Panhandler’s Pizza

This is the kind of place that develops a cult following. Great pizza all around. It’s thick, pan-​style pizza that’s hearty and good. It is not Chicago style, so if that’s what you’re looking for, and you’re snobby about it, this isn’t your place.
Pan’s also has a thin crust (which is still pretty thick) which is also very good. My favorite here is a pepperoni pizza with ranch sauce… so good! They’ll give you breadsticks when you order a large, as their pizza takes a while to cook. Even the website recommends that if you want to eat it soon after arrival, call ahead and place the order in advance.
You’ll enjoy the red/​white checkered tablecloths, big fireplace, and optional patio seating.
I’ve been here hundreds of times and have yet to be disappointed. The price has gone up quite a bit over the last 12 years, but it’s still worth every penny. My all-​time favorite place I measure every other pizza place against.

Panhandler’s is absolutely the best pizza in town! I’ve spent a lot of time trying out different pizza places and trying lots of specialty pizzas. Fort Collins has a ton of great local pizza places, but Panhandler’s shines above the rest! They are timely with delivery, have fantastic specialty pizzas (I highly recommend the Chicago Style Sausage and The Mediterranean) and an extremely efficient ordering process.
If you’re looking for a delicious pan or thin crust style pizza, Panhandler’s is the place to go!
They don’t have a «hand tossed» option but even if that’s your favorite, I’d say it’s worth giving their pan pizza a try!

Don’t go to Pans and order the thin crust. Not that it’s bad but it’s not what they do. Pans does authentic deep dish Chicago style pizza. If you want a greasy slice to fold in half then you probably should head elsewhere. If you want a thick, fluffy, flaky crust with a hint of sweetness that’s coupled with a bold sauce that has just the right amount spice then Pans is where it’s at.
Their chunky style Chicago sauce with sausage and pepperoni is to die for! I get it every time I go in. Don’t forget to finish off the crust with some honey!

Pizza was hot, but bland. The sauce over whelmed the toppings and was very strong. Crust is ok. I wont be back and I love pizza.

Fort Collins overwhelmed my wife and me with the abundance of pizza. Throughout the summer, I came to the realization that though Colorado boasts a counter-​cultural vibe, the college town still subsists on pizza.
For a work lunch, our organization catered in Panhandler’s, which must have been our 8^th pizza institution of the summer.
These guys have the thick, pan-​crust down to a tee. The namesake pie provides a crunchy texture, sustaining the thick, cheesy character well. To add to the quality dough, I found the sauce and toppings to be fairly good quality. Nothing out of the world, as most pizza in this town can hold its own.
One of the better shops in town, Panhandler’s would serve you well as a hearty meal, or better yet, breakfast the next day.

Husband and I ate a Great breakfast! First time patrons! Clean, friendly, accommodating.

Long story. I stopped by and ordered a medium pineapple and Canadian bacon deep dish. I asked how long it was going to take and she said about 25 minutes. We exchanged pleasantries about tattoos and I was like awesome, that gives me enough time to get to Wilbur’s to get some beer. I’ll pick it up on my way back through! So I get to Wilbur’s. Pick a six. Some FCB, Left Hand, Stone. Head back to Panhandlers. Leave the car running with the sixer in the passenger seat. Should be like 30 seconds right? I get in there and Will, dude extraordinaire, is like umm, we lost your pizza. I’m like, did it grow legs? And without missing a beat he’s like dude, we’ll upgrade to a large at no cost, just a few minutes. I’m like cool. Just gotta run to the car and grab the sixer. I head back in and sit down and will’s like, DUDE! We found your pizza! So I grab the pie in one hand. Sixer in the other and head on out for a great night of beer and pizza. But wait. I’m outside walking to the car and a familiar voice behind me calls out CHAD! You gotta try these cookies. It was Will, my new best friend. Hands me a bag of warm fresh baked choco chips. We hugged it out. Now I’m at home enjoying this amazing deep dish Hawaiian, a FCB 1020 pale ale and gooey chocolate chip cookies. Watching Neighbors on HBO. BEST NIGHT EVER. thanks Will. I love you.

