Packing for Adventure

Chris turned 40 at the end of 2025, and I wanted to do something special without throwing a big party that he wouldn’t appreciate. So I gave him what I knew he’d appreciate the most: 40 slices of pizza!

Our eighth stop was: The Pie
4300 Harrison Blvd, Ogden, UT 84403

If “Utah-style” pizza is a thing, it’s probably the Pie. The first and most iconic location is “The Pie Underground,” opened in 1980 near the University of Utah in downtown SLC. It’s a fun spot, and subsequent locations have followed suit with the college theme and graffiti walls. When Dave Portnoy (One Bite, everybody knows the rules) came to Utah in September 2025 for a University of Utah game, this was the first pizza restaurant he rated. And the controversy is absolutely true- the pizza they gave him was NOT the same as what they sell to locals. Guaranteed they altered their pizza to reflect Dave’s preferences. Not cool! Dave Portnoy’s official rating of this altered pizza was a 6.9.

I’ve eaten at this iconic location a handful of times, but this pizza review is specifically for pizza we got at their second location in Ogden, opened in 1996.

First of all, don’t ever make the mistake of coming to the Pie without getting their Cheese Pull-a-Parts (mozzarella, not cheddar). Pay for extra ranch for dipping, and thank me later. They are delicious, but the second they cool down, they’re not good anymore. So eat ‘em hot and fresh and don’t bother bringing home leftovers, they do not reheat well.

In addition to the Pull-a-Parts, we also got a Half cheese/ half pepperoni pizza to share with the kids. When rating pizzas, we most of the time stick to simplicity on purpose. There’s a lot of fancy pies on the menu, but the building blocks of the Pie Pizzeria aren’t great on their own. The fancy ingredients are what makes it shine.

On a whim, I also ordered the fancy sounding Mac ‘n Cheese. Apparently I’m a kid at heart and love a good Mac ‘n cheese dish. I thought the kids would love it, but they were completely uninterested. I was drawn to the promise of cheddar, Gouda, cream cheese, Romano, and Parmesan. But I was disappointed by the full-on taste of velvet.

When Chris took a bite, before I had voiced my opinion mind you, before the pasta had barely hit his tongue, he said “too much Velveeta.”

The Pie Pizzeria, much like the band Rage Against the Machine, has not stood the test of time.

Chris rated his pizza a 6.3 – and this rating is on true Pie Pizzeria pizza, unlike what Dave Portnoy was served.

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