The first Europeans to pass through where El Paso is today were Spanish explorers on an expedition to try and convert the Native people to Christianity. That was way back at the end of the 16th century. They had more success in discovering the land was rich in minerals and perfect for cotton growing than they did increasing their flock of believers, but eventually a small settlement evolved around the mission's isolated location. El Paso grew more after the end of the Civil War when demobbed soldiers looking for a quiet place to recover from the strains of battle moved their families there. In the late 1800s when the railway arrived, the town entered into a boom era and was soon the largest community for miles around. El Paso had some serious ups and downs throughout the initial decades of the 20th century which mostly centered around the differences between the ethnic groups that had settled there. Segregation, rioting, and prohibition weren't enough to discourage some Italian families from relocating to El Paso to open their restaurant businesses. While pizza didn't solve the city's racial problems, it did fill a lot of hungry bellies.

There's one type of pie that rules the roost in El Paso. It's made with a traditional Italian pizza recipe that came over from Italy with the first settlers to journey through the state of Texas. The thin crust pizza El Paso is known for today isn't much different from then. The only variation that's occurred recently is the trend to turn this humble dish into something of gourmet classification. The basic pizza, dough, tomato sauce, and cheese, hasn't changed but the topping ingredients have. Over the last few decades at least, pizzerias in El Paso have gotten a whole lot more inventive than they used to be. Now as far as topping ingredients go, anything that's in the kitchen is fit for adding to a pie. Whether or not the flavors of what gets put on a gourmet thin crust pizza in El Paso actually combine well together is a matter of personal taste and something you'll have to check out for yourself.

Best delivery pizza in El Paso, Texas

When you're waiting for the best delivery pizza in El Paso to arrive at your door, you want it to get there fast. Road Runner Pizza on Doniphan Drive lives up to their name when it comes to swift delivery. There's no bird faster than a roadrunner and no pizza delivery in El Paso quicker off the mark than Road Runner Pizza. Road Runner Pizza has a premises in the West Valley commercial center which is streamlined for pie making and dispatch. Here, once an order has been called in, it takes them less than five minutes to prep a pie and get it in the oven. When it's baked, a pie is straight in the box and handed to the delivery guy who is raring to go. He may even have a quiet bip bip road runner-style as he sets off, but only when no-one's around and listening.

Best takeout pizza in El Paso, Texas

If you've been over at the Red Sands Adventure Park kicking up dust in a UTV and need food, you're in luck. Driving back into the city you'll be passing right by the pizzeria that makes the best take-out pizza in El Paso. You'll find Xtreme Pizza Montwood on Montwood Drive in the Montwood Village mall. The pizzeria has a front location that faces right onto the parking lot so you'll spot it easily enough. Inside it's more of a fast food, bar-style joint than it is a traditional Italian pizzeria so you'll have to perch on a stool or stay standing while your pie is cooking. Are the pizzas extreme? Not in the least, but they do have some good topping combinations like Cheetos with jalapenos and ground beef with pickles and burger sauce.

Best pizza near El Paso, Texas

Canutillo

Canutillo is a twenty-minute drive north of El Paso and while there may not be anything of interest in the town itself, it is the gateway to the Franklin Mountains State Park. Before you head into the wilderness of the park, pick up a pizza from King's Mena Pizza on Talbot Avenue as you'll need plenty of sustenance to trek the hundred miles or so of trails there. It's quite a barren landscape to hike through but none the worse for that and still scenic in its own way. When you find a spot with a great view, it'll be time to pick a rock and sit down to eat your pizza.

Ciudad Juárez

You don't need to go far from El Paso to cross over the border with Mexico and pay Ciudad Juárez a visit. Have a wander around the city's historic center and you'll probably be impressed by the grandeur of the immense cathedral with its twin towers. Have a browse of the exhibits in the Museum of the Revolution on the Border and by the time you've seen what there is to see, you'll be ready for a pie in somewhere like Peter Piper Pizza Misiones on the Teofilo Borunda.

Santa Teresa

Drive less than fifteen miles northwest of El Paso on the I-10 and you'll arrive at Santa Teresa. It's a small rural town with not a great deal going on unless you're an aviation or automobile fanatic. Santa Teresa is the location of the War Eagles Air Museum where there are collections totaling fifty-five vintage cars and thirty-plus aircraft. After you've had your fill of two and four-wheeled vehicles, drop in at Nick's Pizza on Country Club Road for a pizza on your way home.