Best Pizza Restaurants – Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
I love pizza. It covers all the food groups in one little slice. There aren’t many foods that can say that. I’ve been eating all of the pizza in Coeur d’Alene and it has been mighty tasty. Plus, it’s the easiest food to order take-out with, which is perfect during a pandemic. Safe and delicious!
Here is a list of my top 5 favorite pizza places in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with my #1 favorite being at the top of the list. I hope you enjoy!
#1 Iron Pizza
Iron Pizza is my favorite pizza in Coeur d’Alene! The crust is what makes their pizza special. They use a 5-day fermented dough made in-house, giving it a nice sourdough flavor. The texture is perfect, chewy and delicious. I’m so impressed with it! I LOVED Iron’s speciality pizza that they offered in the past. I would say it was one of my favorite topping combinations on a pizza that I’ve had in a while. It was a brie, fig, prosciutto pizza, with a rosemary white sauce, and it was so good. Iron Pizza! Please bring that pizza back and make it a regular menu item! I’ve also tried and loved their Hawaiian pizza, “Pigs and Pineapple.” Fun name, and a tasty pizza, with sliced ham AND pepperoni on it. I can’t wait to try more of their pizzas. Sadly, Iron Pizza doesn’t require their employees to wear masks, which I find to be disappointing during a pandemic.
Gluten-Free?
Iron Pizza offers a gluten-free crust for $4 extra.
405 E. Best Ave. #104
Iron Pizza- Specialty Brie Pizza
#2 Pepe Caldo Pizzeria
Pepe Caldo is my 2nd favorite pizza shop in CDA. They also get the award for the friendliest pizza shop in town. I love the people here. The younger son greeted us outside when we arrived and showed us into the restaurant, politely opening the door for us. It was adorable. All of the employees treated us like family. Their pizza is more traditional, with a hand tossed pizza crust. They are known for their special red sauce made in-house, “Pepe’s Red #3”. Don’t miss trying it. They offer classic pizza toppings. The standout at Pepe Caldo for me was the house-made bread bites that they make in three different flavors- garlic parmesan, cinna-sweet, and jalapeño cinna-sweet. I could eat a whole order of those on my own! Pizza isn’t the only thing they sell at Pepe Caldo. They sell skateboards too, for a really fun funky vibe that feels comfortable and easy. I can’t wait to dine-in here when things settle down with COVID and dine outside in their patio area in the summer. Pepe Caldo takes the necessary precautions to keep the community safe during a pandemic which I am very grateful for, with all employees wearing masks. They are currently closed for dine-in but are open for take-out and delivery.
Gluten-Free?
Pepe Caldo makes a gluten-free pizza, but it’s only available in their 10-inch personal size.
1116 Ironwood Dr.
Pepe Caldo- Sausage and Peppers with Pepe’s Red #3
#3 Northwest Pizza Company
Northwest Pizza Company comes in at #3 for me. We’ve ordered Northwest Pizza Company several times, including recently for my son’s birthday party. The pizza at Northwest Pizza Company is consistently good, and it’s a great option for when you have a large crowd to feed. Their pizza style is more traditional, with a thick deep-dish chewy crust. It reminded me slightly of Pizza Hut’s crust, but on steroids. Northwest Pizza Company loads up their pizzas with toppings! No skimping here- every piece is piled high. I love their “Chicken Rancher” pizza with ranch sauce, chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes. The “Sweet Bee” is another favorite of mine. It’s like a Hawaiian pizza but also with shredded coconut, bacon, almonds, and honey drizzled on top. So unique and so good! Northwest Pizza Company is currently closed for dine-in due to COVID, but they are open for take-out and delivery. I appreciate their willingness to help keep the community safe during a pandemic.
Gluten-Free?
Northwest Pizza Company offers gluten-free pizza options in medium and large.
