Molly Martin
Audio By Carbonatix
The pizza scene in the metro area is thriving, with local spots serving pies of all kinds. And Italian-born chain Rosso Pomodoro made a splash in June 2024 when it opened its first standalone U.S. location in Central Park.
While the brand has roots in Naples (and has locations all over Europe), it was first introduced to American diners as the pizza option at Eataly, the Italian food market with massive locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. When Rosso Pomodoro debuted in Denver, all twelve of its other North American locations were inside Eataly outposts.
The move to a standalone brick-and-mortar was supposed to be a turning point for the company, which doubled down on its presence in Colorado when it added a Greenwood Village store at 8575 East Arapahoe Road a year ago.
“Really, what we’re trying to do is, if you come and get a pizza here, it’s just like what you’re going to get in Italy,” Jason Siska, vice president of Rosso Pomodoro U.S., told Westword last year. “Everything is done the same way. All of the ingredients are the same. We’ve had people come in and say, ‘This is the same pizza that I got when I was in Rome, or Venice.’ We like to say, if you eat a slice here, you wouldn’t even know you’re in Denver.”
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But without warning those Italian pizza-loving customers, Rosso Pomodoro’s two Colorado locations are gone for good. In a November 24 Instagram post, the brand wrote: “Our restaurants in Denver are now closed. We thank you all for letting us introduce you to, or rekindle your love for, the Neapolitan culture. While you’ll no longer find us in Colorado, you can still visit Rossopomodoro (and our pizza!) in Eataly locations spanning North America, or our sister restaurants internationally.”
The brand’s standalone experiment is over for now, and locals have lost that dependable option for Neapolitan pies made just as they are in Italy. If you’re craving a replacement, we recommend Marco’s Coal-Fired, a locally-owned, Michelin-recommended eatery with locations in the Ballpark neighborhood and in Centennial. Last year, it was named one of the top fifty pizzerias in the country, and it’s also the only pizzeria in the state certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.
