lon Symensma — the chef behind ChoLon, one of Denver's most enduring and decorated restaurants — opened Gusto near Sloan's Lake in 2024, and the Neapolitan pies coming out of the Italian-sourced gas oven are worth the trip from anywhere in the city. Symensma's approach to pizza is the same as his approach to everything else: technical precision, quality sourcing, restraint where restraint serves the dish. The Sloan's Lake location puts it in a neighborhood that has gotten significantly more interesting in the last few years, and the room reflects that — designed for a slow evening rather than a quick pie. One of the more exciting newer additions to Denver's pizza scene. gustodenver.com
13. Homegrown Tap & Dough
Washington Park / Multiple Locations
Wood-fired pizza with a Colorado sensibility: locally sourced toppings that rotate with the seasons, a craft beer list that complements the menu rather than just existing alongside it, and a Wash Park patio that in summer becomes one of the better outdoor dining spots on the south side of the city. The Pigs & Pears — butternut squash, arugula, candied pears, bacon, balsamic, goat cheese — is the signature combination that sounds like too much and lands exactly right. The ski lodge decor is a Denver visual language that works better here than in most places trying it. Happy hour runs consistently strong. The garlic Parmesan fries are worth ordering before the pizza arrives. homegrowntapanddough.com
14. White Pie
Multiple Locations
Sicilian and New Haven-style pizza from a family operation that takes both formats seriously. The room is built around communal tables and a bar that wraps around the pizza oven — you can watch the pies come out, which is either theater or transparency depending on your mood. The Fuggetaboutit (red sauce, double garlic, kalamata olives, Pecorino Romano) is the signature that regulars order on autopilot. The energy in the room is social and a little loud in the best way, and the pizza is consistent enough that you stop noticing the wait time after the first one lands on the table. New Haven-style is still underrepresented in Denver; White Pie fills that gap credibly. whitepiedenver.com
15. Pizzeria Lui
Lakewood — 5380 W Mississippi Ave
Pizzeria Lui runs on seasonal specials and a bubbly, slightly charred crust that produces complex flavors without requiring exotic toppings to achieve them. The grilled peach, fresh basil, mozzarella, balsamic reduction, and hot honey combination is the seasonal build that people talk about through the summer. The hot honey is available for dipping year-round and is the right call with any pie that has some richness. It's primarily a takeout operation — call ahead — which means it doesn't have the room to match the pizza, but the pizza is good enough that it doesn't need one. West of the city proper and underrated for it. Worth building a west-side evening around. pizzerialui.com
16. Denver Pizza Company
Multiple Locations — Operating Since 2009
The most Denver pizza in Denver — built on a beer-battered crust with a green chile sauce option that is specifically and unapologetically Colorado. The old family recipe foundation, the green chile, the chorizo, the artichoke hearts: Denver Pizza Company is making pies that taste like this state rather than New York or Naples, and that specificity is worth something. It's been operating since 2009, which means it predates the current wave of natural-leavened pizza prestige by half a decade. The delivery game is strong, the multiple locations are convenient, and the green chile pie is the thing to order if you want to understand what Denver pizza culture actually tastes like as a local product. denverpizzacompany.com
17. Dough Counter
Downtown Denver
The sister concept from the Marco's Coal Fired family, focused on New York and Sicilian-style pies rather than Neapolitan. Where Marco's is the certified formal dining room of Denver pizza, Dough Counter is the more casual counterpart — counter service, a focused menu, the same commitment to quality ingredients without the VPN certification and reservation culture. The Sicilian in particular is worth the visit: thick, airy, caramelized underneath, the kind of square slice that makes you reconsider your usual order. Downtown location makes it the right call before a Rockies game or a LoDo evening when you want something better than what you'd find on the 16th Street Mall. doughcounterdenver.com
18. Bonnie Brae Tavern
Bonnie Brae / South Denver — 740 S University Blvd
Operating since 1934 — which makes Bonnie Brae Tavern one of the oldest continuously-running restaurants in Denver and the undisputed classic anchor of South Denver pizza. The thin-crust pies come out of the same kitchen that's been operating since before most of the city existed, and the neighborhood regulars who grew up eating here still show up on Friday nights. It's not trying to be trendy. It's not trying to be certified. It is simply a room that has been making good thin-crust pizza in a wood-paneled tavern for nearly a century, and that's more than enough. If you want to understand Denver before the breweries and the cocktail bars, Bonnie Brae is a meaningful part of that story. bonniebraetavern.com
19. Slice Works Pizza
Multiple Locations