8158 N. Government Way
-Northwest Pizza Company- Chicken Rancher
#4 Vicino Pizza
For #4 we have Vicino. Vicino is the sister restaurant to Vine and Olive, one of my favorite wine bars in town. Vicino opened in 2020 in the Village at Riverstone off of Northwest Blvd. Vicino is a nice sit-down type of pizza restaurant with a fun modern feel. I can’t wait to dine-in here and enjoy some wine with my pizza once COVID settles down. Vicino makes thin crust, Italian style pizza in a wood fired oven, giving it a delicate char. The crust is yummy- buttery and chewy, one that you want to finish every bite of. We tried their sausage and honey pizza with jalapeños. The sausage was impressive, house-made, and the pizza had the perfect mix of spicy, savory, and sweet. I would definitely order this pizza again, but I am also excited to try some of their other menu items. Their meatballs look amazing, and their wine selection looks impressive. The second pizza we tried, the speck pizza, while good, wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t love the tase of the speck and the crust was soggy. Sadly, both chefs were not wearing masks, only the one waitress working at the time.
Gluten-Free?
Vicino offers gluten-free pizza for an additional $3 per pizza.
2385 N. Old Mill Loop
Vicino Pizza- Sausage and Honey
#5 Flame & Cork
Flame & Cork comes in at #5 in the ranking. Flame & Cork offers a thin-crust wood fired pizza with a nice char. The thing that impressed me the most was the quality of the toppings that they used on their pizzas. On the “Spicy Hawaiian” pizza, they used fresh sliced pineapple, not canned. Yum! It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory, with a little spice. Also, the amount of toppings was impressive. They didn’t skimp at all. They only offer one size of pizza at Flame & Cork (oval shaped), and they were a little smaller than I expected. However, for the price they seemed reasonable. On Tuesdays they do a deal for 2 pizzas for $22! All of the employees were wearing masks when we visited which I really appreciate.
Gluten-Free?
Flame & Cork offers gluten-free pizza for $2 extra.
8592 N. Government Way
Flame & Cork- Spicy Hawaiian
Honorable Mentions
Fire
Fire has been around for many years now and it used to be a favorite of mine. However, more recently I haven’t been as impressed. I think that is because additional pizza places have come to town that are very impressive, making Fire seem mediocre in comparison. Fire is skimpy on their toppings, which is one of my biggest complaints. What saves them is their location right on Sherman Ave. So if you’re downtown and having a hankering for some pizza, it isn’t a bad choice, but I’d say there are other places in town with better pizza.
Capone’s Pub and Grill
If you are looking for a great hangout place to watch the big game while snacking on a pizza, Capone’s is a great choice. There are screens everywhere you look, making for a really fun and exciting (and loud!) night out. (This isn’t a quiet, romantic date night type of restaurant) While their pizza is good, it isn’t the best in town and I think if fails in comparison to other pizza shops. The crust isn’t my favorite. And the service at Capone’s can be quite frustrating. So beware before you go, this isn’t an in-and-out type of place, but a stay-a-while and relax with a few beers type of restaurant. Either situation can be frustrating I guess depending on what you’re looking for!
Other Places I’ve Tried
MOD
I wasn’t impressed at all. Their motto is fast pizza, but when the quality is that low, I’d rather wait.
MacKenzie River Pizza Grill and Pub
While I did appreciate their outdoor dining space during COVID, their pizza was really bad. The crust was horrible. I wouldn’t recommend eating here if you’re looking for good pizza.
Radicci Italian Bistro
Radicci’s pizzas are ok, but they are really small for the price.
The Pizza Factory
Nothing special about The Pizza Factory. Maybe it’s an okay place when you have a large crowd to feed and you want a casual loud place to hang for bit, but really their pizza is very average and I wouldn’t recommend it.
What’s your favorite pizza shop in town? Are there any that you swear by that I missed? I’d love to know in the comments below.
Still hungry for some great Coeur d’Alene eats? Check out this post about the best Mexican food in town.
