BLVD is the new three-story retail complex on the Strip across from City Center that replaced the old Hawaiian Marketplace. It’s a slick-looking destination that spans 700 feet of Strip frontage and includes 400,000 square feet on three floors, including a large rooftop terrace (the “Overlook”). It appears more prominent than it actually is so far, with only eight stores (ABC, Abercrombie and Fitch, Adidas, H&M, JD, Lululemon, Pandora, and Puma); Puma has three interactive experiences on the second floor. The world’s largest In N Out Burger is under construction on the roof.
The only eatery at BLVD so far is How Ya Dough’n Pizzeria, also the only open business on the third floor; it launched in mid-December. Curious about BLVD, In N Out, and How Ya Dough’n, we visited on the pizza place’s first day. You walk to the south end of BLVD, where an escalator delivers you to the third floor; you meander a bit around to the front of the terrace until you come to the pizzeria.
The huge two-story In N Out Burger has a ways to go; other in-progress storefronts on the third floor appear to be more food outlets. As of now, however, How Ya Dough’n is it up there. When In N Out opens, people will walk by the pizza, but currently, it’s far off the beaten path and we wonder how long it can survive the status quo.
The back story is a young couple in south Florida, marooned by the pandemic, started making pizzas for family and friends; when they “discovered” sourdough, it was the game-changer and they opened their first location in Boynton Beach. The BLVD venue is their fourth.
Three menus over the cash register are all the same: small and hard to see (no paper menus when we were there to get a closer look). Also, bring your credit card — no cash accepted. They sell only pies, no slices; the 12-inch has four. The two kinds of pizzas come with tomato sauce and the usual cheese, pepperoni, and meatballs, while the no-sauce are just cheese and toppings, such as pistachio, mushrooms, garlic/honey, and sausage. The 12-inchers are $14-$20, the 16s are $28-$30 — gourmet pizza prices.
They also sell four salads and “hot stuff,” wings and meatballs (all $16-$18).
We got a 16-inch half-pepperoni and half-meatball. Three of us agreed that they were a bit stingy with the toppings. Also, the big-sell sourdough crust, apparently super-popular in south Florida, was decent, though barely sour, especially compared to Yukon Pizza’s 120-year-old starter dough (where the most expensive large is $22; see LVA 6/23 for our review). How Ya Dough’n’s $29 ($36 with tax and tip) was definitely a Strip tab. Finally, we walked in, but if you have to pay for parking, add $20 to the bill and it’s yet another example of stunted value and questionable quality in Big Casino Land.
Nothing on the strip has value anymore. You just have to accept it or find a place you like off strip. I have stopped worrying about it at this point and I started going in 1989 so I have seen the greed in real time.