words by Mary Malouf
For the average person, an hour of downhill skiing burns 440 calories, give or take. The average slice of pizza provides 265 calories. Therefore skiing and pizza are meant to go together—obviously! But, seriously, there are not many bites as satisfying as the classic combo of freshly baked dough, marinara and mozzarella cheese after a day on the slopes. To help you realize this match made in heaven, here we’ve gathered a list of our most beloved pizza purveyors, all conveniently located at or nearby the slopes.
Salt Lake City Area
The Stone Haus (2)
The exterior of the Stone Haus Pizzeria and Creamery at Solitude is completely charming—you want to go in just because of the gray stone walls and the grass-topped roof. Pizza is the star of the menu here and you can create your own, but don’t overlook the sandwiches and other menu items. All can be ordered to go, and there’s also a keto-friendly menu and ice cream.
Wildflower (3)
It’s the end of the day; time to stop the downhill rush (until tomorrow), slow down and savor the moment. Pizza around the fireplace is perfect and the Wildflower at Snowbird is the place, a hangout as well as a restaurant. Order the Bianca because you get a pile of arugula on top of the melted mozz, so it’s a salad and entrée in one. Then settle in to tell your tales of the day.
Big Apple Pizza (4)
If you’re looking for somewhere to take your rowdy kids (or just adults who act like children) for a pie that’s both tasty and easy on the wallet, stop into the unassuming Big Apple Pizza. Menu standouts include the California veggie and the blue buffalo chicken pies. For those who are wheat averse, Big Apple now offers a gluten-free crust.
The Pie (5)
This Salt Lake staple has several locations, but the original The Pie located near The University of Utah is still the best: a downstairs, cave-like restaurant with graffiti-covered walls, pizzas nearly bigger than your table and the famous cheesy pull-aparts. Vegan and gluten-free pies are also available; call ahead for keto pies.
Settebello (6)
The Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN) was established in Napoli, Italy, in 1984 by Signore Pace. Its sole purpose is to protect the integrity of the pizza-making tradition as it began in Napoli over 200 years ago and requires that members use only specific raw ingredients and their hands to create the pizza dough and that it be cooked directly on the surface of a pizza oven fueled solely by wood. Pizza at Settebello, in downtown Salt Lake City, is all that.
Pizza Nono
The owners of Pizza Nono have simple goals. Quality. Artisanal. Traditional. There’s no stuffed crust or gimmicks (though they do have a gluten-free crust), just wood-fired pizza made with premium, fresh ingredients. Choose from beer or soft drinks to accompany your pie, or the locally made Garwoods ginger beer.
Park City Area
Davanza's (7)
Davanza’s is just a snowball’s throw away from Park City Mountain's iconic Town Lift. There you’ll find American-style, cracker-crust pizza with a selection of classic toppings. Order by the slice or a whole pie. Perhaps reassuring to non-Utahns is the note on the beverage list: “everchanging variety of Utah and full-strength beer and glasses of wine available.”
Maxwell's East Coast Eatery (8)
The official name is Maxwell’s East Coast Eatery and its roots harken back to Little Italy. And so it comes as little surprise that what they most often serve here is New York style with a thin crust. Try a pie called The Fat Kid topped with pepperoni, spinach and ricotta. At night on weekends, things heat up with the wine and music. (A second Maxwell’s location can be found in downtown Salt Lake City.)
J&G Grill: St. Regis Deer Valley (9)
The black truffle and fontina cheese pizza on J&G Grill’s bar menu is the height of “gourmet” pizza, a term coined in the ’80’s when Spago Chef Wolfgang Puck topped a pizza with smoked salmon and caviar. The menu also features a pizza of the day, chef’s choice. And of course there are sips from the award-winning wine cellar at the St. Regis to choose from.
Ogden Area
Slackwater (10)
Slackwater has been broadening the beer and pizza vocabulary in Ogden since 2011. For example, the Fish Taco pie has a green goddess base topped with seasoned tilapia, black bean corn salsa and a three-cheese blend. It’s finished with fresh coleslaw, pico de gallo, cilantro, a drizzle of chimichurri sauce and a lime wedge garnish. But if you are a little nervous about straying so far from pizza orthodoxy, tamer options are available.
Lucky Slice (11)
Sometimes it’s hard to find pizza by the slice—it’s mainly a New York thing, where people eat and walk at the same time. But slices are just one of the conveniences at Lucky Slice (Logan/Ogden/Clearfield/Powder Mountain). You can order whole pies or slices. They also offer delivery, dine-in or take-out, and the menu includes a list of original pies like the Potato-Pesto Pie or traditional ones, as well as a complete vegan menu.
Cedar City Area
Pizano's (12)
It’s definitely high altitude at 11,307 feet, but is centrally located at Brian Head's Giant Steps base area. At Pizano’s you can build your own pizza or order from a specialty pie menu that pays homage to pizza hot-spots—a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger pie, a Chicago Meat Lover pie, a Sicilian pie and a SoCal pie. Add to that a list of subs, calzones, salads and desserts. And you don’t want to miss the beer.
Centro Woodfired Pizza (13)
At Cedar City’s Centro Woodfired Pizza (just 40 minutes from Brian Head), the light-as-air dough is topped with housemade tomato sauce, local vegetables and high-quality cheeses and then baked over a wood fire at 800 degrees, giving the crust that traditional “leopard spot” char characteristic of Italian pizza. Recommendation: it’s worth it to eat it fresh at the restaurant.
More cheese please!
Originally written for Ski Utah magazine
