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After a decade of serving some of the Denver area’s most acclaimed pizzas, Pizzeria Lui in Lakewood has fired up its oven for the last time. The Lakewood pizzeria announced its closure on Friday, July 10, with a message to customers on social media.
“It is with gratitude that we share, that after 10 years, Pizzeria Lui is closed. We thank you for your loyalty and appreciation over the years. It has been wonderful getting to know each and every customer. Thank you to the team at Pizzeria Lui for your hard work and dedication. We look forward to spending time with our families. If you need to reach out, please find our email on our website.”
No reason for the closure was provided.
Pizzeria Lui opened in 2017 at 5380 W. Mississippi Ave., fulfilling owner Zach Parini’s long-held dream of operating his own neighborhood pizzeria after years spent honing his craft in fine-dining kitchens and artisan bakeries. Before opening the restaurant, Parini worked at Grateful Bread Company and later spent time in fine-dining “tweezer food,” learning to let high-quality ingredients speak for themselves.
When the restaurant debuted, Parini’s goal was simple: make authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas using carefully sourced ingredients rather than an extensive menu. The original lineup featured just a handful of pizzas topped with premium products such as Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, house-made sausage and imported cured meats, all cooked in a wood-burning oven imported from Italy.
The modest storefront quickly developed a cult following, earning back-to-back Westword Best of Denver awards for Best Pizzeria in 2018 and 2019.
Like many restaurants, Pizzeria Lui adapted during the pandemic. As takeout orders surged, Parini replaced the restaurant’s four-pizza wood-fired oven with a higher-capacity electric model capable of baking up to 15 pizzas at once. Even with the switch, the establishment remained on our list of Best Pizzas in Denver as recently as last year.
The closure is sure to break the hearts of many loyal customers, and comes on the heels of several closures of older establishments in Denver this month, including RiNo’s Port Side breakfast haven and the iconic Table 6, both of which have closed their doors this week as well.
