It’s been a while since I have done a review of a pizza shop so I figured we would head down to the Strip to try the new 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria (3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd.).
I go to the Strip all the time but have to admit hardly ever find myself at the Monte Carlo. I wanted to see all the changes they have made inside and out recently. They have really made the area right outside this casino a fun place with live music, restaurants and a fountain all right on the Las Vegas Strip.
I was skeptical of how good the pizza would be as there have been similar places on the Strip that, quite frankly, didn’t live up to the hype. But I’m happy to report I truly enjoyed my experience here.
Customers head up to the counter and get to create their pizza the way they want it.
First you start with a basic pizza. There is the Margherita, which is crushed tomato, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil and basil; the Bianca, a white pie, no sauce, with fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, oregano and olive oil;
The Marinara with crushed tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil; or a Verde, which is a green pie with pine nut-basil pesto, fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano.
You then move down to the next station and pick what toppings you want. Picture yourself at a Subway telling the person what you want on your sandwich. Most of the toppings are $1.50 each but they have some specialty toppings for $3.
I have read some other reviews where the reviewer thought $1.50 was pricey. I disagree as all the toppings were fresh and there were choices you just don’t get from a chain shop pizza joint. I could put on Soppressata salami or, for a $3 fee, have prosciutto Di Parma. There were over 40 choices.
If you are adding everything it’s going to be pricey but 3 or 4 toppings go for less than $15. That beats a fast food chain pizza any day. They also have several specialty pizzas with preset combinations. They are priced reasonably from $9 to $14.95.
For a fresh pizza made right in front of you, that’s a great deal. The name 800 Degrees is also the temperature at which the pizza is cooked. It only takes 90 seconds from the time they put it into the oven to the time it’s done! This is true Neapolitan pizza.
So if you are on the Strip looking for a quick meal and don’t want to have an expensive one at a fancy restaurant, this is a great way to go. Being a local I like to sometimes just go down to the Strip and act like a tourist. This is a great spot to take a date or that special someone for a fun night. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. I highly recommend 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria and give it a rating of 3.75 Forks out of 4.
Marco D’Angelo is the senior handicapper at Pregame.com. He co-hosts FIRST PREVIEW every Thursday at 10 a.m. on ESPN 1100 AM/98.9 FM. Follow him on twitter: @MarcoInVegas. Contact him at [email protected].