Panhandler's Pizza - Fort Collins, CO — Restaurant in Fort Collins

The original panhandler's was my absolute favorite pizza joint in Colorado. They had amazing service, a quaint restaurant, and delicious food. We were so bummed when they closed and anxiously awaited the reopening. That being said, I have had the absolute WORST experience with the new owner and location. We have been to the new place twice. The first time we went was around the time that the new location first opened. We ordered 2 large one topping pizzas with pesto sauce (which costs extra) and waited for them in the restaurant. When they brought the pizzas out, neither of them had pesto and the owner tried to blame it on us. She finally agreed to have them remade so we had to wait another 20 minutes or so. Nothing was done to repay us our time. We didn't go back for several months because of this experience but eventually we figured that the mistakes could be chalked up to the restaurant being new. We went back again this weekend and ordered a large veggie deluxe with pesto and a large California artichoke pizza. This time, instead of a veggie deluxe, they gave us a combo. This is a pretty big problem since the combo has meat and I am a vegetarian. The owner once again tried to blame us for the mistake and basically had an attitude the whole time she was talking to us. Eventually, she agreed to remake the pizza and put the other one on the warmer. So now our other pizza won't even be fresh. Not the end of the world but not great. We sit there for another 20 minutes waiting for this pizza to get made and we are visibly ticked off. The owner comes over and gives us a $10 voucher. That doesn't even cover the cost of one of the pizzas but cool. At least she did something to try to make it right. They finally bring out the pizza and it looks like what we ordered so we take the 2 pizzas and go home. When we get home, I realize that the pizza that they remade isn't even fully cooked. It's basically raw dough. So at this point, we are out the cost of a large pizza, at least 40 extra minutes of our time and the $10 voucher is basically worthless. I don't know what in the world is going on in that place but the quality has taken a serious nose dive. I would absolutely not recommend this restaurant. It really is a shame to see it crash and burn.

EDIT FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED: To her credit, the owner has since apologized profusely and gave us about $80 worth of free pizza. We wanted to give them another chance so with that money, we got 3 pizzas and one cheesy garlic bread. The bread is just as you would expect it to be. Who doesn't like cheesy garlic bread? Unfortunately, I still cannot reccomend the pizza. Out of the 3 pizzas, we got one good one (a California Artichoke) that we ate. It was perfectly cooked and had the right balance of flavors. Sadly, I would consider the other two pizzas to be borderline inedible. The first one, a California Artichoke, was somehow sour. When the owner asked for my opinion and I told her this, she said that nothing about the pizza should taste sour. We promptly threw that one away. For the last pizza we decided to try something different and ordered The Mediterranean. Unfortunately, we also had to throw this one away as it was extremely salty to the point where you could barely taste any other flavor. I think that it also speaks to the restaurant's success that it has been mostly or completely empty every time I've been there. TDLR; I still cannot reccomend this restaurant. The pizza is inconsistent at best, and inedible at worst. Now that we have used up our credit, I highly doubt that we will be returning to this...

Let’s start with the service. When you go in there is always someone behind the counter who asks what they can do to help you. I’ve been there several times and it has always been the same…polite & knowledgeable folks behind the counter. They have pizza by the slice under warming lights. As we all know that can be problematic depending on how long the pizza has been sitting there. It’s no different at Panhandler’s. At Panhandler’s you can rest assured that the pizza has not been sitting for hours because they refuse to serve you any pizza that has been under the lights for too long. Whilst the folks there are marvelous, the star of the show is their pizza. I have traveled this entire country - every state but Hawaii. I have traveled into Canada mainland and surrounding islands. In the navy, I sailed up and down the east coast from Puerto Rico & Cuba down south to Nova Scotia and other places up North. I sailed all over the Mediterranean, stopping in Italy, France, Greece & Northern Africa just to name a few. More than a dozen countries. I have eaten pizza in every country and most ports we visited. I have eaten pizza for better than 60 years and I’m telling you, Panhandler’s Pizza is the best I’ve ever eaten! Bar none. Why you ask? To begin with all the ingredients are prepared in-house…fresh cheese grated every morning. Fresh vegetables cut and prepared every morning. The dough they use? You guessed it! Prepared in-house along with the pizza sauce! That, my friends, makes all the difference in the world. But this would all be for naught if it wasn’t prepared correctly. The preparation - putting it together with an abundance of toppings and then cooking it to absolute perfection is the standard operating procedure, day in and day out. It has never varied from this norm every time I’ve been there. If you love pizza like I do, you owe it to yourself to go to Panhandler’s Pizza and try their pizza. You won’t be...

Some places are special not just because of the food, but because of the memories, the stories, and the moments they hold. Panhandler’s Pizza is exactly that kind of place.

For my partner, Lauren, this has been her favorite pizza since childhood—a place where she shared meals, laughter, and stories with her grandparents, parents, friends, and now our own family. This kind of nostalgia is rare, and finding a restaurant that carries the weight of so many years of love and tradition is something truly priceless.

But let’s be clear—it’s not just nostalgia; the pizza is absolutely delicious. My most recent visit was just this week. I stopped in to pick up a few slices to go for the family and while waiting, I ordered a local beer (because that’s all they serve, and I love that detail). The staff was friendly, welcoming, and exactly the kind of people you want running a place with this much history. When I got home, we opened up the box, and there it was—the same incredible pizza Lauren has loved her whole life, still as amazing as ever.

She asked me, “Is the pizza really that good, or do you think it’s the nostalgia that makes me love it so much?”

My answer? It’s both. A place like this wouldn’t have lasted since 1975 if the pizza wasn’t exceptional, and the pizza wouldn’t taste quite as magical if it didn’t come with the memories. It’s the perfect match of flavor and feeling, and that’s something you can’t fake.

Places like Panhandler’s Pizza don’t just happen every day—they are cherished, legendary, and one-of-a-kind. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on one of the most special pizza experiences...