By-the-slice pizza done right — whole pies and creative specialty builds available side by side, with a complimentary "snack" slice while you wait for your order. Slice Works runs an eclectic menu that earns the creativity: the jalapeño popper pizza and the Big Mac-inspired build are the kinds of concepts that fail at bad pizza shops and work when the underlying dough is solid. The Sicilian slices are the ones to know — thick, room-temperature-friendly, the kind of slice you can eat standing up without it falling apart. Multiple locations across the metro, consistent quality across them. A reliable answer to the "where do we grab pizza on the way somewhere" question. sliceworkspizza.com
20. Mas Kaos Pizzeria + Taqueria
Denver
The newer Kaos concept that brings the same handmade-dough commitment into a pizza-plus-taqueria format — which sounds like a reach and isn't. Mas Kaos runs the two menus in parallel rather than trying to fuse them, which means you can order a properly made taco and a properly made pizza at the same table without either one feeling like an afterthought. It's the more casual, more adventurous sibling to the South Pearl original, and it's the pick for a group where someone always wants something other than pizza. Denver's food scene increasingly rewards restaurants willing to be specific and a little unusual — Mas Kaos fits that register. kaospizzeria.com
21. The PZA
Santa Fe Arts District — 644 Santa Fe Dr
Chef/Owner Jake Rothey started The PZA in 2022 out of the kitchen at Tight End, a Colfax bar, and eventually landed a brick-and-mortar on Santa Fe Drive — one of Denver's better outcomes from the pop-up-to-permanent pipeline. The dough runs a three-day natural leavening process that produces a crust Rothey describes as Neapolitan in philosophy, East Coast in execution: light and charred with enough chew to hold up under real toppings. The Killa Bee — crispy cup pepperoni, swirls of ricotta, hot honey — is the signature that people come back for. The Dillmatic (pickle, ranch) started as a special and proved too popular to rotate off. Westword named it Best New-ish Pizzeria, which is the kind of recognition that tends to age well. Open Wednesday through Sunday, evenings only, takeout-focused. thepzadenver.com
How to Pick the Right One
For the best pizza in the city, full stop: Marco's Coal Fired for certified Neapolitan or Redeemer for the best naturally leavened slice.
For a Friday night with a group: Happy Camper for the patio and the energy, or White Pie for the communal table situation.
For a date night: Bar Dough in LoHi or Gusto near Sloan's Lake — rooms that match the occasion.
For late night: Fat Sully's on Colfax or Benny Blanco's in Cap Hill — both open past midnight on weekends.
For a neighborhood classic: Hops & Pie on Tennyson, Kaos on South Pearl, or Bonnie Brae Tavern if you want 90 years of history with your thin crust.
For something specifically Denver: Denver Pizza Company's green chile pie — you will not find this in New York.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pizza in Denver?
Marco's Coal Fired is the most credentialed — VPN-certified Neapolitan, ranked 49th on the USA 50 Top Pizza list. Redeemer Pizza is Westword's Best Pizzeria pick and the best naturally leavened slice in the city. Cart-Driver is the wood-fired sourdough benchmark. Which one is "best" depends on what style you're chasing.
What style of pizza is Denver known for?
Denver has developed its own signature move: naturally leavened sourdough crusts topped with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. It's not Detroit, not Neapolitan, not New York — it's a style that emerged from the city's broader farm-to-table culture and found its home in wood-fired rooms. Redeemer and Cart-Driver are the clearest expressions of it. The green chile pie at Denver Pizza Company is the other specifically Denver contribution.
Where can I get pizza by the slice in Denver?
Fat Sully's for massive New York slices until 3 AM on weekends. Benny Blanco's in Cap Hill for the same energy, same hours. Redeemer Pizza's slice window on Larimer for the best daytime by-the-slice in RiNo. Slice Works for creative specialty slices at multiple locations.
What is the best late-night pizza in Denver?
Fat Sully's on East Colfax and Benny Blanco's in Cap Hill are both open until 3 AM on Thursday through Saturday. Both are counter-service, both are New York style, both are exactly right at that hour.
Where is the best pizza patio in Denver?
Happy Camper wins — fire pits, neon lights, disco balls, and a patio designed to make you stay longer than you planned. Kaos Pizzeria's covered South Pearl patio is the quieter counterpart if you want a slower evening. Homegrown Tap & Dough's Wash Park patio is the south-side summer standard.
Stay Current on Denver Pizza
New spots open. Menus rotate. The seasonal pie at Kaos changes every few weeks and the Happy Camper patio specials shift with the weather. This guide updates as the scene moves.
The fastest way to stay current: subscribe to our weekly newsletter — new openings, restaurant reviews, neighborhood reports, and what's worth knowing each week.
→ Subscribe — free, every week
Are you a Denver restaurant, bar, or local business? Reach our readers — learn about working with us.
Last updated: May 2026. We refresh this guide as new spots open and our picks evolve.
See you out there, Denver.