I was intrigued by the concept of 800 Degrees, the Neapolitan, cafeteria-style, made-to-order pizzeria imported by sbe from California to the SLS Las Vegas.  One minute to make my pizza?  Seriously?  And if it really only takes a minute, how good can it be?

Well, I’ll tell ya – it be friggin’ awesome!  

There’s a whole bunch of hokum, about what flour they use and how hot the oven burns, and all of that is really great – and if that interests you, I encourage you to read all about it, at the 800 Degrees website.  Meanwhile, I’m gonna tell you about my experience.

First of all, I’m always in a rush.  Call it ADHD, call it short-attention-span, call it me being a mess; but at the end of the day, it is what it is.  So, anything that promises a great product in less time – sign me up.

You go, you get in line (as you would in a cafeteria), and you order.  I ordered the Carni.  One of their Specialty Pies, the Carni is made with Salsiccia (fennel-seasoned pork sausage), Pepperoni, Meatballs (seasoned grass-fed beef, roasted in-house), and Rosemary Ham (uncured from Fra’Mani á la Chef Paul Bertolli).  Naturally, being me (see preceding paragraph, above), I asked if they thought it would work with the Boschetto di Tartufo (an Italian truffle cheese).  The answer: sure!  You’ve gotta love a place that is willing to make changes, additions, and/or substitutions on the fly.

So, as you move on down the line, after you order your pizza; you order your starters.  We opted for the Meatballs (see description, above), and the Burrata with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto.  As this is going on, your pizza is already cued-up to go into the oven.

As you round the corner, and head into the home-stretch that is the cashier, your custom-pizza is already cooking!  So, by the time we got our table, drinks, utensils and other accoutrements, our appetizers were ready, and then our pizzas were done.

Now, if you’ve ever read one of my essays, you know that I only write about things that I like, and that I think my readers will enjoy.  This was definitely the case, with 800 Degrees.

The Burrata was creamy and spread wonderfully (and at only $7, quite the deal!), while the meatballs were tender but firm.  But when all is said and done, it’s all about the pizza.  And it was fantastic.  Not too doughy (my usual gripe, unless in Chicago), not too runny, somewhat crispy (the way I like it), and bursting with fresh flavors. 

Best of all, I was able to arrive, valet, walk through the casino, eat, chit-chat, traverse the casino once more, and retrieve my car from valet – all in under an hour.  What does this mean for you?  Well, if you work on or near the Strip and need a good, tasty, lunch and you’ve got 60 minutes or less in which to do so – then 800 Degrees is the place for you.

Furthermore, if you’ve arrived at SLS for a concert at Sayers, and you find yourself somewhat peckish, with some time to kill – pop-in to 800 Degrees for a little nibble.  It’ll hit the spot without being an imposition on either your time or your finances.  And that’s a win-win, if I’ve ever seen one!

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria
SLS Las Vegas
Click HERE for info

Get into it!