Letβs face it, while the heat is here to stay for the foreseeable future, the timeframe that we designate for summer break is more than halfway through.
If you havenβt yet gotten out of town, we have an option that will at least allow your tastebuds to take a trip without having to pack your bags.
Tucson is home to a variety of pizza styles, from thin-crust New York slices to deep-dish Chicago pies. You can go foreign with Sicilian style or explore spots with their own Tucson style.
Weβve rounded up several local spots where you can take each style for a taste test.
New York
NYPD New York Pizza Department6546 E. Tanque Verde Road, nypizzadepartment.com
With its iconic thin and large slices, New York Style pizza has been a classic, and NYPD is serving up a taste of the Big Apple.
In 2011, Mark Fontana, a New York native and University of Arizona alumni, opened NYPD to give his new home of Tucson an authentic New York experience.
Youβll also find New York-inspired calzones, wings, and more at this east-side spot.
Fontana, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, says he also wanted to cater to Tucsonβs East Coast transplants.
βAll my New York people come in and they thank me saying how they couldnβt even get this back East,β he said.
NYPD is open Monday -Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Other New York-style pizzerias:
Upper Crust Pizza, 1909 E. Grant Road, uppercrustpizzatucson.com
Arizona Pizza Co, 4955 N. Sabino Canyon Road, azpizzacompany.com
New York Pizza, 8771 E. Broadway
Chicago
Roccoβs Little Chicago Pizzeria2707 E. Broadway, roccoslittlechicago.com
If you are searching for an authentic Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, look no further than Roccoβs Little Chicago Pizzeria. Opened in 1998, this family-owned restaurant will transport you to the windy city.
Chicago-style pizza incorporates a thick, buttery crust with generous layers of cheese, sauce and a variety of toppings. As it is baked in a deep seasoned pan, it creates thick gooey slices.
So how did this decades-old pizzeria come to be? Anthony βRoccoβ DiGrazia moved to Tucson after college in 1992 and couldnβt find a pizza to suit his needs.
βI worked in restaurants in Tucson and was making pizza at home till I got something I thought was good,β he said. βIβm not claiming to be more authentic than anyone else, but our pizzas are true to style and taste the way I want them to. People seem to be on board with that so it works for us.β
Roccoβs is open Sunday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Detroit
Twin Peaks Pizzeria
7575 W. Twin Peaks Road, twinpeakspizzeria.com
Originating in Detroit, this uniquely squared pizza has enamored pizza lovers with its original placement of toppings, the cheesy covered edges, and a caramelized crunchy crust.
Twin Peaks Pizzeria makes its Detroit-style pies from scratch, incorporating Wisconsin brick cheese. Along with their pizzas, they also serve up hoagies, wings and salads.
Twin Peaks is open 11 a.m to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Other Detroit-style pizzerias:
Transplant Detroit Style Pizza, 4603 E. Speedway, transplantpizza.com
Fresco Pizzeria and Pastaria, 3011 E. Speedway, frescopizzeria.com
Naples, Italy
Vero Amore
2920 N. Swan Road and 12130 N. Dove Mountain Blvd., veroamorepizza.com
Originating from Naples, Italy, Neapolitan-style pizza is rich with authentic and culturally distinct flavors. Itβs made with a few simple ingredients and is traditionally served as a Margherita or Marinera pizza.
Vero Amore has been making genuine Neapolitan pizza since 2006. They have even been certified as an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria by Italyβs prestigious Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana Academy (VPN).
To be certified, the academy requires strict traditional Neapolitan pizza-making standards, which Vero Amore has proven to follow.
Brent Smith, the general manager of Vero Amore, says this pizza style is unique in its βhand tossed crust and short cook time in a very hot oven. Not a lot of sauce or ingredients, however, the ones that are added have to be fresh, handmade mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, and an Italian stone to cook it on.β
Vero Amore is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Other Neapolitan style pizzerias:
Anello, 222 E. Sixth St., anello.space
Fiamme Pizza, 4706 E. Sunrise, fiammepizzatucson.com
Falora, 3000 E. Broadway, falora.com
Riley Craft Pizza and Drink, 101 E. Pennington St., reillypizza.com
Sicily, Italy
Mamaβs Famous Pizza & Heros
4500 E. Speedway, 50 S. Houghton Road and 7965 N. Oracle Road; mamasfamous.com
Mamaβs Famous Pizza and Heros has three locations here in Tucson, and each has mastered the taste of a Sicilian-style pizza.
With a thick, fluffy crust and a square shape, it is no wonder that this pizza has been the inspiration for Detroit pizza. Thereβs also the reverse toppings and a bountiful layer of cheese, making Mamaβs a go-to spot since opening in 1981.
You can also pick up a Neapolitan pie at Mamaβs or try the strombolis, calzones, pasta and desserts.
For Joe Spina, one of the owners of Mamaβs, itβs more than business.
β(Sicilian pizza) is something that my grandmother would always make for us. She was Sicilian and we just started making it in the restaurants,β he said. βPeople who get this style love it and they think itβs the best, not only in Tucson but anywhere.β
Mamaβs is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Other Sicilian style pizzerias:
Squared Up, 5870 E. Broadway, squareduptucson.com
A taste of home: Tucson style
Zio Peppe
6502 E. Tanque Verde Road, ziopeppeaz.com
Or foodie city has its own unique style and has been the inspiration for a few pizza makers. At Zio Peppe, you can find Mexican-influenced pizza along with other scrumptious items on the menu.
Birria tacos are a hot food item that you can find throughout Tucson; however, Zio Peppe takes that a step further with its birria pizza.
Dubbed El Rustico Birria, the pizza is the result of a collaboration between chef-owner Devon Sanner and Chef Juan Almanza. It is made with Almanzaβs legendary beef birria, mozzarella, onion, cilantro and consommΓ©.
βWe source the birria from Almanza and serve the pizza alongside consommΓ©,β Sanner said. βWe really wanted to capture the flavor, so we also add the grasa from the rendering of the beef over the pie to get the whole experience of a birria taco. The consommΓ© is used as dunking with some lemon wedges also added on the side.
βWe had other ideas in mind. We tried first making it into a calzone, but it didnβt get the magic because the caramelization of the cheese didnβt really work so we transformed it into a pizza.β
Sanner describes the Zio Peppe menu as a βlittle love letter to the community.β
βThe flavor profiles of our pastas as well and our other pizzas and sourcing locally from the refugee network and doing collaboration with other chefs is all part of our ethos,β he said.
Other items on the menu include pasta, salads, desserts and charcuterie boards.
Zio Peppe is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
J
aimeβs Pizza Kitchen
312 E. Congress, tucsonjaimes.com
Working to make an entrance into Tucson-style pizza is Jaimeβs Pizza Kitchen, which is taking up residence downtown with plans to open its doors in August.
The style of Jaimeβs Pizza, which has been operating out of a ghost kitchen, is a hybrid that is most reminiscent of a New York style, but it also has some characteristics of a Neapolitan. Owner Gabriel Moreno says his one-of-a-kind dough canβt be replicated.