9 new places in Las Vegas to celebrate National Pizza Month

October is National Pizza Month. You could also call it National Contentiousness Month. Or, 31 Days of Very Strong Opinions.

Why? Because pizza, like barbecue and Philly cheesesteaks, is among the most contentious topics in the world of food, and what qualifies as great pizza, and why, tends to elicit strong (and divisive) opinions.

As National Pizza Month begins, we’re not feeling disputatious. Nor do we want to flak jacket our email and DMs. So, to mark the occasion, we’re simply presenting nine places for pizza in Las Vegas that opened in the past year (since October 2023). Some are pizzerias; others are restaurants with a pizza component.

No rankings, no “best of” — just new pies on the block arranged alphabetically. Think of it as staying neutral on the home slice.

Bramàre: Constantin Alexander and Evan Glusman, owners of Table 34, opened this moody Italian job in July. Anacardi pizza emerges from a gas oven that reaches 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This pie is built with buffalo mozzarella and strewn with Calabrese sausage, olives and anacardi (Italian for “cashews”). Another pie is lined with beef cheeks, goat cheese and potato. There’s also a classic Margherita: organic tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, gusts of basil.

3900 Paradise Road, Suite H, bramare.com

Ciao Vino Ristorante: This Italian entry debuted in early September; it’s one of several multimillion-dollar projects from HUKL Hospitality announced in July. Chef Joel Myers, previously of Vetri Cucina at the Palms and Osteria Fiorella in Red Rock Resort, helms the kitchen. He sends out a funghi pie provisioned with wild mushrooms, roasted garlic and creamy stracciatella, a type of fresh mozzarella. The diavola brings the heat with spicy salumi and Calabrian chilis.

740 S. Rampart Blvd., in Boca Park, ciaovino.com

Curry Pizza House: Paneer meets pie at Curry Pizza House, a fast-casual chain that opened its first Las Vegas shop last November, on South Maryland Parkway across from UNLV. The menu unites traditional Italian pizzas with Indian ingredients. Curry chicken masala pizza features curry sauce, masala chicken, bell peppers, red onion and cilantro. A palak paneer pie calls on fresh pesto, masala paneer (cheese in curry), spinach, red onion, green chilis, ginger and garlic.

4700 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 110, currypizzahouse.com

Good Pie: Vincent Rotolo, owner-pizzaiolo of Good Pie, arrived in Vegas in 2011, later launching and closing the first Good Pie on Las Vegas Boulevard South before opening the current shop on South Main Street in downtown. The first expansion of this acclaimed pizzeria launches Oct. 13. The menu at the new store, like downtown, offers signature pizza styles (Grandma, Sicilian, Brooklyn, Detroit), along with New York-style slices and gluten-free Sicilian versions.

835 Seven Hill Drive, Suites 140A and 140B, Henderson, goodpie.com

Happy Camper: Pizzas come with a side of people-watching at Happy Camper, which opened in February in a Strip-side space with neon lights, disco balls and a retractable roof. Pizzas are assembled with Happy Camper’s signature dough — crisp outside, chewy crumb — or tavern style, which is extra thin, crisp and square-cut. Gluten-free crust is offered, too. Toppings range from pepperoni to specialty ingredients such as barbecue chicken, street corn, and prosciutto and spinach.

In Fashion Show mall, happycamper.pizza

Lexie’s Bistro: Lexie’s unveiled its Italian-American menu in May in swanky digs with a roomy terrace. Thick, chewy cornices (or rims) enclose the half-dozen pies: among them, the formaggi mingling mozzarella and Bel Paese, a version using locally sourced mushrooms, and the Sapori d’Italia (“Flavors of Italy”) laying on prosciutto, capicola and soppressata. The formaggi and roasted vegetable pies are two of the weekday lunch specials.

3610 Sunridge Heights Parkway, Suite 100, Henderson, lexiesbistro.com

Miami Slice: The Miami Slice pizza counter took its place in the Promenade Food Hall when the Fontainebleau opened in December on the northern Strip. The Vegas shop, offering New York-style slices and pies, marks location No. 2 for the pizza bar, following the first store in downtown Miami. The small menu of five or so pizzas includes La Salsera, with red, vodka and pesto sauces, and a pie with leeks and bacon joining mozzarella, pecorino and garlic confit cream.

In the Fontainebleau, Promenade Food Hall, miamislicepizza.com

Mr. Moto Pizza: The San Diego pizzeria, known for its thin crust and fluffy cornice, introduced its first Vegas shop in April. Leading off the menu are pizzas such as the Mamma Moto (garlic paste, burrata, cherry tomatoes, truffle oil), the Rocky Mountains (meatballs, ricotta, spicy honey, oregano), The Hulk (pepperoni, bacon, ham, sausage), and the Furious Diablo (garlic chicken, Buffalo sauce, house ranch). Garlic knots and calzones report for adjutant duty.

9270 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 100, mrmotopizza.com

Prince Street Pizza: Prince Street, in Durango casino, started out in New York City. The pizzeria is known for its round Neapolitan pies (thin, crisp crust) and its Sicilian SoHo squares (thick, fluffy crust and crisp edges), by the slice or whole pizza. A Neapolitan Fancy Prince, a take on the Margherita, is fashioned from house sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino-Romano and basil. A Sicilian Naughty Pie harnesses prosciutto vodka sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, ricotta and Zab’s Hot Honey.

In Durango casino, Eat Your Heart Out food hall, princestreetpizza.com

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.