The Ankeny Brief
There isn't one winner, because these places aren't making the same pizza. Pick by the craving and by which end of town you are on.
Grimaldi's Pizzeria is the night-out choice, at 1450 SW Vintage Pkwy in the District at Prairie Trail. It bakes coal-fired, New York-style pies, and the company calls this its first Iowa location. Hours are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 11. It has a waitlist and reservations; group bookings need at least 8 guests and 72 hours notice.
Wig & Pen Pizza Pub at 2005 S Ankeny Blvd, Suite 300, is the pub pick and the local Chicago-style answer, with a patio on the Ankeny Business Journal's 2025 list. One caution: the website that list points to now shows only an Iowa City address, and we could not confirm current Ankeny hours. Call 515-963-9777 first.
Leaning Tower of Pizza at 512 SW 3rd St is the Uptown choice. Owner Kevin Harrington marked 10 years in Ankeny back in 2011, telling Patch that "almost everything is homemade." Review sites list 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and point to its thin-crust Leaner, homemade sausage and cheeseburger pies. Try the Harrington, and call to confirm hours.
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Northern Lights Pizza at 1550 N Ankeny Blvd, #110. Its taco pizza has seasoned ground beef, fresh onions and cheddar, with tomatoes, lettuce, chips, sour cream and taco sauce served on the side, so nothing goes limp on the drive home. Tell them if you want it built differently. Northern Lights calls it a local favorite, and if you moved here from somewhere else, this is the Iowa order to try first.
It delivers to northern Ankeny, Polk City and the Elkhart area, and it handles carryout. Its other big order is the SkaDoozy, a 20-by-6-inch calzone. Note the 3 p.m. open Monday through Thursday: this is not a weekday lunch option.
Dough Co Pizza at 2405 SW White Birch Dr, Suite 100. Locals know it for the 26-inch pie, which is the easy answer for a team party. We could not find a posted price for it, so call 515-214-1131 or order through its online menu. If you want a room and a server instead, Grimaldi's takes bookings of 8 or more with 72 hours notice.
Nonna's Pizza & Pasta at 1802 N Ankeny Blvd is our New York-style pick, and the menu goes beyond round pies to Sicilian squares and a crispy, thin-crust Grandma's pie. Prices we saw on Slice in November 2026: cheese $15.74, Margherita $20.99, Grandma's and regular Sicilian $27.29. It also lists a cauliflower-crust gluten-free cheese pizza at $12.10. App prices can differ from the counter. An ordering page we found listed Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Sunday; call to confirm.
Sunday night, need delivery: Northern Lights. Date night: Grimaldi's. Soccer team: Dough Co. Walking the Uptown strip: Leaning Tower. Gluten-free: Nonna's cauliflower crust.
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It depends on the style you want. Grimaldi's Pizzeria is coal-fired and sit-down in Prairie Trail, Northern Lights Pizza is the taco pizza and delivery choice, Dough Co Pizza has the 26-inch pie, Nonna's Pizza & Pasta does New York, Sicilian and Grandma's pies, Wig & Pen Pizza Pub is known for Chicago style, and Leaning Tower of Pizza is the Uptown staple.
Taco pizza is a pizza with taco fixings. At Northern Lights Pizza, 1550 N Ankeny Blvd, it comes with seasoned ground beef, fresh onions and cheddar, and tomatoes, lettuce, chips, sour cream and taco sauce on the side.
For feeding a crowd, Dough Co Pizza at 2405 SW White Birch Dr is known for its 26-inch pizza. Grimaldi's Pizzeria takes group bookings of at least 8 guests with 72 hours notice.
Both. Grimaldi's serves coal-fired New York-style pizza in Prairie Trail and Nonna's Pizza & Pasta is a local New York-style pick. Wig & Pen Pizza Pub has been the local Chicago-style answer; call 515-963-9777 to confirm its hours.
Grimaldi's at 1450 SW Vintage Pkwy is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The phone number is 515-635-1038.
Yes. Nonna's Pizza & Pasta lists a cauliflower-crust gluten-free cheese pizza on its Slice menu. If you have celiac disease, ask how it is prepared before you order.
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