Best Pizza in Salt Lake City: Styles and Shops

The best pizza in Salt Lake City depends on which pizza you want, because the city covers more styles than its size would suggest. A downtown Neapolitan oven, a student-favorite pie parlor and a Detroit-style pan shop all sit within a short drive of each other.

The field sorts by style: Neapolitan at a wood-fired pizzeria, slices at a slice shop and a newer pizzeria, and pan squares at a Detroit-style shop. The Deseret News publishes a list of Utah pizza shops that is a good place to start.

What is the best pizza in Salt Lake City for Neapolitan fans?

A downtown Neapolitan pizzeria on South 200 West is a Salt Lake City stalwart for authentic Neapolitan pizza.

Neapolitan pizza has a thin, soft center and a puffed, charred edge. It is eaten whole with a knife and fork, not by the slice. Another pizzeria makes modern Neapolitan pies at several valley locations. Locations change, so check the nearest.

What are the Utah pizza traditions?

Utah pizza has its own habits, shaped by large families and a college population. Pies tend to be big, with generous toppings and thick, bready crusts. A student favorite serves loaded pies with a thicker crust at locations in Murray, Midvale and Cottonwood Heights.

The Utah tradition of "fry sauce," a pink sauce of ketchup and mayonnaise, sometimes appears as a dip for crusts. Ask if you would like to try it.

Where is Detroit style pizza in Salt Lake?

Detroit style pizza Salt Lake diners can find is a rectangular pan pizza with a thick, airy crust, cheese baked to the edge until it caramelizes and sauce on top. One shop is the go-to for Detroit-style pan pizza, which eats a little like deep dish.

Order a square to share. The edges, crisp and cheesy, are the best part. Check the shop's own page for its address before you go. Salt Lake rewards a pizza crawl: pick one pie from each style, share the slices and write down the crust, the sauce and the char while you eat. Comparing three styles side by side shows quickly which one you would send a visitor to.

Where can you find Salt Lake pizza by the slice?

Salt Lake pizza by the slice is easier to find than you might think. A slice shop sells pizza by the slice or in giant 19-inch pies, and a pizzeria near Marmalade and Capitol Hill serves a walkable New York style slice, so check hours before you go.

A slice is the best way to test a shop. Ask for a plain cheese slice, reheated if it has sat. Fold it and eat it with your hands. See the Albuquerque breakfast burrito guide for another city where a quick, hand-held meal is the point.

How do you read a crust?

The crust tells you what the kitchen cares about. Look underneath: it should be golden and slightly charred, not pale. Tear a piece. The inside should be airy, with holes, and chewy but not gummy. The edge, the cornicione, should be puffy.

Taste the crust plain before you add toppings. If it has flavor on its own, the dough has been fermented properly. A bland crust hides behind cheese.

How do you order well at a pizzeria?

Start with a simple pie, a margherita or a cheese, to judge the kitchen. Then add a specialty. Share a salad and a dessert, and ask about the house sauce. If you are in a group, order two different pizzas and share slices.

Ask about the oven. A hot wood or gas oven cooks a pie in a few minutes, and a deck oven bakes slower. The oven shapes the crust, and most kitchens are proud to talk about theirs. The diner guide covers a similar approach to counter food.

What should you know about the lists?

Addresses and hours change, so check each shop's own page.

If a shop appears on many lists with the same dish, trust it more than one that appears once. Ask locals where they eat. The guide to finding good food in a new city explains how.

How do you plan a pizza crawl?

Pick three styles, one shop each, and share one pie or a few slices at every stop. Start with Neapolitan, move to a thicker pie and finish with a Detroit square. Walk or take a short ride between stops. Drink water and plan a gap of an hour.

The US guides hub lists more regional pages for your next trip. Take notes after each stop on the crust, the sauce and the cheese, and you will have a ranking before the evening ends.

Pizza opinions run strong in Salt Lake, so give yours some weight. Rate each pie by the crust, the sauce and the char, tag the stop for the style it serves and add it to a list that keeps Neapolitan, pan and slice shops in separate sections.

When the boxes are empty, get the Mosey app, rate each slice by the crust, the sauce and the char and build a list of the Salt Lake pizza you would hand a friend.