According to the city’s Chamber of Commerce, “Prescott, Arizona is a highly popular and nationally recognized retirement destination. Known as “Everybody’s Hometown,” it appeals to active adults and seniors looking for natural beauty, a relaxed lifestyle, and a strong sense of community.” Prescott isn’t only popular among retirement-age personnel. Many of my former colleagues at Intel Corporation in Chandler and Ocotillo (Phoenix suburbs) bought second homes in the Prescott area, not necessarily for retirement but to have an relatively nearby escape destination that is somewhat cooler than The Valley of the Sun’s triple-digit summer temperatures.
Prescott was founded in 1864 to serve as the original capital of the newly established Arizona Territory. Today, it offers a unique blend of historic charm and modern convenience. While it is famous for its preserved 19th-century architecture, Western heritage, and walkable downtown—like the historic Whiskey Row and Courthouse Square—it serves as a thoroughly modern regional hub for central Arizona. Prescott is also known as “Arizona’s Christmas City.” The town, particularly the historic downtown and Courthouse Plaza, comes alive with over a million LED lights, a large gingerbread village, and a month-long celebration featuring parades, live music, and a unique New Year’s Eve event.
The median age in Prescott, Arizona, is approximately 59.7 years. That’s significantly older than the nationwide median of roughly 38.9 years and the Arizona state median of about 39 years (coincidentally my age, too). My Kim and I didn’t spend a day in Prescott to explore retirement options. At our youthful ages, retirement seems a long way away. Besides I have a feeling we’ll need to retire somewhere with a vibrant culinary culture and lots of restaurants to explore. Hmm, sounds like Albuquerque.
My research of dining opportunities in Prescott revealed numerous appealing options. Prescott isn’t widely known as one of the best dining destinations in Arizona, much less the southwest. It does, however, offer very highly regarded (among locals and visitors) restaurants. Among the most intriguing is Bill’s Pizza, a vanilla name for a pizzeria named among The “Top 100 Pizzerias in the U.S.” by James Beard Award-winning authors Jane and Michael Stern of the popular Roadfood books and website. In 2012, Bill’s was also named one of Arizona’s best restaurants by Arizona Highways, an outstanding state publication. In 2011, Bill’s also garnered a second place finish at the International Pizza Expo in the “non-traditional” category.
With accolades a plenty under its belt, you wouldn’t expect Bill’s to be modest about its achievement. It isn’t. According to the restaurant’s website “Bill’s Pizza serves some of the finest pizza you will find in the world.” For me, that’s as much an invitation as it is a challenge. The “Bill” for which this eponymous pizzeria was Bill Tracy who passed away several years ago. In his quest to create the best pizza he could possibly make, Bill traveled to Italy and throughout the United States. He learned from some of the most accomplished Pizza Chef’s in the world, including Chris Bianco, winner of the 2003 James Beard Award for the Best Chef in the Southwest. Bill’s Pizza is located across the street from historic Courthouse Square in Prescott. A second Bill’s can be found in Palm Desert, California.
Resultant from Bill’s research and learning is a world-class sourdough pizza dough recipe that people guests rave about. In addition to the quality of the dough, Bill felt the need to use only the highest quality pizza toppings (such as brick oven-baked pizzas, crafted using high-quality ingredients such as Schreiner’s custom-made sausage. and flour imported from Italy. Treating pizza as “art” Bill’s menu offers a melange of specialty pizzas, some unlike any we’ve found in our culinary explorations. True to its name, Bill’s Pizza is mostly just brick oven-baked pizza though the menu also includes a few salads and desserts. To say Bill’s specialty pizza menu is interesting is akin to declaring a Rolls Royce just a car. Some of those specialty pizzas are the realization of a fantasy or two you may have had about pizza. The menu features a variety of specialty pizzas, including the ‘Charlie Sheen’ and ‘Elton John,’ as well as customizable options. Pizza is available in ten-inch and eighteen-inch sizes with slices available on a daily basis.
It’s a rare pizza that can satisfy your cravings for two different food items. One of those rarities is Bill’s The Reuben (garlic-infused olive oil, four cheese blend, pastrami, sauerkraut, chopped pickles, and finished with a drizzle of russian dressing). While ingredients with which this pizza is baked are the same ingredients used on a Reuben sandwich, you won’t mistake one for the other. They’re very dissimilar in taste and obviously in appearance. The crust is somewhat thin and crispy with a slight cornicione (the raised, airy outer edge or rim of a pizza crust). The pastrami is smoky, tender, juicy and deliciously fatty with a bold spiciness. Pickles have recently become a popular ingredient on pizza. I haven’t explored pickles on pizza to a great extent, but if you can do pineapple, you can probably do pickles. It’s just a different ingredient. The Russian dressing is tangy and creamy.
Like me, my Kim had a ten-inch pie though unlike me, she didn’t finish it. Ingredients she selected were sweet sausage, cheese and caramelized onions. The sweet sausage (Schreiner’s custom-made), a Phoenix product, is superb. It’s not quite as sweet as Filipino longoniza, but it’s sweeter than most breakfast sausage. The caramelized onions were sweet, too with the glistening, opalescent sheen of onions grilled just long enough. The crispy crust has a nice chew and slight tang from the sourdough.
Perhaps because our visit transpired in July, most people we encountered were well under the median age of Prescott visitors. In fact, most of the diners at Bill’s Pizza were from the Prescott High School volleyball team. It goes to show that there is no median age for pizza lovers. Should we ever retire to Prescott, credit Bill’s Pizza in part for that decision.
Bill’s Pizza
107 South Cortez Street
Prescott Arizona
(928) 443-0800
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 13 July 2026
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: The Reuben; Cheese, Sweet Sausage and Caramelized Onions Pizza
REVIEW #1531