Pizza Travels: Las Vegas, Nevada

This edition of Pizza Travels takes us to the desert…

In April of 2023, I found myself in the adult playground of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada. I’ve been to Vegas many times before, but rather than just wandering aimlessly looking for food or just happening upon places like I typically have in the past, this time I methodically sought out reviews and lists of the best, or at least most popular, spots in town to make a more calculated decision on my pizza visits.

To be fair, I checked a few different lists as not to get slighted by a partial review that may have been a paid promotion in disguise. Without a doubt, one of the top rated across many lists was Pizza Rock, which is located off the strip on 3rd Street in old downtown. The Las Vegas Pizza Expo referred to Pizza Rock as “The best traditional pizza in the world.” I felt a claim like this would be worthy of a destination visit to check it out.

When going to places like Las Vegas, you have to get away from the tourist traps to find the true gems. This is one of those places. From the outside, the place looks rather unassuming, but it’s actually really nice inside with stylish decor. Despite having a quite fancy dining area, the place also offers a traditional east coast style walk up counter for slices and a few picnic tables outside to eat at.

I found it’s actually one of the highest rated restaurants in Las Vegas (overall, not just pizza restaurants), and it’s been on lists of the best pizza places in America that should be visited. The award winning owner, Chef Tony Gemignani, cooks up pies of all types – New York style, Chicago deep dish, Detroit style, and more. He has won 13 world pizza championships, with Pizza Rock being featured on national media, including the Food Network.

To answer the big question, yes, it was pretty good (I had the NY style). I don’t know about the claim of “best in the world” (I still have many other places to visit around the world so I can’t judge just yet), but it was surely on the higher side of the pizza spectrum with regard to taste. It was much better than many slices I’ve had, there’s no doubt about that, but best in the world is a big claim. The New York style was quality, but we also had a Detroit style that was just okay.

Would I eat it again? Oh, heck yeah! But next time I’d rather dine in to eat them hot and fresh rather than getting it from the slice window where it may have been sitting out a while (maybe then I’d change my feelings on it being the best). If anybody from there is reading this, hook me up for another round!

If you’re wondering why I didn’t post a picture, it’s because I was super hungry and devoured the slice before I even thought about taking a picture of it. Oh well. Maybe next time.

On this visit I was only in town for a couple of days, so there was just enough time for a couple of choices. The other spot I chose was Flour and Barley, located off the strip adjacent to the Lynq Hotel. It’s located in a highly trafficked area akin to a shopping mall. It was very loud, very crowded, and drunken idiots were rampant nearby. Looking at the place from the outside, first impressions were not great, BUT, it was one of the higher rated places in town. This type of location contradicts what I said about the tourist spots, but we wanted to go on the giant Ferris wheel and zip line at Lynq, so it was worth a try because it was convenient.

Yes, we fell for the tourist ploy Vegas is known for…

Despite the noise and crowds, sitting on the patio was actually fun because of the people watching. There were characters galore passing by who provided free dinner entertainment. As for the food, it was pretty decent. The pizza definitely made up for the circus-like atmosphere on the outside.

The flavor was good, the size was decent, and for being in the heart of the overpriced tourist trap Las Vegas strip, the price wasn’t really that bad. It wasn’t much more than you’d pay at any normal causal dining restaurant, but it was way better. Not among the best I’ve ever eaten, and definitely not a destination location, but it was worthy of being on the lists of top places in town. If you have a reason to be there like I did, it’s worth checking out.

There are a couple of other Vegas spots on the list I’ll have to visit when I get back there.

But first, onward to other cities and other pizzas…

~ Marty ~

I’ve been on a lifelong quest to find the perfect pizza. As I travel this great land, I have to visit as many pizza places as I can, and I’ve been to quite a few with many more on the radar. I’ve decided to incorporate these pizza journeys into my blog, so more posts like this will surely follow. If there is somewhere you think I should try, let me know! If you like pizza, follow me on my journey!

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