Marco's Coal-fired Pizzeria: a crust almost magical

Maybe it's the Pennsylvania anthracite coal and good Missouri hickory used to fire up the two ovens that makes Marco's pizza's special. Or perhaps it's the double zero Antico Molino Caputo flour, which is as white and pure and fine as it can be. Possibly it's the deft touch of a pizza chef skilled enough to turn the pies in that blast furnace of an oven and slide them out at exactly the right moment.

Wherever the magic lies, Marco’s Coal-fired Pizzeria makes what many consider the best crust you’re ever likely to taste outside of Italy.

Owner Mark Dym imports his flour straight from Italy, which was also the source of his two prize brick-lined ovens. The pizzas cook in 1,000 degree heat in 60 seconds, helping make for a crust that's chewy, charry, salty and perfect.

Marco’s, located in a 100 year-old building, goes to great efforts to build pies with the best ingredients. The sauce is made from Italian San Marzano tomatoes. The five New York pizzas, named after the five boroughs, get topped with only the most flavorful ricotta, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, meatballs, red onions and peppers. Purely Italian ingredients such as pecorino Romano and prosciutto di Parma cheeses go on the Napoletana pizzas. What Marco’s can’t find in Denver or make themselves, they’ll bring in from anywhere in the world.

Quality doesn’t come cheap, and you’ll pay from $11 for a basic Margherita pizza to the $17 Toscana, with mozzarella, arugula, grape tomatoes and prosciutto di Parma. You’ll probably get more than you can easily eat, though, and if you want a good deal, you can try the lunch special of the Margherita plus a house salad and soft drink, iced tea or lemonade for $9.

Premium pizza; delicious; sauce; imported ingredients; New York pizza