Fresco Pizzeria and Pastaria: Possibly the Best Pizza in Tucson?

You may remember Fresco from back when they were award-winning Picurro Pizza. Then came the scandalous arrest of owner Peter Picurro, which resulted in him giving his share of the business to his former wife, who was left with a badly-scarred company image and angry franchisees. Years later and after a major overhaul, Picurro Pizza is now Fresco Pizzeria and Pastaria, and it's fought it's way back where it was pre-scandal. What's their secret?

It's the food. Fresco is not the least expensive pizza restaurant in town. It's also not the most expensive. It is, however, fresh, original, and worth every penny.

Fresco retained the recipes that made Picurro Pizza so popular, and for those with a love of handcrafted pizzas, salads, and pasta, those recipes are what keep customers coming back for more. With more than fifty pizza toppings available, including soy cheese for the lactose-intolerant or vegan customer, there's something for everyone. If you're looking for a gourmet pizza, whether you like to build your own or you're game to try one of Fresco's combinations, you can't find better quality or value.

Most recently, I tried the 14" Light Fantastic from the "Lighter Side" menu ($18.05). Topped with roasted chicken, ricotta, spinach, fresh tomato and garlic, it's a simple yet stunning combination that you'll find yourself craving for weeks afterward. I did, anyway. Unlike other restaurants that serve chicken as a topping on their pizza, Fresco is generous with large pieces of juicy (not at all dry!) chicken. They don't skimp on anything. I also ordered a spinach salad. I usually don't order take-out salads, because I'm usually unhappy with the portion size and the quality of the ingredients. I've suffered too many tiny, overpriced side salads with wilted and/or bagged greens, and too few accompanying vegetables. Fresco's spinach salad was quite a surprise, however. Less than $5, it actually fed four. And fresh! Fresh spinach, obviously not from a bag! Plenty of grape tomatoes, sliced red pepper, and sliced mushrooms. Try the house dressing, a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. You'll be glad you did.

Lest you think that Fresco is "just" good pizza, consider their delivery and carry-out service. I've ordered Fresco delivery on several occasions, and it's never taken more than half an hour. The food arrives hot and fresh, and the one time my order was improperly carried out, Fresco cheerfully remedied the error with a free pizza on a return visit. Did I mention that delivery is free? Try getting free delivery from one of your major national pizza chains. For that matter, try getting a pizza in less than forty-five minutes from your national chain (and it goes without saying that the pizza would taste nowhere near as good as Fresco's, of course). If you want your pizza even quicker, call in a take-out order. I ordered on a Friday night and was told my order would be ready in twenty minutes. It was.

My only complaint? Bizarrely cut pie. Some pieces are huge, some are tiny. Sorry, that's all the complaining I have for Fresco. Really.

With four locations in Tucson, hopefully you're close to a Fresco Pizzeria and Pastaria. If you're not, well, you can drool over the menu at their website. Or you might consider moving closer to one.