Myke’s Pizza – Mesa, Arizona

Americans eat a tremendous amount of pizza. Denizens of the fruited plain consume roughly 3 billion pizzas annually. Per capita that’s about 46 slices or 23 pounds per year, adding up to about 100 acres of pizza daily,  Pepperoni is the favorite topping and Super Bowl Sunday the biggest sales day. Over 90% of the U.S. population eats pizza regularly, making it a staple for any meal. With staggering numbers like that, you might think no country–not even Italy–comes close to competing with the United States for pizza consumption.  Norwegians consume the most pizza per capita globally, averaging around about 25 pounds per person annually. That’s significantly more than Italy or the U.S.

According to Food & Wine, the most popular pizza in Arizona is a “meat lovers” pizza.  Perhaps, that’s because pizza paramours across the Grand Canyon State have not discovered Myke’s Pizza in Mesa.  When the season is right, Myke Olsen and his crew don’t hesitate to add in-season fruit to a pie.  Pineapple is old news–no longer new, exciting, or relevant.  Everybody does pineapple pizza…much to the consternation of purists.  In season, Myke’s pies may be graced by such ingredients as fresh sliced peaches.  Myke’s has also been known to pair cherries with such savory elements as Gouda, sage and spicy honey.  By embracing fruit as a core element of their menu, Myke’s has developed quite a following.  Don’t discount tubers on his repertoire.  Another of his popular pies features potato pie with bacon and garlic cream.

Myke’s got its start in 2016 as a sidewalk pop-up open only two nights a week in downtown Mesa. In 2018,  By 2020, the Phoenix New Times declared Myke Olsen “Best Rising-Star Pizza-Maker” in the Valley of the Sun.  Two years later, the New Times named Myke’s the valley’s best pizza.  Not bad for a former accountant who got his start baking pizzas on a sidewalk.  By 2020, Mike was well established into a brick-and-mortar spot within Cider Corps.  You won’t see any signage indicating you’ve reached Myke’s (something to do with Mesa’s signage regulations).  Nor is there prominent signage within the building.  At the building’s rear, you’ll espy a pile of oak and pecan wood for the wood-burning pizza oven.  Moreover, you’ll imbibe the wondrous aromas emanating from that oven.

Myke’s website indicates the “menu has something for the pizza traditionalist and the adventurous foodie alike.”  Myke’s Pizza is a family-friendly restaurant serving artisan wood-fired pizzas, appetizers, and desserts. It’s best known for its unique use of fruit on pizza, white pies, and elevated takes on traditional styles.  The seasonal Peach Pizza will make a convert out of everyone into a “fruit on pizza” believer. Salads, appetizers and desserts round out the sharable dinner experience to enjoy inside the Cider Corps taproom or for take away.  Weekday lunches put savory sandwiches into the spotlight.  Four sandwiches showcasing Myke’s special “pizza bread” are available: meatbsll, mortadella, tuna, and toasted cheese.

There are seven pizzas on the menu.  Not being a purist and certainly not someone to poo-poo pineapple pizza, I ordered the pineapple pizza (mozzarella, pineapple, pickled jalapeños, pork roll, aged Gouda, spicy honey).  At the risk of hyperbole, this is the very best pizza I’ve ever had in Arizona.  Yes, even better than the fabled pizza at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix and the phenomenal Belgio Dolce Pizza at Fat Olives in Flagstaff.  In naming Myke’s one of the best pizzerias in Phoenix, Edible explained that “Olsen employs a neo-Neapolitan style marked by American flour blends, long fermentations, and shaved aged gouda on finished pies.”  The long fermented crust is made with a blend of four different flours in our pizza crust, including some from Hayden Flour Mills that’s grown and milled in Arizona. This flour blend would be nearly impossible to recreate as a gluten-free crust with the same quality, texture, and flavor.

There are several elements which make this an outstanding pizza.  First is the crust which is so redolent of freshly baked bread just out of the oven that you might recall your mother or grandmother baking the staff of life at home.  The cornicione (an Italian term for the “lip” or puffy outer edge of the pizza) is so good you wouldn’t possibly think of discarding it.  There’s a nice amount of char on the crust, but it’s a light char compared to Pizzeria Bianco.  The pineapple is thinly sliced and has the flavor of freshly cut pineapple not out of a can.  Its sweet notes contrast beautifully with Myke’s spicy honey which permeates the entirety of the pie.  It’s not especially spicy, but has a discernible and very pleasant flavor.  I only managed to snag a few morsels of the pork.  The Dude decided it wasn’t on my diet, but was on his.

Myke’s Pizza offers a treasure trove of flavor for pizza paramours.  It’s yet another reason to visit Mesa–and in fact, in 2024, The Phoenix New Times named Myke’s Pizza THE best restaurant in Mesa.

Myke’s Pizza
31 S. Robson, #103
Mesa, Arizona
(480) 687-8526
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 1 January 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET:  Pineapple Pizza
REVIEW #1508