Blue Pan Pizza — Restaurant in Denver

This place is a failure on every level.

I tried this Blue Pan location twice (dine-in, in April 2025, and takeout in July 2025). Both instances were totally disappointing, with most of the failures coming from the kitchen.

During the dine-in visit, we arrived and were told that the wait time for a table would be one hour. We went to a nearby bar and got a round of drinks to wait it out. When we returned, the chef/kitchen manager was at the host stand. He told us he couldn't give us an update on the wait for a table, as he didn't know how to use the application that the host uses to seat guests. Finally, the host returned, and we were seated.

We ordered a pizza and two appetizers. plus a round of drinks. Our pizza arrived before the appetizers. When one person in our party inquired about why the appetizers hadn't arrived yet, the server told us that the kitchen employees had started cleaning up early, and the order had been overlooked. This was on a weeknight, about an hour and a half before the restaurant closed. This led us to ponder why the kitchen would have been cleaning up so early, if the restaurant didn't close for another hour and half, and the place was on an hour-long wait. Very strange.

Finally, the apps arrived, with the server telling us that there was a small discount for the kitchen staff dropping the ball. I had one drink, two pieces of pizza and a portion of two apps and the bill came to $40 (with the discount). I found this to be quite expensive, but was even more irritated to see on the bill that there was a mandatory fee added for the kitchen staff (the same people who botched our order trying to get out of work early, and who also couldn't use the host's software). We thought to ourselves: why are we forced to pay a fee for the kitchen, when they can't get an order correct? And, if they are getting a cut of the server's tips, why can't they use the host's software?). It seemed like we were forced to pay part of their salary, but they weren't forced to increase their level of service to us. This was at a time when the minimum wage in Denver county had just been bumped up to $20 per hour. So, we are forced to pay an increase in prices to cover the increase in minimum wage, PLUS a kitchen fee, PLUS a suggested 30% tip, and we can't get things to work in our favor.

Weeks later, I decided to give this place a second chance. I ordered a pizza to-go. The host's phone skills were mediocre. I picked up the pizza and took it home, only to see the grubby fingerprints of the kitchen staff on the box (see photos). I thought this was rather odd. Doesn't the kitchen staff wash their hands? What other plates of food are contaminated by their grubby, unwashed hands? All of them? They make $20 an hour, get a kitchen fee added to their paycheck, plus they get a cut of the server's tips, and they can't put a pizza in a box without getting it dirty with their unwashed hands? Really?

But the real disappointment was yet to come: when I tried to open the box, it was evident that the inside of the box was sticking to the top of the pizza... I had to get a spatula to remove the cheesy top of the pizza from the cardboard. This resulted in most of the sauce clinging to the top of the box, and basically ruining the pizza. Some of the cardboard from the box was embedded in the pizza. Every pizza restaurant on planet earth uses those little plastic things that keep the top of the box from touching pizza -- except this Blue Pan location. This place is a disaster.

We will not be returning to give the kitchen staff one more chance. They got a pay raise, a cut of the server's tips, AND a mandatory kitchen fee (never mentioned by the server when you order), and they still can't do an average job. Bye! We'll go to...

I’ve been dying to have an excuse to go up to Denver and try Blue Pan Pizza. They specialize and have won awards for their Detroit-style pizza. They also feature other styles such as New York, Chicago Thin-Crust & Gluten-Free, but I came specifically for the Detroit.

Upon pulling up around noon on a Wednesday, I was shocked to see that it wasn’t as packed as I originally expected. We were able to be seated and were given waters right away.

I ordered the small (4 slices) (Detroit style) Southwestern BBQ Chicken and added NY Ricotta while my wife ordered a small (Detroit style) pepperoni pizza.

After about 12 minutes of waiting our orders came out and had steam emulating from both pizzas. We were more than eager to take our first bites of the pizza.

Starting with mine, the Southwestern BBQ Chicken hit all of the right notes. The toppings were plentiful and all meshed well together - even the added NY Ricotta! The rich and hearty pizza filled me with happiness after every single bite. The undercarriage of the bread was crisp and offered a fantastic crunch when taking a bite.

The bread is top tier - honestly the base is everything in a Detroit style. Not too greasy, not too firm - just right. Especially with it being substantial enough to hold all of the toppings and not emulate any flop is remarkable.

The cheesy exterior crust always is a crowd favorite and it was plentiful. Fantastic flavor.

My wife equally loved her simple pepperoni pizza. It’s simple, but the basics really stand on their own. She loved how the whole pizza was light and airy.

For two high-quality Detroit-Style pizzas at under $40, the pizzas delivered across all categories.

Pro Tip #1: Their serving sizes are accurate. A small was plenty for 1 person.

Pro Tip: #2: They allow you the option to do 2 different Detroit style pizzas both small and large (excluding their Sweetie Pie flavor).

Overall, this is the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life. Anytime I’m coming to Denver, I’m planning my trip...

Bottom Line: Inattentive service, crowded, sub-par food, would not recommend going out of your way for. Maybe if you're already walking by the restaurant and are craving pizza.

Atmosphere: This seems like a small business. A lot of natural lighting. The tables are very close together so you'll be squeezing between people to get to the inside tables. This isn't a place for people who value personal space. We were about a foot away from the table next to us. We could clearly hear their entire conversation and they could hear ours.

Food: We ordered the side of Garlic Bread as an appetizer. The garlic flavor wasn’t really there and the marinara sauce that it came with tasted very cheap/store bought.

I got the small award winning Mountain Top Pizza. The sauce on the pizza tasted similar to the marinara sauce that came with the Garlic Bread. It had a very fluffy interior, but the bottom crust was very soggy. Plenty of pepperoni, but I wish they added more mushrooms.

My brother got the award winning Brooklyn Bridge. I don't know if they usually use the same sauce for all pizzas or not, but this one tasted much better than mine. It also had a much nicer crust while maintaining that fluffy interior. It could have spread the creamy NY Ricotta more throughout the pizza in smaller increments, but overall, I was satisfied with this pizza.

Service: We were seated pretty quickly. Our waiter initially forgot our side of Hot Honey, but for the most part, our food came fairly quickly after ordering. He was kind and pretty knowledgeable about the menu, but I do wish he visited our table more often after we ordered. He was very attentive while waiting for us to place our orders, but only visited us at the end of our meal once we got our food. I wanted to get a beer after we got our food but didn't get a chance to.

Overall, it seems like a convenient lunch spot for the surrounding neighborhood, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this restaurant...