And now there's more pizza news to celebrate. The annual Italy-based 50 Top Pizza guide is like the Michelin Guide for pizza. To create it, anonymous inspectors evaluate pizzerias all over the world. This year's USA list, which was announced on June 25, includes one local spot: Marco's Coal Fired, which landed at number 49.
Opened by Mark and Kristy Dym at 2129 Larimer Street in 2008, it's been a go-to in the Ballpark neighborhood for Neapolitan-style pies ever since; it also has a location in Centennial. After a brief attempt to rebrand to avoid confusion with a chain with a similar name, Marco's returned to its original moniker — and no matter what it's called, it's always been a consistent source of bubbly, charred pies that cook in just sixty seconds in a 900-degree oven.
It's also the only pizzeria in the state that is certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.
"Mark and Kristy Dim [sic] run this establishment to promote and love Neapolitan pizza, prepared by selecting the finest Italian ingredients that come directly from Campania, in particular, the flour and San Marzano tomatoes," the guide's description of Marco's reads. "The wood-fired Neapolitan pizza is certified by the AVPN and is stretched, topped, and cooked following all the rules of the disciplinary."
A thick Sicilian pizza from Dough Counter, which is owned by the Marco's Coal Fired family.
Molly Martin
Other new additions to Denver's pizza scene include Eat'Ya Pizza on the 16th Street Mall, where you can get thick, square-cut slices of Roman-style pies; and Rosso Pomodoro, an Italian-born chain that chose the Mile High for its first standalone U.S. location.
Colorado pizzerias that have made the Top 50 Pizza list in recent years include Cart-Driver, Basil & Barley Pizzeria Napoletana in Colorado Springs, and the original Pizzeria Locale in Boulder, which has since become Pizzeria Alberico.
Our advice on the heels of all this pizza news: Go treat yourself to a slice ASAP.
