Pine Apple, Nederland. On a rare, sunny, swimsuit worthy day in February, only one type of fare would quiet my ferocious hunger… PIZZA! Pizza and…. Beer! So, I walked up the stairs of Nederland’s #1 Shopping Center and strolled into Backcountry Pizza & Taphouse and found myself a high seat by the window.
Grunge rock poured through the speakers and sports games aired on the supersized televisions. Contractors and business owners were talking shop at the bar.
The scent of fresh dough and all things pizza, sandwiches, and wings filled the restaurant with excitement.
The drink menu was extensive. The bartender was very knowledgeable on the different stouts, ales, lagers, & ipa’s available. I finally settled in with the Upslope craft lager and ordered ½ dozen BBQ wings and a 12” meat grinder pizza with blue cheese dressing. The menu was also sure to please; many gluten free and vegetarian options were available, including a gluten-free crust for the pizzas.
The 2 bulletin boards bustled with community information, services offered, items for sale, and a couple help wanted ads. Arcade games sang to be played. The wide bar top gave the house a lodge-style regal atmosphere. The large north-facing windows that lined the front of the restaurant gave views to magnificent snow-covered mountains and the beautiful little town we call Ned.
Finally, order up! I head to the counter to get my pie & basket of wings. Now, I didn’t bring a tape measure, but by 12” pizza, I’m pretty sure they were just talking about the inner diameter of the crust. This pizza was hot, huge, and every square inch was loaded with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger, and sausage. The crust was soft, with a crunch to the outer edges, and a very artistic twist pattern for the outer edge. The red marinara had quite an acidic edge, so next time I will try a different style sauce. Other sauces BCP offers include BBQ, buffalo, white, and pesto, and they all sound delicious to me! The mozzarella was baked very well, I may have been able to walk across the entire establishment with a slice and have seen the cheese stay intact. The BBQ wings were on the sweet side and were at a good temperature at table time.
Dry Parmesan, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, and napkins were well stocked and at just an arms length from the chairs. The bartender & line staff was skilled, with a 22 minute wait from order to table, all items ordered arrived accurately. The bar top, tables, and cutlery were clean. The windows were clean for the most part. The restroom existed. The portion sizes were very large. The price? It was less than $40 for all the food & drink with a fair tip.
Lunch at Backcountry was overall a good experience; it is no wonder to me why our hardy mountain folk will continue to support them. Best of luck to you!
BackCountry Pizza is located at 20 E. Lakeview Drive #212 in Nederland, Colorado. Dial it up for a tasty TO-GO pizza and more at (303) 258-0176.
