Yukon Pizza
Yukon Pizza’s brick-and-mortar restaurant was one of the most anticipated openings of 2022, after pop-ups at The Vegas Test Kitchen made it the talk of the town among local pizza lovers. But its story goes back much further: 125 years to be exact. That’s when owner Alex White’s great-great-grandfather began cultivating the sourdough yeast starter that’s the heart and soul of Yukon’s unique crust, to sell to gold prospectors in the Yukon territory.
Alex is the fifth generation of his family to care for that starter, and the one who first used it for pizzas -- which he fed to college friends before selling out of his backyard in Las Vegas. White, his wife Dani and brother Cameron, and veteran chef Justin Ford, now sell the sourdough pies in a tiny space near the historic Huntridge Theater. And in 2024, Alex took home his first world Champion title, winning first place in the non-traditional divison at the International Pizza Expo's International Pizza Challenge.
Chefs Gary LaMorte, Nicole Brisson and Crystina Ngyuen, The Sand Dollar Lounge’s Anthony Jamison and VegansBaby.com creator Diana Edelman are among Yukon’s fans. They love the variety of pizzas, which range from classic Neapolitan styles to unique combos like “Sausage and Kale” and “You Had Me At Garlic” (garlic oil, garlic ranch, sliced garlic, confit garlic, mozzarella and chili crisp). But it’s that sourdough crust that Casino.org’s Mitch Schneider says “gets me every time.”