Pizza is as ubiquitous as it is delicious. It seems there’s a pizza joint in every other shopping center in Douglas and Arapahoe counties.
With so many pie purveyors to chose from, how do you pick just one at which to nosh? One possible indicator of quality and success is longevity. The four shops below know a thing or two about that. Each has been open more than 20 years. Check them out if you like a side of nostalgia with your mozzarella and red sauce.
Frank “The Pizza King”
Address:4701 S. Broadway, Englewood
Hours: 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.Tuesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays,11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Sundays, closed Mondays
Contact:303-789-2279 or
Year founded: 1961
What the staff says: “I like to think that what distinguish ourselves from other business in our category is how we treat our employees and customers as family, and when you’re at Frank’s it feels like home and not just another pizza restaurant on the block. We proudly make our own pizza sauce, our own sausage and our own dough daily.” —Matt Krascek, manager
Rico’s Pizzeria
Address: 3500 S. Broadway, Englewood
Hours: 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays-Saturdays, closed Sundays
Founded: 1974 (Current location since 1984)
Contact:303-781-0541 or
What the owner says: “We get to interact with each and every customer who comes in, because our place is quaint – itap like you’re eating in your family’s kitchen. Our cooking area is out in front, so as we cook we are able to talk to our customers. If you become a regular, then conversation becomes more like, ‘How’s the family?’ and stuff like that.” —Sal Mineo
Tonti’s Pizza
Address: 17805 Cottonwood Drive, Unit 109, Parker
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, closed Mondays
Founded: 1992
Contact: 303-627-1739 or
What the owner says:“The best part about this line of work is meeting people; everyone has a story. We have a good base of regulars, and we hope to obtain some more. Most of all, we enjoy filling up everyone’s bellies — no one should leave Tonti’s hungry.” — Chris Wedemeyer
Big Bill’s New York Pizza
Address:8243 S. Holly St., Centennial
Hours:11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays
Founded:1995
Contact:303-741-9245,
What the owner says: “We believe in customer service first and care about our community. We think itap an important part of our business that we make sure that we are involved in our community. We work on making sure the quality of our food stays consistent and good. So I guess you could say we do everything with tender, loving care and we instill this value in our workers.” — Bill Ficke