Where to Celebrate National Pizza Day
You know what they say, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” but until the job market opens up for professional puppy cuddlers or a real-life ghostbuster, I settled for my third dream job: writer.
Journalists have an important role as the watchdogs of society. We search for the raw and unbiased truth. We have a responsibility to deliver powerful information to the public. We abide by a strict code of ethics to minimize harm, be accountable, improve lives, and act as an invisible fourth branch of the government.
Having such an influential role means I have a responsibility to write hard-hitting material that changes lives. It’s a lot of dirty work — to investigate, fact-check, research, and deliver the truth.
This is why I ate at six local By the Slice pizza restaurants to help you, our dedicated reader, decide where to celebrate National Pizza Day. So get out there and cheese the day.
Evel Pie
508 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Placed in the heart of the Fremont East Entertainment District, Evel Pie has monopolized the surrounding area as the go-to place for a late-night slice after an evening of bar hopping. The Evel Knievel-themed pizzeria pays tribute to the stunt performer with memorabilia such as skateboards, photographs, and pinball machines of the famed daredevil. Their dough is tossed at 60 degrees and fermented for 48 hours to ensure thin and chewy pizza crust. They have fun specialty pizzas including “Balls to the Wall” made with meatballs and gravy. In 2019, they made headlines after introducing a chapulines (grasshopper) pizza named The Canyon Hopper, inspired after the Great Grasshopper Invasion of 2019.
Good Pie
1212 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Good Pie is brought to you by pizzaiolo Vincent Rotolo. The New York native opened the first Good Pie location inside the Pawn Plaza, adjacent to the famous “Pawn Stars” pawn shop. A second location recently opened in Main Street’s Art District, which was in desperate need of a by-the-slice pizza fare. Their ingredients are a mix between imported essentials and locally-sourced produce, their dough is fermented for three days. Good Pie specializes in Brooklyn, Sicilian, and East Coast “Grandma” style pizza. Don’t forget to ask for a pack of Mike’s Hot Honey, a packet of chili-infused honey sauce to compliment your slice.
Pizza Rock
201 North 3rd Street at Downtown Grand, Las Vegas, NV 89101
There’s Pizza, and there’s Pizza Rock. The pizzeria is the brainchild of Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion, and Food Network gold medalist. Pizza Rock has four kinds of ovens to perfect several pizza styles, including Chicago, New York, Sicilian, and New Haven. Pizza Rock thrives at unconventional offerings like their famous Picante slice, topped with pepperoni, linguica, chorizo, garlic, calabrese peppers, serrano peppers, banana peppers, green onions, Cholula hot sauce, and Ricotta. They currently have two Las Vegas locations, one located downtown on North 3rd Street, and the other inside Green Valley Ranch.
Metro Pizza
In 1980, two cousins left their New York City homes, borrowed a car, and drove to Las Vegas. With two pizza ovens, a cash register, and a napkin holder to their name, they started a small pizza business. Thirty years later, Metro Pizza has five locations and is revered as one of the best neighborhood pizza places in the Las Vegas valley. Their hand-stretched dough is cooked in stone hearth ovens, giving their pizza the perfect crisp. Metro Pizza is unpretentious, familiar, and suitable for any budget.
Pop Up Pizza
1 N Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Pop Up Pizza is a hidden gem. Located in the lobby of the Plaza casino, it’s worth the trip. Make your way down to the west end of the Fremont Street Experience for this New York Style Pizza. Their dough is made in a three-day top-secret process, and their homemade tomato sauce is prepared fresh daily. Their National Pizza Day special includes a slice of cheese for $2 or a slice of pepperoni for $3.
Secret Pizza
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S Level 3, The Boulevard Tower, Las Vegas, NV 89109
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has one of the most diverse culinary offerings on the Strip – from swanky restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs to their Block 16 Urban Food Hall, which features a curated selection of hip casual dining. It would be easy for The Cosmo’s speakeasy pizza spot Secret Pizza to get lost in the sauce (pun intended.) But, if you wander down a nondescript hallway on the third floor of the Cosmopolitan, you’ll find always find a long line of patrons waiting to buy a slice at the sign-less pizza utopia.