Belemonti's brings Chicago-style pizza to Santa Fe Drive

Lori Midson

"It's a common misconception that Chicago-style pizza is limited to deep dish and stuffed pies," laments Tammy Maleckas, owner of Belemonti's Pizzeria. There are even residents of Chicago, she says, who "don't realize that their own city has its own distinctive style of thin crust pies -- a very thin pie with a crisp, almost cracker-like crust that's cut into small squares."

If you want to taste what Maleckas, a Chicago native is talking about, then stop by Belemonti's, her quirky, four-week-old pizzeria at 644 Santa Fe Drive. The quarters are sparse and the menu, offering a total of eight pizzas in three sizes, is short and to the point, but the pizzas, with their charred and blistered crusts, are exactly as she describes them.
 
"I've been in Colorado for seven years and wanted to expand the love of Chicago-style, thin crust pizza for us Denverites," she explains.

Belemonti's is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, except on the first Saturday after the first Friday of the month, when it's closed.