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Strip pizza by the slice in Las Vegas

Vegas's late-night ritual: oversized New York-style slices at Secret Pizza inside the Cosmopolitan (unmarked third-floor counter) or Pin-Up Pizza on the Planet Hollywood plaza, open into the early morning.

The story of Strip pizza by the slice

The Strip's late-night pizza-by-the-slice trade emerged when the Cosmopolitan opened in 2010 with Secret Pizza, an unmarked third-floor counter accessible through a hallway lined with vintage album covers. The room runs until 04:00 and the slices are oversized New York-style on a tile-baked crust. Pin-Up Pizza opened on the Planet Hollywood plaza around the same time, selling Naples-imported pomodorini tomato pies in slices that hang off the plate. Both rooms became the post-club refuelling stop on the Strip. Off-Strip, Naked City Pizza and Pop Up Pizza at the Plaza downtown run the Strip-style trade for locals.

How to make Strip pizza by the slice

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 500g 00 flour
  • 300ml lukewarm water
  • 5g instant yeast
  • 10g sea salt
  • 10g sugar
  • 20ml olive oil
  • 400g tinned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • Pinch dried oregano
  • 300g low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, grated
  • Fresh basil
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for finishing

Method

  1. Mix flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar and oil in a stand mixer with the dough hook on low speed for 8 minutes. The dough should be smooth and just slightly tacky.
  2. Divide into 2 balls. Place in oiled containers, cover and refrigerate 24 to 48 hours. Long cold ferment is the trick.
  3. Take dough out 2 hours before baking. Heat the oven to its maximum (250C to 290C) with a pizza stone or steel for at least 45 minutes.
  4. Stretch each ball to a 35cm round, leaving a 2cm edge. Top with crushed tomatoes (just enough to cover), pinch of salt and oregano, cheese to the edge.
  5. Slide onto the hot stone. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until the crust is mottled and dark on the bottom, the cheese bubbled with a few char spots.
  6. Finish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Slice into eighths, eat immediately.

Editor tip. Cold-ferment the dough at least 24 hours; the long rise is what gives New York-style slices that chewy crust with the slight tang.

The editor-picked rooms for Strip pizza by the slice in Las Vegas are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Las Vegas signature-dishes index or the Las Vegas food guide.