If your idea of frozen food is just Stouffer's mac and cheese and Trader Joe's, well, everything, think again. Some of Denver's best Italian food is being made by Kelly Crobu and her husband, Mario, a native of Sardinia. The longtime industry pros started selling frozen meals to family and friends as a side hustle, but with ample free time during the pandemic, they officially launched Casa Crobu in July 2020. All of the food is made in a commercial kitchen, and none of it sits for long, which means the frozen lasagna Bolognese delivered to your door was likely made the day before — and tastes that way, no matter when you decide to cook it. The Crobus also sell several specialty items, including culurgiones, a Sardinian filled pasta that's a cross between a pierogi, a dumpling and ravioli.

There's nothing innovative about the seventy-year-old Gennaro's, and that's just the way we like it. From the black-and-white-checkered linoleum floor to the weathered wooden bar, every nook and cranny of this joint screams nostalgia. Naturally, that extends to the menu: You won't find "twists" or "takes" on anything here, just satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs Italian-American classics. Start with an enormous loaf of garlic bread and marinara or fried ravioli for the table, then chow down on the aptly named colossal calzone, Italian sandwiches, pizza or sausage and peppers. The neighborhood atmosphere is bolstered by regular trivia, live music, open-mics and bingo nights.

When Spencer White and Alex Figura, the owners of fast-casual pasta hit Dio Mio, started toying with the idea of getting large deck ovens in order to expand their baking capabilities, the concept morphed into a pizza place. Enter Redeemer, which debuted in July 2021. An entry through the back alley marked by a neon slice sign leads to the slice window, where you can pick up one of that day's specials: New York-style and thick Sicilian options are both available. In the front dining room, you can order whole pies along with appetizers, wine, cocktails and more. All of the pizza is made on sourdough crust, but Redeemer mixes its artisan approach to dough with classic, craveable components like ooey, gooey, low-moisture mozzarella. Don't forget to order sides of both the hot honey and dilly ranch dipping sauce.

This LoHi restaurant from the Culinary Creative Group is a standout in the fine-dining Italian scene, but while its pastas, brunch and happy hour are all notable reasons to visit, ordering a pizza here is a must. Chef Russell Stippich, who took over the kitchen at Bar Dough just before the pandemic put the kibosh on indoor dining, has finally gotten the chance to hit his stride, which includes perfecting Bar Dough's, well, dough. The wood-fired pies come in several options, including a classic margherita, with seasonal topping combinations like the Il Sovrano, with mortadella, spring onion, ricotta di bufala and garlic oil.

It was her mom's sesame-crusted pies that sparked Audrey Sherman's longtime love of pizza, which led to a mentorship under thirteen-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani before she opened her own place. Since October 2015, Sherman has been slinging pies from a small spot tucked away on the back side of a shopping center. While whole pies — including the sesame version — are on the menu, those in the know wouldn't dare make a trek through Boulder without a pit stop at the Garage for the gigantic (seriously, they're huge) slices, which come out hot and fast.

Pizza isn't food that often inspires a road trip; usually, the best pizza is the one closest to you when the craving strikes. But Rosalee's is worth a trip. It specializes in what it calls "old world East Coast style" pies, which are based on American immigrants' earliest takes on what's now one of the most popular foods in the U.S. With a slight char and topped with hand-grated cheeses, sauce made with the highest quality tomatoes and additions like house-ground pork sausage, Rosalee's pies are available in both round and thicker square-cut versions. Bonus tip: Don't skip the sausage knots.

You may have tried pickle shots or pickle beer — but have you tried pickle pizza? The Real Dill pizza at Ritual Social House is an innovation that speaks to carb lovers and pickle enthusiasts alike. This mountain lodge-themed spot takes a standard dough, then creates a white-sauce base and adds bacon and dill pickles. At $17 for a 12-inch pie and $24 for 16 inches, it's great for sharing — or you can take the leftovers home and keep the pickle party going.

Denver has plenty of delicious pizza joints, but Benny Blanco's takes things to a whole new level with its Ghetto Jesus pizza boxes. The artwork depicts Jesus with a black bandanna across his forehead and a tattoo underneath one of his eyes, with "Benny Blanco's" written in an urban street art font. Ghetto Jesus is also holding a slice of pepperoni, while a delicious full pepperoni pizza halo frames his face. All that's needed to complete the Bronx Jesus look would be a puffy North Face, but Jesus would probably get hot in that with all the pizza ovens around.

Ben Todd has a passion for fighter jets that began with a toy given to him by his grandfather, who was a fighter jet instructor in the '40s. He also picked up a penchant for making a unique calzone dough during his days as a student at Purdue. In 2018, he combined the two and launched the Danger Zone Calzones food truck; the concept led to a brick-and-mortar shop in 2021. Copyright trouble led to a name change, but the magic dough remains the same. Far more than just a pizza folded in half, these 'zones are a sleek, handheld version of the pizzeria afterthought, ideal for late-night, after-bar sustenance or even a quick on-the-go breakfast.

Polish cooking smacks of home kitchens and generations of family members working together all day to create a celebratory feast. That's what you'll find at Baba & Pop's, which opened just days before the restaurant shutdown in March 2020. Fortunately, frozen bags of pierogi kept the business afloat until the dining room could reopen, and now guests can enjoy a full menu that includes such Slavic staples as cabbage rolls, kielbasa, sauerkraut soup and tangy cucumber salad. But a little Colorado has rubbed off on Polish-Canadian owner Jeremy Yurek and his wife, Katherine, so don't be surprised to find some zingy green chile hiding inside your pierogi.