Restaurant Review - Lucky Pie Pizza

Does Denver really need another pizza joint claiming to have wood-fired pizzas in an out-of-the-box design concept?  Well, depending on your palate, you might say yes but with so much competition in the market, I was surprised that Lucky Pie Pizza would come to Denver to duke it out with big hitters like Wazee Supper Club, Wazee Wood Fired Pizza and Marco’s Coal Fired.  However, the establishment, taking up real estate on the busy 16^th Street Mall has created a buzz about itself already and it was time to try it out myself.

The space is swanky for a pizza joint without feeling pretentious; red accents, an inviting modern lounge and Edison light bulbs adorning simple fixtures all around the dining space set the scene.  We decided to sit inside as our visit to Lucky Pie was on a 90-degree day but we quickly realized that the restaurant was barely cooler than the outdoors.  At one point we even asked if the air conditioning was in-fact on and when our server went to ask, we never heard back with a response.  Needless to say, this was the biggest misstep but one that I could not overlook throughout the entire meal.

Lucky Pie must have luck on their side, as the food and drink made up for the muggy temperatures.  The restaurant has a robust snack menu including the addictive Fried Squeaky Curds (glorified cheese curds).  I would go back for this item alone to pair with a Delirium Tremens Belgium beer; one of 27 beers on tap. 

(Clockwise from top left:  menu  /  cheese tasting  /  cheers to good beer  /  Meatlover and Popeye)

I am a huge sucker for fresh mozzarella so an order of the smoked moz and of the stracciatella (torn moz mixed with fresh cream) was quickly ordered as well.  I found the smoked moz to be extremely potent which was almost over powering to the delicate texture that mozzarella is known for.  However, the stracciatella was right up my alley with a creamy, light and just under salted taste.  We paired them with the fig gastrique which was a hit all on its own.  I feel like the gastrique could be put on nearly everything on Lucky Pie’s menu to add a rich, sweet flavor.

As far as pizza, Lucky Pie holds its own when it comes to crust.  The chewy, slightly crusty bread held up nicely to the toppings without going soggy.  Lucky’s version is not as thin as some of their pizza competitors which makes for bite-after-bite of delicious carb goodness.    

The standout of our meal was the Meat Lover pizza, topped with thinly sliced peperoni, peppery capicola, salami genoa, slightly-spicy calabrian peppers and the mecca of a stellar pizza sauce, san marzano tomatoes.  The pizza had great flavors, a good crunch and was quickly consumed with little conversation between bites.  The Popeye was a lighter version to the pizza menu with fresh summer spinach, fontina, mozzarella, grana podano, pecorino, olive oil and the most delicious roasted garlic that brought a sweet and buttery taste to every bite.  I would maybe try one of the other pizzas next time instead of the Popeye but it was nice balance to the heavier Meat Lover.

I am a huge pizza lover and with so many options in Denver it may be hard to get Lucky Pie into my repertoire.  However, I know if I go back, I will be welcomed with good pizza, beers a plenty on tap and hopefully a nice cool space to enjoy my meal in.