Fat Olives

Fat Olives has built a loyal following on Route 66 in Flagstaff with wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza and gourmet toppings, and the numbers back it up: a 4.6 rating from over 6,000 Google reviews. Expect a lively, packed dining room most nights, especially on weekends, when wait times stretch long enough that regulars know to come for a Monday lunch instead.

What to expect

The wood-fired crust is the draw — blistered and charred at the edges, sturdy enough to fold, with reviewers singling out pies like the Shrimp Fra Diavola (Calabrian chilies, house-made chili oil) and the Belgio Dolce for their smoky depth. The kitchen also handles vegan orders well, a detail more than one review calls out specifically, and the menu runs alongside wine on tap. Sharing a few pizzas across the table is the move if you want to sample more than one.

• Hours: 11am-9pm Sunday-Thursday, 11am-10pm Friday-Saturday
• Price range: $$
• Good to know: parking near the restaurant gets tight when it's busy, and happy hour is worth timing a visit around

Flagstaff sits about 80 miles south of the South Rim, and this is the kind of place worth planning a meal around on the drive in or out — or on its own if you're staying in town for the night. Service gets consistent praise for being attentive without being slow, which goes a long way when the dining room is full.