Best Neapolitan Pizza in Holladay: How a Mission to Italy Led Zeke to Build Utah's Most Authentic Pizzeria

The wood-fired oven glows at 900 degrees behind the Walgreens on Holladay Boulevard, and if you know where to look—up those wooden stairs, past the parking lot—you'll find what locals are calling the best Neapolitan pizza in Salt Lake City. At Pizzeria Tasso, every pizza emerges from the flames in exactly 90 seconds, the leopard-spotted crust blistered and charred the way they do it in Naples. One customer who lived in Naples for a year put it plainly: "This is better than many of the pizza places there."

That's not something you hear often about pizza made 7,000 miles from Italy's Campania region. But Zeke, the owner and pizzaiolo behind Pizzeria Tasso, didn't learn to make pizza from YouTube videos or culinary school textbooks. He learned it the way Neapolitans have for centuries—by living there, eating there, and falling so completely under the spell of true Italian pizza that coming back to American-style pies felt impossible.

From Italy's Streets to Holladay's Hidden Gem: The Story Behind Pizzeria Tasso

Zeke's pizza journey started with two years as a volunteer missionary in Italy, wandering the cobblestone streets where pizza isn't just food—it's patrimony, tradition, identity. When you spend that much time in a country where pizza Margherita was created to honor a queen, where the VPN (Vera Pizza Napoletana) association guards centuries-old standards with religious fervor, American pizza starts to taste like a pale imitation.

"After serving as a volunteer missionary in Italy for 2 years, Zeke knew he couldn't go back to American pizza," reads the Pizzeria Tasso origin story. His solution wasn't to pine for Naples or seek out the closest approximation. It was to create his own business, to return to the roots of what makes true Italian pizza sing. Along with his wife Kelsey, Zeke built Pizzeria Tasso from the ground up—first as a catering operation running for 10 years, then finally opening their brick-and-mortar location in Holladay three years ago.

The restaurant operates from what was essentially a blank canvas behind a commercial building, transforming it into a space where Italian music plays softly and the scent of wood smoke mingles with fresh basil and San Marzano tomatoes. They import their tomatoes and flour directly from Italy, use a traditional wood-fired brick oven, and make each pizza to order. It's not trying to be fancy. It's trying to be faithful.

"We have made this a new date-night favorite," one customer explained. "My husband is Italian and doesn't like the American-style food of chain restaurants. Tasso is fresh and authentic. The atmosphere is friendly and clean with Italian music and no frills."

The Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Experience: What Makes Tasso Different

Walk into most American pizza joints and you'll see ovens running at 450, maybe 500 degrees if they're serious. Pizzeria Tasso's wood-fired brick oven roars at temperatures that would make most pizza chains nervous—the kind of heat that transforms dough in 90 seconds flat, creating that signature Neapolitan texture: soft and chewy with an airy, bubbly border charred to blistered perfection.

This is pizza cooked the way Raffaele Esposito did it in 1889 when he created the Margherita for Queen Margherita of Savoy—red tomatoes, white mozzarella, green basil mirroring the Italian flag. Neapolitan pizza is meant to be simple, designed to showcase magnificent ingredients rather than bury them under a mountain of toppings. At Tasso, they take that philosophy seriously.

The Margherita ($11) is the pizza that separates pretenders from the real deal, and customers say Tasso nails it. "Trust me, get the margherita. I lived in Napoli for a year and this is better than many of the pizza places there," one reviewer declared. The tomato sauce—made from those imported San Marzano tomatoes grown in volcanic soil near Mount Vesuvius—has a brightness and depth you don't find in California or domestic varieties. Fresh mozzarella melts into creamy pools, basil releases its perfume under the heat, and extra virgin olive oil ties it together.

But if you're looking for heat, the Diavola ($13) brings it. "The Diavola, which is a tomato based pizza with fresh mozzarella, salami, red onions, parmesan, and their spicy signature oil on top of a classic woodfired crust: thin, chewy, slightly charred, and completely toothsome," described one local food blogger. That signature spicy oil is a Tasso calling card, the kind of condiment that makes people ask for extra on the side.

The Salsiccia ($12)—Italian sausage with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan—consistently ranks as a best seller. And the Pepperoni ($12) gets the Tasso treatment too, elevated beyond the greasy American version with quality ingredients and proper technique. "Best pizza in salt lake," a customer raved. "Margherita is spot on, and the pepperoni is a fan favorite. Get it with Mikes Hot honey and you won't be disappointed!"

That Mike's Hot Honey drizzle has become almost cult-like among regulars, adding a sweet-spicy dimension that plays beautifully against the savory, wood-fired flavors. It's one of those combinations that seems obvious in retrospect but feels like a revelation the first time the flavors hit your tongue.

Don't sleep on the weekly special either—Tasso rotates a featured pizza that often becomes the talk of the week. Past specials like the Coppa have earned devoted followings. "Follow them on instagram to find the specials!" one regular advised. "Small operation but super high quality."

Why Holladay's Pizza Scene Needed Pizzeria Tasso

Holladay sits in Salt Lake County's comfortable suburban sprawl, a neighborhood known more for family homes and solid dining than cutting-edge food scenes. But in recent years, this quiet community has become something of a culinary destination, home to acclaimed spots like Franck's Restaurant, Tuscany, and a growing roster of international flavors.

Into this landscape came Pizzeria Tasso, filling a very specific gap: authentic, VPN-style Neapolitan pizza made with imported Italian ingredients and traditional techniques. Sure, Salt Lake City has plenty of pizza options—from The Pie's massive slices to Via 313's Detroit-style squares to gourmet wood-fired concepts. But true Neapolitan pizza, cooked in 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven by someone who actually lived in Italy and learned the craft through immersion? That's rare.

