Our Review:

There seemed to be a decent amount of buzz about this place when it first opened and I was excited to check it out. I’ve heard several reports that this is the best pizza in Las Vegas. Don’t head downtown too often but finally decided to make the trip out there the other day. PopUp Pizza is located inside the Plaza Hotel and Casino. I’m always amazed at how packed the parking lots are for these casinos. They’re definitely doing something right. Self-parking is packed on a Friday night and after paying the $5 to just get in the parking lot (which you can get a refund of with validation), I end up parking on the roof because that’s all that’s available.

Get into the Plaza and, well, it’s the Plaza. The casino floor reminds me of a large empty warehouse where they slapped in carpet and slot machines. The place is bustling. Unlike Cosmopolitan’s Secret pizza there is no hunting to find Pop Up pizza because it’s right there on the casino floor. There is no separation between Pop Up pizza and the casino floor which gives it a food-courty type of feel. There’s a large horse lamp thing which is pretty cool but surprisingly not turned on.

There’s a crowd of people there and a line which is a good sign. The pizza on the counter looks good. I’m getting excited. Order my usual pepperoni and cheese pizza.

Pepperoni Pizza from Pop Up Pizza

Cheese Pizza from Pop Up Pizza

The pizza looks OK and the smell is nothing special.

Diving in the first thing I taste is disappointment. I was hoping that this was going to be great pizza but my tastebuds are telling me otherwise. The pizza is too saucy and the sauce almost tastes like spaghetti sauce. Also the crust is thicker than I like, although it does still manage to have a nice flop.

Pop Up Pizza Crust

Flop of slice of pizza from Pop Up Pizza

The pepperonis at least are tasty. The cheese itself is nothing special. I’m left with a bland aftertaste. Given how much other people seem to like this place I’m wondering if they were having an off night? It’s possible, but part of a being a good pizzeria is consistency. I may give them a try some other time to see if my experience is any different. I am interested to try some of their more unique pizzas such as the Goodman (named after mayor Oscar Goodman). As it stands now, this does not qualify as some of the best pizza in Las Vegas. I’m bummed because I’m always looking for great pizza.