
Back Road Pizza
Santa Fe's beloved pizza joint, famed for its crispy cornmeal crust, unique local toppings, and fun, quirky atmosphere. A must-try for pizza lovers!

Highlights
Must-see attractions
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Back Road Pizza

Highlights
Must-see attractions
Santa Fe's beloved pizza joint, famed for its crispy cornmeal crust, unique local toppings, and fun, quirky atmosphere. A must-try for pizza lovers!
"This pizza place is well worth the small drive from anywhere in Santa Fe - the flavor and delivery are spot on!"
Visit During Off-Peak Hours
Avoid crowds by visiting mid-afternoon for a more relaxed dining experience.
Try the Tomato Coconut Soup
A surprisingly delightful and unique flavor experience awaits with their tomato coconut soup.

Quick Facts
Cuisine
Pizza
Price
Mid-range
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences

Signature Cornmeal Crust Pizza
Experience unique pizzas with a crispy cornmeal crust, made with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. A true taste of Santa Fe!

Detroit-Style Pizza
Voted Santa Fe's favorite for years, their Detroit-style pies are a nostalgic taste of home, complete with a perfectly crispy crust.

Cozy & Quirky Atmosphere
Enjoy a relaxed vibe with quirky decor, vintage games, and a friendly staff. Perfect for a casual meal with friends or family.
Plans like a pro.
Thinks like you
Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Visit During Off-Peak Hours
Avoid crowds by visiting mid-afternoon for a more relaxed dining experience.
Try the Tomato Coconut Soup
A surprisingly delightful and unique flavor experience awaits with their tomato coconut soup.
Customize Your Pizza
Don't hesitate to explore the customization options to create your perfect pizza.
Explore Outdoor Seating
Consider the outdoor seating area or second-floor balcony for a different ambiance.
Tips
from all over the internet
Visit During Off-Peak Hours
Avoid crowds by visiting mid-afternoon for a more relaxed dining experience.
Try the Tomato Coconut Soup
A surprisingly delightful and unique flavor experience awaits with their tomato coconut soup.
Customize Your Pizza
Don't hesitate to explore the customization options to create your perfect pizza.
Explore Outdoor Seating
Consider the outdoor seating area or second-floor balcony for a different ambiance.
Gluten-Free Options Available
Enjoy delicious pizza with a gluten-free dough option, perfect for those with dietary needs.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
Back Road Pizza is a highly-regarded Santa Fe institution, celebrated for its exceptional thin-crust and Detroit-style pizzas, featuring a signature cornmeal crust and locally sourced ingredients. Diners consistently praise the delicious flavors, crispy crusts, and the fun, quirky atmosphere. While some find parking a bit challenging, the overall experience is overwhelmingly positive, with friendly service and unique menu options.
"Had to order a Detroit style pizza to see if it would live up to the social media hype. It definitely did! I was born in Detroit, and this pizza made me nostalgic. It was so nice to have a taste from home here in Santa Fe.
Excellent pizza!!
Wish you made it every day!"
Tara Piscitelli
"New in town- googled “gluten free pizza near me” and stumbled upon this place. The pizza was AMAZING I went at an off time- about 3:30pm so it was not busy. Sat outside. Also great cider on tap!"
Kristie Brooks
"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!"
Adam
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
The signature crust is made with a custom cornmeal blend, resulting in an extra thin and crispy texture.
Yes, they offer a delicious gluten-free dough option for their pizzas.
Absolutely! They offer creative pizzas like 'Christmas in May' and 'New Mexican' with green chiles.
Yes, they serve Detroit-style pizza, which is a local favorite and has been featured on TV.
The atmosphere is described as vibrant, family-friendly, cozy, and quirky, with vintage games.
Yes, they offer dine-in, take-out, and even par-baked pizzas to finish at home.
Garlic knots made in-house are a popular starter, as well as fresh salads.
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Restaurants in Santa Fe
