Iron Duck: Amazing Pizza in an Unexpected Place

The Snoqualmie Valley has a lot of pizza options. Since I’ve raised four kids here for nearly two decades, I’ve eaten my fair share of pizza – since it always seemed to be one of those meals that was ‘pleasing to the masses’ inhabiting my home.

I am by no means a pizza connoisseur, rather just someone who has eaten their fair share of slices both locally and in far away places, including San Francisco, New York and even Italy, and served it up for six years as a former waitress at Pegasus Pizza on Alki. I’ve also been lucky enough to test out iconic pizza places like Grimaldi’s, Lombari’s, John’s, Tony’s and Patsy’s.

Recently I had a local pepperoni pizza surprise and surpass my expectations – and in a place I wasn’t expecting: the Iron Duck in downtown North Bend. It was so unexpected that I had to make sure my husband agreed, which he whole-heartedly did. Yes. I’ll say it – it reminded us of New York. [Note, we have a child attending college in NYC and pizza is our go-to choice for easy and reasonably priced meals during visits.]

Iron Duck’s pizza – to me – was proof you can make a New York-reminiscent pizza without firing up a wood or coal oven. Their crust was super crispy courtesy of an electric oven. The San Marzano sauce was simple, flavorful and fresh. The cheese – three different kinds – wasn’t too much and the pepperoni was a perfect amount. To top it off, the price was reasonable – $16 and we headed out with a couple of slices left over.

I did one more taste-test and took my daughter back – who gets her fill of pizza in the Big Apple – to see if it would be as good the second time around. It didn’t disappoint and she agreed that we had discovered something great.

My new found affection for the Iron Duck’s pepperoni pizza, though, won’t stop me from supporting other great pizza places in the Snoqualmie Valley – like Frankies, MOD and Uncle Si’s.

The Iron Duck Public House opened at the corner of North Bend Way and Main Street in fall 2017. The owner, Sean Quinn, also owns the Flatiron Grill and Black Duck Cask and Bottle in Issaquah.

Do you have a favorite local pizza spot? If so, share it in the comments below.