Don’t be surprised: Las Vegas makes list of top pizza cities

When one thinks of the best pizza cities in America, Las Vegas might not be the first to come to mind—or the second, or even the third.

So for some, it may come as a shock that TripAdvisor.com gave Las Vegas the No. 2 spot on its “America’s Top 10 Cities for Pizza” list.

Keep in mind the list is based on reviews and opinions from travelers who use TripAdvisor. The top 10 spots were determined based on the highest average rating by city for all restaurants that serve pizza, according to the official website.

TripAdvisor’s list shows San Diego holding the No. 1 spot, with Boston and New York in third and fourth.

But co-owner of Las Vegas’ Metro Pizza John Arena said it doesn’t surprise him to see the city on the list because of the influences and audience here from famous pizza cities, including Chicago and New York.

Arena attributes the strong market to the people visiting from all over the world in search of a one-of-a-kind experience.

“What’s unique is not necessarily the types of pizza that are being produced, but also the fact that there is such a diverse audience here,” he said.

Arena’s experience in the pizza market dates back to 1967 when he began making pizzas in his family’s pizzeria in New York. In 1980, he and his cousin opened Metro Pizza in Las Vegas.

He also teaches a 3-credit “History and Culture of Pizza” course at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

Arena’s time in the industry has taught him what people look for in their pizza experience will vary on the “cognitive theory of pizza,” which is what they grew up with, he said.

“It used to be people were looking to replicate their childhood pizza, now you’re finding that people want to try the pizzas they’ve heard about but never experienced.”

TripAdvisor’s list gave Las Vegas’ pizza credit to Secret Pizza in The Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas strip, Nora’s Italian Cuisine on West Flamingo Road and Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, which has three locations.

While TripAdvisor and Yelp reviews seemed to agree that the three do indeed offer delicious pizza, there are a few other pizza places in Las Vegas worth mentioning.

Pop Up Pizza, Sicili’s Pizza and Metro Pizza are also among Las Vegas pizza favorites.

Did we miss any other great spots?

Contact reporter Yvette Cruz at ycruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256. Follow @YvyReports on Twitter.