Good pizza loved it had meat lovers with fat tire it was 17 bucks or so tuesday cant remember exactly but i loved it and it was very friendly and had fast service

WARNING, They do not serve real Chicago style deep dish.
Good pizza, I do favor it over many other places. Those who think they are coming here for Chicago style deep dish pizza, you won’t find it here. Don’t be fooled by what people tell you. Do not expect a real deep dish pizza. I was disappointed like many others in this area but for what they do make, it’s always been enjoyable and I won’t down grade them for that.

Used to love their pizza until I encountered their rude owner. Discussed doing a community out reach opportunity with them and immediately shot me down. Clearly does not care about their community around them and is just interested in the money. Never eating there again after this response.

Just yuck ! ! Taste and appearance was severely lacking. Reminded me of the pizza they served in grade school. Won’t be returning

Pretty typical college pizza joint. This place serves the deep dish type, not really my favorite, but it was decent. Décor is a bit old and divey, which is something I like in my college town pizzerias. Service was better than average. Folks that were taking orders and deliver pies were very professional and pleasant.

So I ordered from here because of all the great Chicago style comments and I can honesty say that it was NOTHING like Chicago pizza. I got all excited and spend $ 30.00 on ONE pizza I went thin with Chicago sauce & Italian sausage just hopping against hope it would come anywhere close to my beloved Chicago thin crust. I even asked for it to be Chicago cut. I should have know when the girl taking the order didn’t know what that meant and I had to explain that it was cut in squares. So what did i get you ask? I got a pizza that was not cut in squares and had chunks of tomatoes all over the top but no «sauce» to speak of & the sausage had absolutely no taste. I have had bad pizza in the past but this is the first time I have ever just thrown out a pizza because it was so bad. I should have just ordered the thin crust spicy Italian from Papa John’s and save myself $ 15.00!

This place is pretty cool because I haven’t come across Chicago style anywhere else in town. However, Im always a little disappointed. Yes, the pizzas are large and the crust is thick… but it always tastes like I have a huge burn on my tongue. Or like I have a cold. you know, where things smell wonderful, but the taste just isn’t there. I really want to like this place, and I will most likely go here again… but, its not the best (or even in the top 10) pizza places I’ve had.
If your heart desires Chicago style and you’re in a pinch, check them out. If you want the best slice of your life, you might be disappointed.

I love this pizza. Took some buddies I made here to this place as a friday get together kinda thing and there was no regrets from anyone. Fairly priced and a nice environment and not a whole lotta people inside. Staff incredibly friendly. Decent music and they were fair to a date I took here who broke down in tears to a song they played inside.

Their pizza is SO good! They have super thick crust pizza and a bunch of different options. They also offer pizza by the slice in the store. Love love panhandlers!

Absolutely delicious!!! Wish I could have some now!!! Their square slices are the best! One slice fills you up!!! Worth the wait! My favorite is supreme, but you can’t go wrong with a slice of meat!

As much as I love their pizza, I have to leave this review. It took nearly an hour and half to get out pizza which was completely unacceptable as we were the only ones in the restaurant. If you want panhandlers order it to pick up so you don’t end up waiting forever; we never got an apology or anything! Terrible customer service when dining in.

I’m so torn writing this review. I ordered delivery and it forever. No big deal. I ordered Chicago style with Chicago sauce. The sauce was super briny. The tomatoes tasted like they were in the metal cans too long. It’s huge. Heavy. And expensive. I want to try other cuts and toppings. Go check it out.

Santa — it’s Richard.
You remember me, right?
Well, all I want this year is a d-​lish pizza from Panhandler delivered to me daily. Ok, maybe some world peace too…
If nothing else, I wish that Panhandler would open up another fantastic location closer to Denver. Best pizza… no joke. If only I could drive up to Fort Fun all the time I would be happy, but alas I cannot get my Panhandler fix that readily.
Thick, fluffy crust and toppings to die for! Love the fact that beer is served too! This gem is the top of the line for mouth watering pizza bliss!