"Having been to most of the 'Neapolitan style' pizza places in Utah, I can say with some authority that this is one of the best, if not the best, pizza places in Utah. Would highly recommend even if it requires a drive," wrote one pizza enthusiast who'd clearly done the research.

The authenticity extends beyond just the pizza itself. Tasso uses Caputo 00 flour, the gold standard for Neapolitan dough, milled in Naples specifically for pizza-making. The slow-rise, naturally fermented dough develops complex flavors and that characteristic chew. Buffalo mozzarella, when available, brings the creamy richness you'd find in a pizzeria on Via dei Tribunali in Naples.

Even the approach to toppings follows Neapolitan tradition—restrained, focused, allowing each ingredient to speak. This isn't a place where you can get 17 toppings on a pizza. It's a place where you trust the pizzaiolo's judgment about what belongs together, what honors the tradition.

But Tasso isn't precious or unapproachable. The atmosphere is "friendly and clean with Italian music and no frills," as one customer described it. You order from your phone using a simple system, watch the pizza oven work its magic through the window, and settle in for what amounts to fast-casual dining executed at an artisan level.

"The crunch, the sauce, the toppings it's just incredibly delicious," a customer explained after trying the pepperoni and weekly special. "Id go as far to say that this is... drumroll... best Neapolitan pizza in the Salt Lake Valley. Seriously so good!"

Planning Your Visit to Pizzeria Tasso

Finding Pizzeria Tasso takes a bit of local knowledge, which somehow makes discovering it feel even more rewarding. The address is 4734 Holladay Blvd E, tucked behind the Meier's Catering building near the Walgreens parking lot. Look for the wooden stairs leading up—once you see the giant outdoor pizza oven and smell the wood smoke, you'll know you're in the right place.

Hours are limited (currently Friday and Saturday 5-8pm, Monday 5-8pm), which adds to that neighborhood secret feel. The small operation means Tasso focuses on quality over quantity, making each pizza to order and refusing to compromise on technique or ingredients just to pump out more volume.

Parking at the Walgreens lot works fine—just walk up those wooden stairs. The seating is inside, though the pizza is cooked outside in the food truck-style setup with the wood-fired oven. It's unconventional, sure, but it's also part of what makes Tasso special. This isn't a restaurant trying to look like a rustic Italian pizzeria; it's a restaurant actually making authentic Italian pizza in whatever space allows for the proper equipment.

What to order? Start with the Margherita to understand what Tasso does best, then branch out based on your preferences. The garlic cheese bread has earned a cult following of its own—"best garlic cheese bread of my life," according to one enthusiast. If you're feeding kids, they consistently approve of both the Margherita and the pepperoni. "The garlic bread and Margherita pizza are favorites among kids," noted a family-friendly review.

For dessert, the cannoli brings that Italian pastry shell filled with ricotta cream that transports you straight to a Neapolitan pasticceria. The cinnamon roll pizza and apple pie dessert pizza offer sweet endings that feel indulgent without being overwhelming.

Prices run remarkably reasonable for this level of quality and authenticity—personal pizzas range from $11-13, meaning you and a friend can eat extremely well for around $30-35 including drinks and maybe a dessert. "For the 2 pizzas, two drink, two gelatos about $30 was spent. Not too bad but can also get pricy quick but honestly it's worth every penny," one customer calculated.

The portion sizes are personal Neapolitan-style, which means they're smaller than American large pizzas but perfectly sized for one person or for sharing a few different varieties. Some customers wish for larger sizes, but that would fundamentally change what Tasso is—authentic personal-sized Neapolitan pies, not American share-a-large pizzas.

One practical note: The location can be tricky to find on your first visit. "Location is hard to find. I like to park at the walgreens and walk up the wooden stairs," advised one regular. There's also limited phone ordering—Tasso keeps operations streamlined and focused on the pizza itself rather than extensive customer service infrastructure. But what they lack in fancy amenities, they more than make up for in the quality coming out of that wood-fired oven.

Service is consistently praised as friendly and attentive despite the casual setup. "The service here was so great! The servers were very attentive and friendly," noted one customer. For catering needs, Tasso's decade of experience shows—they've successfully fed crowds of 110+ people at weddings, "pizza cooked to perfection!! The crew kept their amazing pizza coming hot and fresh!"

Follow @pizzeriatasso on Instagram for weekly specials, hour updates, and that essential pizza photography that'll have you planning your next visit before you've finished your current pie.

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Pizzeria Tasso represents something increasingly rare in American dining: uncompromising commitment to authentic technique and ingredients, executed by someone who actually learned the tradition at its source. Zeke didn't just visit Italy; he lived there long enough to understand that Neapolitan pizza isn't about innovation or fusion or putting a creative spin on things. It's about respecting centuries of refinement, using the right ingredients cooked the right way, and trusting that simplicity done excellently will always win.

In Holladay's suburban landscape, behind a Walgreens parking lot, up some wooden stairs, that philosophy is creating the kind of pizza that makes people who've eaten in Naples nod with recognition. It's worth the drive from anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley, worth the limited hours and the hunt to find the entrance. Because this is the real thing—the best Neapolitan pizza in Holladay, and quite possibly the best in all of Utah.

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Pizzeria Tasso
4734 Holladay Blvd E, Holladay, UT 84117
Hours: Mon, Fri, Sat 5:00-8:00 PM
Instagram: @pizzeriatasso