Back Road Pizza

Gluten free veggie was amazing

Wow! I have had pizza from countless pizza joints in the past 22 years over my travels. Vegas, Nashville, South Beach Miami, Orlando and now Santa Fe, NM. The options in Santa Fe for pizza are plentiful and I have had 5 of them, although I won’t name them. The one I will name is Backroad Pizza! A little off the beaten path of downtown, it is well worth the small drive from anywhere in Santa Fe. It has been located @ 1807 2nd St #1, Santa Fe, NM for the entirety of its existence (parking in the rear). From the outside it just looked like a normal building that could have been anything, but step inside and enjoy the quirkiness of the layout and color scheme. The smell hits immediately! For such a small establishment, it was loaded with employees churning out pizzas in the middle of the afternoon and that told me something. I was greeted at the counter with a smile and a chalk board covered in menu items. From fresh salads to garlic knots and then all of the pizza options. There was a nice selection of locally brewed beer on tap. Margherita pizza, you got it. Green chile pizza, sold. Pizza of the moment with unique ingredients, of course. Pizzas made especially for the kids, gotta have it! Customize to your hearts desire, why not? I had the opportunity to speak with the owner, Piper Kapin, who could not have been more friendly. She informed me of her custom corn meal crusted thin crust pizza dough (her personal recipe), how all ingredients were fresh daily and sauce and salad dressings were all made in house. I was sold. She told me a little history and explained her passion for the industry, and showed me around. The property was a little bigger than I thought. There is an extra seating area on the second floor with a small balcony and what a large excellent patio for outdoor seating! (Which is dog friendly!)She (Piper) is very humble and did not even mention that she had been FEATURED on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on Food Network….. not once, but twice! I noticed it as I was looking over her website. By this point my mouth was watering watching everyone else’s pizzas go out. I got seated with a number on a small stand and a local cold beer off tap. There was a nice buzz from the locals enjoying their meals and chatting it up. I had ordered a small half new mexican with green chile and half pesto, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni. It only took about 10 minutes despite how busy it was. First thing I noticed - THE CRISPY CORNMEAL CRUSTED DOUGH. Extra thin, great texture, super crispy, foldable without toppings falling off, it looked and smelled delicious. Upon taking my first bite of the New Mexican pizza, I understood the hype. (Where is Dave Portnoy when you need him?) In my mind this just became my go-to pizza hub. So fresh, not bready at all and the toppings and crust shined and meshed perfectly. In the 10-20 minutes I had been seated, every chair in the shop filled up; so much so that I offered my table to an older couple so they didn’t have to stand and wait…and people continued to roll in. I gathered what I had left and boxed it up to go and thanked everyone on the way out. All in all the flavor and delivery is spot on, the staff is all smiles, the atmosphere is fun and it hit on all the high notes. I definitely recommend Backroad Pizza and will continue to provide my patronage! Oh, did I mention there is a gluten free dough option? Annnnd….This place has been voted #1 favorite pizza spot every year since 2012 except for 1 maybe 2 years. Just won 2024! You just need to go see for yourself!

Best gluten-free pizza in Santa Fe!