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Located near campus on South Colorado Boulevard and Yale Avenue, Beau Jo’s pizza accepts DU Flex Cash and is a great place for students to order a mountain pizza and pretend they’ve just come off the ski slope. After all, Beau Jo’s original location in Idaho Springs, Colo., was just that: an “après ski” pizza joint, serving up their signature thick mountain pies with fresh meats and veggies and, of course, a few pounds of mozzarella cheese.
Reasonably priced, it is generally more wallet-conscious to order a signature pie than to create your own pizza at Beau Jo’s, with individual toppings costing up to $2 on the smallest pizza. However, the selection of signature pies is hardly limiting.
With vegetarian, hamburger, Cajun and Luau, the possibilities might actually be endless.
Beau Jo’s uniquely displays their pizza sizes by the pound. Their comic menu suggests how many people should eat each size of pizza, ranging from “1-2 people, or one voracious wolverine” to “5-7 people, or one woolly mammoth.” Details like these make Beau Jo’s an all-around enjoyable experience.
For the health-conscious, Beau Jo’s has a huge selection of healthier options: wheat crust, thin crust, lighter ingredients, skim-milk mozzarella and one of the best gluten-free pizzas in Denver. Beau Jo’s is all about the customer and providing for his or her dietary needs.
As for an appetizer – should you decide that you must feed either a wolverine or a woolly mammoth – the garlic bread with cheese is a delicious way to get started at Beau Jo’s. The French bread is toasted with garlic, topped with thick mozzarella cheese and broiled to perfection. This simple starter is one of the best things on the menu.
However, the pizza itself is an experience on its own. Beau Jo’s advertises its thick crusts, but it’s hard to imagine how thick they really are until you’ve seen a piece. The hand-rolled crust is so thick, in fact, that Beau Jo’s is known for bringing out a side of honey for dipping your leftover crust, a strange but enjoyable tradition.
The interior is decorated much like a dramatized mountain cabin. The beams are wood, the walls are exposed brick and the chairs and tables resemble bar stools in an old western saloon.
Black-and-white photography on the walls depicts the old mountain ranges and skiers from the golden age of Colorado skiing. In fact, if the restaurant wasn’t so awkwardly situated on Colorado Boulevard, in the middle of quasi-metropolitan Denver, the vibe might actually feel authentic.
While the food is good, service relaxed and friendly, Beau Jo’s loses its mountain charm this far from the slopes and tends to feel a bit contrived. But for the nostalgic pizza lover or the antsy skier in need of a slope fix, Beau Jo’s is your kind of place.
Beau Jo’s also has an admirable reputation for its “green,” low-impact restaurants. The Denver Beau Jo’s restaurant utilizes biodegradable containers, local products and even uses recycled ballpoint pens.
While campy to say the least, Beau Jo’s is a unique and fun way to enjoy a different kind of pizza, whether that be by dipping your crust in honey or by ordering the best gluten-free pizza in town, Beau Jo’s will not disappoint. F
For those of us with a little more imagination, the ski slope vibe will be a rather pleasant accompaniment to the dining experience.
Beau Jo’s Denver location is open 11a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2710 S. Colorado Blvd.
