Defining the wide world of pizza is daunting, so I pulled in my favorite pizza evangelist, chef Brandon Price, to help with this taxonomy. He’s slung pies of all sorts along the Wasatch and traced pizza’s historic path through Italy. Currently, he teaches pizza-making classes at Orson Gygi and leads the Pizza Bar at Sugar House Station. There, the team serves an NYC/tavern-style hybrid: crushable slices that are particularly well accompanied by a frosty beer.
“I’ll still go home and make pizza, even after work,” Price says of his passion for all things pizza. “My four kids love it. My wife is so done.”
Neapolitan
This is the OG Italian pizza, served in Naples for hundreds of years. Usually no more than 10-12 inches around, Neapolitan pies have a thin base and substantial “cornicione,” the puffy-rim crust that takes on a fabulous char in a hot wood-fired oven.
“This is all about making really good bread and thinking of dough as an ingredient,” Price says. Neapolitan pizza uses high-quality toppings sparingly and with balanced intent.
WHERE TO GET IT
Pizza NONO
925 Harvey Milk Blvd., SLC
nonopizza.com
Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
260 S. 200 West, SLC
settebello.net/salt-lake-city
Stoneground Italian Kitchen
249 E. 400 South, SLC
stonegrounditalian.com
New York
New York-style pizza’s distinctively thin profile requires a tightrope balance in its crust-to-topping ratio. Light sauce, a hint of a cheese pull, and maybe an extra topping or two make a New York-style slice the quintessential grab-fold-and-go street food. Using high-quality cheese is essential to avoid splitting, which can create a gloopy (albeit still delicious) mess.
WHERE TO GET IT
Secret Pizza Club
hotplate.com/sammakespizza
Pie Boy Pizza (Baby’s Bagels)
204 E. 500 South, SLC
pieboypizza.com
Taverna Pizza
427 N. 300 West, SLC
taverna.pizza
Villaggio Pizzeria
3144 S. State St., South Salt Lake
villaggio-slc.com
All-American Pie
“When you think of pizza — the emoji, your typical take-out pie, what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eat — you think of this one,” Price says of medium-crusted pizza-parlor pies across the nation. Loaded with a heavy cheese pull, this pizza is the most likely to be imprinted on our psyches, from the celebratory pie at post-game parties with the team to the leftover slice scarfed down cold before 8 a.m. English lit class.
WHERE TO GET IT
The Pie Pizzeria
Multiple Locations
thepie.com
The Pie Hole
344 S. State St., SLC
pieholeutah.com
Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria
Multiple Locations
fatdaddyspizzeria.com
Roman/Sicilian/Grandma
Italian eateries sell a variety of thick, rectangular pizza as by-the-slice takeaway. Whether it’s springy Roman pizza al taglio, spongy sfincione, or a hefty Sicilian square, it’s typically a bread-forward bite. Square-panned American versions are called grandma-style or nonna-style pizza, usually sold whole. Heads up: Both Secret Pizza Club and Pizza Bar at Sugar House Station plan to break out more grandma pies as specials in late 2026.
WHERE TO GET IT
Sicilia Pizza & Kitchen
35 W. Broadway, SLC
siciliapizzakitchen.com
Slice House by Tony Gemignani
1332 S. Foothill Drive, SLC
locations.slicehouse.com/us/utah/salt-lake-city/1332-foothill-dr
Via Veneto Pizzarium
511 E. 900 South, SLC
viavenetopizzarium.com
Detroit
“There are so many factors that go into making a good Detroit pizza,” Price says. A formidable, focaccia-like, buttery crust is loaded with cheese, big glugs of sauce, and other toppings, all finished with grated Parmesan. The addictive, crispy perimeter of cheese caramelized by contact with the steel pan during baking makes for a great Detroit-style pie.
WHERE TO GET IT
Bricks Corner Pizza
1465 S. 700 East, SLC
brickscornerslc.com
Chop Shop Park City
1177 Center Dr., Park City
chopshopparkcity.com
Chicago Style(s)
Chicago’s pizza story is a tale of two pies. Tavern-style pizza has an exceptionally thin, cracker-like crust, with toppings spread to the very edge. It’s cut into small squares for snackable, crowd-friendly bites. Deep-dish is knife-and-fork pizza: a very thin pie crust covering the bottom and sides of a round tin, filled high and deep with cheese, sausage, and/or veggies, with sauce on top. It needs a long bake at a relatively low temperature to cook all the way through.
WHERE TO GET IT
Tavern-Style
One-Eyed Dog | Pop-Up Details at
instagram.com/oneeyeddogpizza
Deep-Dish
Rosati’s, 775 E. University Pkwy, Orem
myrosatis.com/orem
California
If a classic Neapolitan pizzeria and West Coast surf shack had a baby, Wolfgang Puck would arguably midwife the crazy-like-a-fox result. Chicken curry pizza with cilantro mint chutney? Hell yes, Nomad. Fresh peaches, jalapeño, honey, and basil? Find “The Peach” at The Bambino in Midvale (chef Price’s pick when he’s not making his own pizza). Slackwater’s “California Sunrise” probably counts as a salad, and it’s damn tasty. Whackadoo combos don’t make up the entirety of these spots’ menus, but they sure make “fancy” pizza a helluva lot of fun to eat.
WHERE TO GET IT
Nomad East
1675 E. 1300 South, SLC
nomad-east.com
Slackwater Pizzeria
Multiple Locations
slackwaterpizzeria.com
The Bambino
7692 Main St., Midvale
thebambinoslc.com
See more stories like this and all of our Food and Drink coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best life in Utah?
