This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter. To get the full newsletter every Wednesday, subscribe at sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters! While scrolling Instagram recently, I noticed that the profile for Finca Pintxos Bar had transformed into a profile for a place called Pizza Bar.
It turns out that restaurateur and wine expert Scott Evans of Pago Restaurant Group had been doing some updating at the space at 126 Regent Street in downtown Salt Lake City.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brandon Price, Scott Evans and Phelix Gardner, at the Pizza Bar, on Regent Street, on Friday, July 25, 2025.
According to a newsletter Evans sent out earlier this month, what used to be a space dedicated to “pintxos” (small Spanish tapas) and Spanish wine had been changed into an artisan pizzeria with a beverage program featuring natural wines, craft beers and cocktails.’
When chatting with Evans and chef Brandon Price — two of the minds behind Pizza Bar, along with chef Phelix Gardner — they told me that the idea to do a pizza concept goes back years.
Finally, they opened a mini version of Pizza Bar inside Sugar House Station, Evans’ new “bar hall” in the old Sugar House post office, in March. Then they opened Pizza Bar downtown behind the Eccles Theater a few months later.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Pizza Bar, on Regent Street, on Friday, July 25, 2025.
Eventually, Pizza Bar will feature three new-to-Utah styles of pizza.
The first is pizza al taglio, called “Roman al taglio” in Italy and “grandma slices” in New York City. Pizza al taglio, which means “pizza by the slice” or “pizza by the cut,” is baked at lower temperatures in large metal rectangular trays, then cut into rectangle-shaped slices.
The second style is what Evans, Price and Gardner are calling “neo-Neapolitan.” Fired at higher temperatures, it has the wood-fired deliciousness of Neapolitan pizza but is more portable and not as floppy as classic Neapolitan pizza.
The third style is one that Evans said he hasn’t seen in the United States, let alone Utah. It’s called “pizza fritta,” which means “fried pizza,” and it’s basically a fried calzone.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brandon Price, cooks a pizza at the Pizza Bar, on Regent Street, on Friday, July 25, 2025.
Currently, the Sugar House Station location of Pizza Bar is only serving pizza al taglio, by the slice and as whole pies, and the downtown location (pictured below) is serving neo-Neapolitan whole pies. But once the downtown location opens for lunch on Monday (right now, it’s only open for dinner), it will have all three styles available, and the Sugar House location will also have neo-Neapolitan.
Now through Saturday, Pizza Bar downtown is open for dinner from 4-10 p.m. Starting on Monday, it will be open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sugar House Station, at 2155 Highland Drive, opens at 11 a.m. daily, and closes at 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, at midnight on Friday and Saturday, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
Food News
(Carla Boecklin) Chef Nick Zocco, of Urban Hill in Salt Lake City, recently appeared on the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay.”
• Nick Zocco, executive chef at downtown Salt Lake City’s Urban Hill, has scored a new honor: He beat Bobby Flay. Zocco won out over the celebrity chef in an episode of his Food Network show, “Beat Bobby Flay,” that aired last week. Zocco, who once worked in Flay’s Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, bested his old boss by making a chile relleno stuffed with lump crab and roasted corn. (Sean P. Means)
• If you’d like to level up your abilities in the kitchen, Deer Valley Creative Academy has a slate of cooking classes coming up, including a kids pizza-making class on Aug. 9, a knife skills class on Aug. 10, a High West whiskey cocktail class on Aug. 16, a Colombian empanada class on Aug. 31, and more. To register for individual classes, visit DeerValley.com.
Openings:
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Avocado Toast at Sunday’s Best, a brunch restaurant in the Post District, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
• Long-awaited brunch spot Sunday’s Best opened with a ribbon-cutting on Pioneer Day at 505 S. Gale St., inside Salt Lake City’s Post District. With its plush furniture, gold accents and tropical touches, the interior of Sunday’s Best is an Instagram-friendly paradise. The second floor is a rooftop Champagne and cocktail lounge called Sunday School.
• Weller’s Bistro, which has been serving German-American cuisine in Layton for years, just opened a second location, at The Monarch arts and business hub on 25th Street in downtown Ogden, according to The Monarch’s newsletter.
• Mozz Artisan Pizza held a soft opening Tuesday for its new location at 416 E. 900 South in Salt Lake City, according to an Instagram post. It’s one of the first businesses to open in the long-awaited Milk Block development. Mozz Pizza has three other locations — Provo, Daybreak, and the Woodbine Food Hall in SLC — and serves wood-fired pizza on sourdough crust.
Closings:
• Trolley Wing Co., known for its wings and beer, announced on Facebook that it had closed its location in Taylorsville, and would be closing its Midvale location this Sunday. “Thank you for being part of this wild, beautiful ride,” the post stated.
Dish of the Week
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The margherita pizza and the al-Zass pizza, two different types of pizza al taglio, at Pizza Bar inside Sugar House Station, on Monday, July 21, 2025.
With a nickname like “grandma slices,” the pizza al taglio at Pizza Bar was calling to me, so I visited the mini Pizza Bar at Sugar House Station, which, until Monday, is the only place you can get it.
I ordered a slice of the margherita pizza (mozzarella, tomato, basil, $9) and a slice of the al-Zass pizza ($9), made with creme fraiche, speck and caramelized onions. These slices complemented each other well; the al-Zass was really rich, and the margherita pizza broke up that richness with the acidity and freshness of its tomato sauce.
The crust, though, was what really stood out to me. It was somehow crispy on the outside, yet as soft as a cloud inside, and it was great to bite into. And I really liked that it stood up to the toppings without flopping.
