My last pizza day in Denver was a downtown jaunt during the Monday lunch hour. Walking along the city streets on a gorgeous spring day, my first target (another from the Thrillist list) was the oddly-named Two-Fisted Mario’s Pizza. On the bottom floor of what looks to be a renovated old warehouse building in LoDo, Mario’s is in the middle of the block just off the avenue known as the 16th Street Mall.

Walking through the double front door, there’s a big rock & roll bar to the left and a smaller pizza room to the right. While obviously an important vehicle for the late-night bar crowd until 2am, Mario’s also opens for lunch at 11am. The Snob arrived just before noon, the first customer of the work week, although a few folks followed in after me. The big bar room was empty at this hour, but gave me the impression that it was a popular place.

The pizza space was a bit of a crusty old room. I ordered up my cheese slice ($3.00) at the counter in the back which was alongside the long pizza oven. There was plenty of space to sit or stand to eat in the room, and there were even two vintage Pac-Man table machines. My slice didn’t take long and was graciously delivered to my table on a silver platter.

Guess what? Though it was perhaps a tad shorter, it was another long and lean classic Denver Slice. And it was an absolutely fabulous one for sure. A solid eat all the way through, it was an expertly-constructed and blended slice, light on oil and served at a precisely-perfect eating temperature. There was a delightful richness to the tomato sauce that added to the flavor.

I did a perfect Fold & Rip on my slice and there was zero cheese slippage. The only bad thing was that I had to listen to Bon Jovi while I ate. Other than that, Mario’s was a perfect pizza experience.

Two-Fisted Mario’s may not be the most comfortable or aesthetically-pleasing pizza place in downtown Denver. But, I do know that if I lived here, I’d be visiting it quite often. Fantastic on-the-money pizza.

I still can’t believe that I am five-for-five so far on my Denver pizza sojourn. One more to go.

PIZZA SNOB RATING ***** Sets the Standard
Two-Fisted Mario’s Pizza
1626 Market Street Denver, CO   80202
303-623-3523
http://twofistedmarios.com