Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Francesco’s: The Las Vegas Strip’s other hidden pizzeria

Francesco's

Beverly Poppe

Crispy-chewy crust and classic flavor make Francesco’s secret pizza worth discovering.

The Details

Pizzeria Francesco’s
At Treasure Island, 894-7111.
Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Have you heard about that cool New York-style pizza joint hiding in the back of that flashy casino on the Strip? You know, the one where you can roll through after drinks or before a show and enjoy a quick, convenient, tasty slice?

Actually, this is not the hidden pizzeria you’re thinking about. Francesco’s was once the name of the full-service Italian restaurant just inside the main valet at Treasure Island, but when Phil Ruffin took over the resort three years ago and commenced the casualization of TI, it eventually transformed into a quick-casual concept and relocated near the Mystère Theater, next door to the poker room.

How’s the pizza? Not bad. Its thin crust has a nice crispy-chewy balance to go with classic flavor, and the sauce isn’t too sweet. They don’t serve pepperoni from Molinari & Sons in San Francisco (my favorite thing about Cosmopolitan’s buzzed-about secret pizzeria), but it’s decent pie. And Francesco’s has a lot more room, with actual places to sit and quick service, not to mention clear signage.

I wouldn’t say TI’s pizza-by-the-slice is better than Cosmo’s, but forget the hipness, ignore the hype and maybe they’re a lot closer than they seem. Anybody wanna do a blind taste test?

This story first appeared in Sun sister publication Las Vegas Weekly.

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