Food + Drink

Minneapolis By the Slice 5 Must-Try Pizza Places

Pizza. I would travel a long way for a good one. Luckily, when in Minneapolis you don’t have to. My hometown is a city full of lakes and great pizza, bike trails and even more great pizza. Whether you like your pizza vegan, gluten-free, classic, or out of the ordinary, here are five places to add to your must-try list the next time you’re in Minneapolis.

Pizza Luce

A Pizza Sitting On Top Of A Wooden Cutting Board

Seasonal Soppressata Salami and Spicy Pickled Pepper Flatbread (Photo Credit: @pizza_luce)

Pizza Luce has been a Minneapolis institution for 25 years, having written the book on innovative gourmet pizza in the city. Their flagship restaurant, which had humble beginnings as a slice counter, is a quick three-block walk away from Loews Minneapolis. Pizza Luce classics include the vegan Rustler (topped with mock duck, pineapple, barbecue sauce, and vegan cheese) and the Baked Potato Pizza, served with a side of sour cream. With plenty of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, seasonal, and specialty options — and a restaurant open very late into the night — Pizza Luce can always satisfy your cravings.

Black Sheep Pizza

A Slice Of Pizza Sitting On Top Of A Table

The Sicilian (Photo Credit: @blacksheeppizza)

A quick 15-minute walk from Loews Minneapolis and into the nearby North Loop neighborhood will bring you to Black Sheep Pizza, the first restaurant in Minnesota serving coal-fired pizza. Their New York-style crust is crispy and chewy and slightly charred from the oven — serving as the perfect foundation for a dozen different specialty pizzas. Top pie picks include the #12 (Bacon and Golden Pineapple), #8 (the Chicken and Pickled Peppers), and the Sicilian, a square pizza topped with mozzarella, sauce, and extra virgin olive oil.

Punch Pizza

A Close Up Of A Slice Of Pizza

A short drive from downtown and across the Mississippi River will deliver you to Punch Pizza, which serves Neapolitan style pizza baked in a 900-degree wood-fired brick oven. Choose from over 25 styles of pizza, both classic (with fresh mozzarella and crushed tomato) and Bianco (no crushed tomato). You can even craft your own Margherita, as pictured here. Punch’s pizzas are available in one size, 10-inch, so bring a dining companion and share two...or three! Having to choose only one is nearly impossible.

Young Joni

A Pizza Sitting On Top Of A Wooden Table

If you venture to Northeast Minneapolis, about a 15-minute drive from Loews Minneapolis, you’ll find Young Joni, nationally recognized as one of the best new restaurants in the country. Owned by 2017 James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist Ann Kim, Young Joni is serving some of the city’s most delicious (and international) pizza creations from their wood-fired oven. If you had to pick only two to try, you can’t go wrong with the Korean BBQ, with beef short ribs and a soy chili vinaigrette, and The Pepe, with fresh clams, mozzarella, and crème fraîche. If you bring friends you can try even more... like the Broccolini (pictured above) and La Parisienne. Be warned that Young Joni’s pizza is just as delicious fresh as it is cold… if you have any left over. You’d be wise to order extra.

Cosmos Restaurant at Loews Minneapolis

A Slice Of Pizza Sitting On Top Of A Wooden Cutting Board

If a busy day of work or play in Minneapolis has left you wanting to stay closer to home for your next meal, Cosmos Restaurant at Loews Minneapolis can satisfy your appetite for fresh and delicious pizza. Just steps from your room, you’ll be treated to our hand-pulled flatbreads. The dough is made in-house and the finished product is topped with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, which our chefs may serve fresh, grilled, or pickled. The toppings change daily so you’re always in for a seasonal surprise. In the spring and summer, these toppings are hyper-local since they are picked from Chef Timothy Fischer’s rooftop garden here at the hotel.

No trip is ever complete without trying the local cuisine, and no trip to Minneapolis is complete without experiencing a slice of the local pizza scene. If you’re looking for a quick lunch, a meal with friends, a midnight snack, or a casual date night, add pizza to your agenda the next time you visit Minneapolis, a truly great pizza city on the prairie.