Incline Village doesn’t have many restaurants that have outlasted four decades of changing owners, changing tourists, and changing trends, but Mofo’s Pizza & Pasta has done exactly that.
Since 1986, this family-owned pizzeria on Tahoe Blvd has served the same NY-style pizzas, homemade pasta, and marinara sauce with a genuinely wild backstory.
Three generations of the Morrison family have kept it running, and locals have never let them close up shop.
The result is a Lake Tahoe institution that somehow still feels like a neighborhood secret. 🍕
How Mofo’s Pizza & Pasta Won Incline Village’s Hearts
The marinara sauce recipe traces back to Walter Morrison, a World War II P-38 pilot who was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea and washed up on the coast of Italy.
He spent six months hiding out with Italian sheepherders in the mountains before making his way back to Allied forces, and somewhere along the way, he picked up a sauce recipe that would eventually define a restaurant.
Walter’s son, John Morrison, and his wife, Barbara, turned that family recipe into an actual business in 1986, opening Mofo’s Pizza & Pasta in the Christmas Tree Village Shopping Center.
When John later lost his battle with cancer, the torch passed to his son, Justin Morrison, who has kept the family legacy alive ever since.
Locals in Incline Village have watched Mofo’s stay put through it all, still making dough fresh every single day and still slicing ingredients in-house rather than relying on shortcuts.
The pizzeria has become the kind of place where regulars do not need to look at a menu, and where families who first came as kids now bring their own children through the door.
For a small pizzeria tucked into a shopping center near Lake Tahoe, that combination of history and consistency has turned Mofo’s into something closer to a hometown landmark than a casual dinner option. 🏔️
The menu itself has grown a bit since 1986, but it has never strayed from the same fresh, homemade philosophy Walter’s family recipe was built on.
Alongside the NY-style pizza lineup, Mofo’s also serves homemade pasta dishes like lasagna, carbonara, and spaghetti and meatballs, all made after 5 pm with noodles rolled fresh in-house.
Tourists passing through on a Lake Tahoe getaway tend to stumble onto Mofo’s by accident, usually while searching for the best pizza in Incline Village, and end up leaving with the same loyalty the locals already have.
In a town where restaurants can disappear as fast as the winter snow melts, that kind of quiet reliability is exactly why this Incline Village Italian restaurant has never had to work very hard to keep its regulars close.
Food Highlights
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Mighty Mo: Loaded with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, and black olives. 🍄
- BBQ Chicken: Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce forms the base, topped with chicken, onions, and bacon for a smoky, tangy bite. 🍗
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Firenze: Pesto sauce, feta cheese, salami, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and garlic come together on this one for a Mediterranean-leaning slice.
- Traveler: Built on an olive-oil base with spinach, garlic, chicken, and bacon, this one skips the red sauce entirely.
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Greek: Pesto sauce, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts make this a lighter, tangier alternative to the classic red-sauce pies.
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Hawaiian: Canadian bacon, pineapple, and tomatoes keep this sweet-and-savory classic on regular rotation for families. 🍍
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Combination: A hearty mix of pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, Canadian bacon, onions, and sausage.
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Western Comfort: Basil, spinach, light pepperoni, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes give this pie a fresher, veggie-forward twist. 🌿
Atmosphere
Walk in, and you’re greeted by the smell of dough hitting a hot oven and marinara simmering somewhere in the back.
The dining room keeps things simple and old-fashioned, with classic Italian decor and a laid-back energy that ramps up during the dinner rush.
It’s a casual, family-friendly space built for sticky tables, big groups, and kids running between booths rather than quiet fine dining.
Between the salad bar, the kid’s menu, and the well-worn charm, it feels like a spot that has hosted the same regulars for decades. 🧀
Bottom Line
Visit Mofo’s for the decades-old family recipe, a genuinely great pizza selection built around fresh daily dough, a casual atmosphere perfect for families, a story worth repeating, and a reputation that has kept Incline Village loyal for nearly forty years. ✅
Address:
868 Tahoe Blvd Ste Incline, Incline Village, NV 89451
📞 (775) 831-4999
🕔 Open Mon–Thu 11 AM–8:30 PM, Fri–Sat 11 AM–9 PM, Sun 5 PM–8:30 PM