Pizza is a popular food for a majority of college students, and St. George has plenty of pizza restaurants to choose from when pizza cravings arise.
Because there are so many pizza establishments in St. George, finding the tastiest slice would prove to be something of a task — a task I willingly took on to answer the question of who has the best slice. Thus, the pizza war began.
After two polls on Twitter, the votes were highest for Pieology and Pizzeria Limone. I tried each of those and then Riggatti’s, which was recommended by a family member.
Pieology
According to Pieology Pizzeria’s website, the restaurant is there to “nourish and inspire — to serve creativity — and celebrate people coming together to connect.” Ideally, it is a place to go and spend time with family or friends and enjoy good food.
The restaurant is of the create-your-own variety where customers can choose the type of crust they want and have their choice of everything, from sauces to toppings. Having so many choices can be overwhelming for customers used to having their choices limited to pepperoni, sausage or specialty pizzas, such as supreme or Hawaiian.
“I kind of have to walk them through how everything works,” shift manager Emily Loza said. “It’s pretty much like a Subway for pizza.”
I was excited about being able to put whichever toppings I felt like putting on my pizza. I asked for pesto sauce with artichokes, red onions, garlic, salami and sun dried tomatoes, with gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese. The cook put a mountain of cheese on the pizza, which resulted in such stringy cheesiness, I thought I’d need to cut my first piece free with a knife.
Pizzeria Limone
General Manager Cynthia Medina, said the creator of Pizzeria Limone often travels to Italy, where he found inspiration for the food at the restaurant, which is another create-your-own like Pieology with a Neapolitan influence.
The topping choices here are different from traditional American pizza. Customers can have blackberries, lemon, pears or prosciutto on their pizza, along with fresh portobello mushrooms, kalamata olives and dry salami for a pizza experience closer to what Italians would put on their pizza.
“What makes it unique is the dough; it’s house made,” Medina said. “Another thing that makes it unique [is] the owner made the dough. It’s his own recipe.”
In addition to the Neapolitan style food, the original dough recipe and originally designed oven, Pizzeria Limone is locally owned and operated with just six locations across Utah in Cottonwood, Jordan, Salt Lake City, Lehi, Sandy and St. George.
The pizza was decidedly different from any other pizza I’ve eaten because the sauce wasn’t as sweet as American pizza and the kalamata olives added a slight tartness. It was also nice to have a pizza which was not overburdened with toppings or cheese to the point of sliding off the crust. All things considered, the pizza tasted very good.
Riggatti’s Wood Fired Pizza
I was very impressed with Riggatti’s Pizza from the moment I stepped inside. I arrived after 2 p.m. and thought I’d missed out on the lunch special, but they sold me a lunch special nonetheless, which I thought was excellent customer service.
Riggatti’s is another locally owned pizza restaurant and is approximately five to six years old. The pizza is also in the Neapolitan, hand-tossed style and the oven is also an original design.
The most appealing aspect of Riggatti’s is its environment. With three tables and two counter spaces for customers to sit at, the restaurant has a café feel to it similar to those small pub-like coffee houses, except pizza is made there instead of coffee.
“It’s very homey, at least I feel like it’s a home,” cook Aubrey Forsyth said. “It’s a very open environment and a safe environment.”
The Verdict
Ultimately, all three establishments had something unique to offer and none of the pizza’s were greasy because they are not cooked in a pan. All of them were very tasty, but I liked Riggatti’s pizza the best and it cost the least. The ratio of sauce, cheese and toppings at Riggatti’s was exceptional and added to my enjoyment of the pizza, but I was impressed most with how the employees showed they care for their customers as much as their pizza. They displayed a level of customer service which will keep customers coming to Riggatti’s for years to come.
Pieology is located on Red Hills Parkway next to Yogurtland, Pizzeria Limone is further up the street next to Chipotle and Riggatti’s is located on Main Street, next to Bear Paw Café.
