Marco’s Coal Fired Pizza 10111 Inverness Main St. (at the Vallagio), Englewood, 303-790-9000, . Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
The look: A bit bigger than the original (and incredibly successful) Ballpark-area location, this new outpost of popular Marco’s retains some of the basic designs: bright colors, wheeled office chairs and massive ovens.
On the menu: Pizza, mostly. Personal-sized, priced from about $12 to about $18. Meat lovers will dig the “New York” side of the menu, which features items like the Brooklyn Pie (sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and more); the Italian side offers gems like the Sicilia (ricotta, salame, fresh mozzarella and more). Double-plus-good: the now-famous $9 lunch special — small house salad (a simple, fresh mesclun mix with a few onions and a scattering of mozzarella chunks), margarita pizza (tomatoes, basil, cheese) and a drink.
The vibe: Already throbbing at lunchtime (it’s the $9 special), busy with office workers and suburbanites gossiping, strategizing and chowing down. Smart, quick service.
When to visit: Come early or late for lunch; if you hit the place at prime time, you might wait a few minutes. Story and photo by Tucker Shaw, The Denver Post
