Let’s 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 haven’t 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.
We’ve 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
A whole cheese pizza made for jumbo slices, as seen on the right, offered at New York Pizza Department, 6546 E. Tanque Verde Road, on July 18.
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.
You’ll 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 Tucson’s East Coast transplants.
“All my New York people come in and they thank me saying how they couldn’t even get this back East,” 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
Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria2707 E. Broadway, roccoslittlechicago.com
The veggie deep dish, with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, capers, green peppers, green chilies, jalapeños, mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, oil-cured olives, pineapple, red onions, spinach and fresh basil, is one of the Chicago-style pizzas on the menu at Rocco’s Little Chicago.
If you are searching for an authentic Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, look no further than Rocco’s 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 “Rocco” DiGrazia moved to Tucson after college in 1992 and couldn’t find a pizza to suit his needs.
“I worked in restaurants in Tucson and was making pizza at home till I got something I thought was good,” he said. “I’m 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.”
Rocco’s is open Sunday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Detroit
Twin Peaks Pizzeria
7575 W. Twin Peaks Road, twinpeakspizzeria.com
The Caprese Detroit style-pizza at Twin Peaks Pizzeria.
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. It’s 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 Italy’s 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 “hand 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.”
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
Mama’s Famous Pizza & Heros
4500 E. Speedway, 50 S. Houghton Road and 7965 N. Oracle Road; mamasfamous.com
Customers look at the menu while waiting to order their food at Mama’s Famous Pizza & Heros.
Mama’s 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. There’s also the reverse toppings and a bountiful layer of cheese, making Mama’s a go-to spot since opening in 1981.
You can also pick up a Neapolitan pie at Mama’s or try the strombolis, calzones, pasta and desserts.
For Joe Spina, one of the owners of Mama’s, it’s more than business.
“(Sicilian pizza) is something that my grandmother would always make for us. She was Sicilian and we just started making it in the restaurants,” he said. “People who get this style love it and they think it’s the best, not only in Tucson but anywhere.”
Mama’s 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
You can find birria pizza on the menu at Zio Peppe, 6502 E. Tanque Verde Road.
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 Almanza’s legendary beef birria, mozzarella, onion, cilantro and consommé.
“We source the birria from Almanza and serve the pizza alongside consommé,” Sanner said. “We 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 consommé is used as dunking with some lemon wedges also added on the side.
“We had other ideas in mind. We tried first making it into a calzone, but it didn’t get the magic because the caramelization of the cheese didn’t really work so we transformed it into a pizza.”
Sanner describes the Zio Peppe menu as a “little love letter to the community.”
“The 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,” 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
aime’s Pizza Kitchen
312 E. Congress, tucsonjaimes.com
Working to make an entrance into Tucson-style pizza is Jaime’s Pizza Kitchen, which is taking up residence downtown with plans to open its doors in August.
The style of Jaime’s 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 can’t be replicated.
Watch now: New downtown pizza restaurant Jaime's Pizza Kitchen was named after owner Gabriel Moreno's grandfather, Jaime, who owned the popular Fourth Ave. bar and grill through the 80s and 90s. Here's vintage photos from the now-closed bar. Video by Ellice Lueders / This Is Tucson. Photos courtesy of Jaime's Pizza Kitchen.