Voted Santa Fe's best pizza for over a decade and featured in several national magazines and TV shows, this midtown spot is clearly a local favorite for dine-in or take-out. The unique flour crust is rolled in cornmeal (there's also a gluten-free version), and the meat is sourced from local farms known to treat the cows and pigs humanely and raise cage-free chickens. This one-stop shop also sells pints of local La Lecheria ice cream.
Red or Green-New Mexico's Food Scene Was on Fire in 2019
Its choice for New Mexico was Santa Fe’s Back Road Pizza, an off-the-beaten-path gem away from the famous Plaza. The Food Network suggests “Taste a thin-crust pizza at this neighborhood restaurant and you may detect a tinge of Santa Fe’s signature flavors, from the flour crusts rolled in cornmeal to the locally-sourced ingredients that adorn many of the slices and pies. Topping choices include New Mexico green chiles, as well as beef and pork sourced from ranchers in the region.
Pizza in Santa Fe | Pizza restaurants Santa Fe
Backroad was an instant hit when it started serving its cornmeal dusted pies a few years ago and they are still going strong in their little spot off 2nd Street. Their pies start with a delicious crust, of course, then use the best ingredients to round it all out in a tasty, cheesy package. The crust is always crispy without being overcooked, the cheese perfectly melted and the ingredients just so.
Best of Santa Fe 2022 - Food & Drink |
Thin-crust lovers know where the good stuff is: Spoiler alert, it’s here. Piper Kapin, owner and operator of the joint, has created a well-known cool space in Midtown where the pizza is fab and you can even shoot a game of pool sometimes. Back Road also became a de facto grocery during the height of the pandemic and kicked off Santa Fe’s love affair with Detroit-style pizzas.
The 10 Best Santa Fe Restaurants To Check Out This Fall
Back Road Pizza: As a guest at our Santa Fe Bed and Breakfast, you may pick a night where you’d rather order in than venture out to one of the many Santa Fe restaurants. Back Road Pizza is the best choice!. Grab a New Mexican Pie (pepperoni, green chili, and red onion) to go, a bottle of wine, and take a spot on your private patio outside your room.
The Best Pizza in Santa Fe, NM (2024)
Back Road Pizza is a thin-crust pizzeria in Santa Fe sourcing their ingredients from local growers and farmers. The Santa Fe Reporter has rated Back Road Pizza as the best pizza in Santa Fe as most recently as 2020. The cornmeal crust is one of Back Roads signature features and was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, and dives.
The best Santa Fe bars and restaurants
Back Road Pizza – This pizza spot was recommended to me by a reader whose cousin owns it!. Unfortunately, I got her message just a little too late to try on my last trip, but with gluten-free crust and green chiles as a topping option, I’m definitely interested.
Pizza – Santa Fe City Different Foodie
I realize that I wrote about Back Road Pizza delicious pizza back in January. I had to go back because of Alex De Vore’s column in the Santa Fe Reporter about Back Road Pizza’s newest pizza. Back Road is doing a Detroit style pizza.
These are the 10 best restaurants in Santa Fe, ranked by local expert
Santa Feans think Back Road Pizza has some of the best; it's constantly on the annual Best of Santa Fe list. The eatery was featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in 2009. You can catch it in reruns.
Check out these 10 top places to eat in Santa Fe
The kids, ok everyone, will love the vintage games on every table at Back Road Pizza. Split a pizza topped with local flavor combinations and relax as everyone unwinds for the evening. https://backroadpizza.com/
Pizza-Where The Locals Go-Free
Back Road Pizza—Just off 2nd Street, Back Road Pizza is known for its thin crust. With many awards and accolades, locals love this pizza joint. Being featured on Guy Fieri’s Triple D doesn’t hurt either.
Highest-ranked Pizza Restaurants in Santa Fe by Diners
- Rating: 3.6/5 (231 reviews)- Price level: $$- Address: 1807 2nd St. Ste 1 Santa Fe, New Mexico - Categories: pizza- Read more on Yelp
Top Places to Eat in Santa Fe
Of course, pizza is a great option if you’re on a budget and there are three great options in Santa Fe including:
Social
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit