1) Hog island Deli. I think it’s one of the priciest slices in town, but excellent cheese slices at that. Of all the slices I’ve had so far in Austin, their cheese slice was most reminiscent of a true NY pizza. I can’t vouch for their other slices, but I’ve been here multiple times for the cheese slice and it’s been consistently a treat for my taste buds. Open during the daytime AND they’re open late til after bar close! Update 3/12/2010 – Hog Island Deli is now closed as I found out when out with a friend tonight :(

2) Home Slice. Will get MAD busy, you’ve been warned! But don’t let this shun you away from their awesome pizza – you can get it by the slice if you are impatient. They’ve just opened up a second storefront next door, appropriately named “More Home Slice”, so it may be easier to grab a quick slice than it has been in years previous.

3) Rounder’s Pizzeria – I just recently ate here and their pizza is fantastic. It’s a little far out on W 6th past Whole Foods, but it will be a good experience. Their pepperoni are those small bowl-shapes ones that curl up and hold puddles of oil. Great balance of flavor among the crust, cheese, sauce and toppings. If the nice weather keeps up for SX, you can relax out in the patio and get some beer with your pizza.

4) Hoboken Pie Co. Okay, so they have vegan pizza here with teese – which may or may not impress your vegan friend. It really doesn’t taste like pizza, and I had a vegan friend of my own tell me she didn’t like it. I’ve ordered a specialty Mediterranean pizza fresh with a friend and it didn’t amaze me. So why go here? They’re reheated slices are awesome. If the slice has been laying around for an hour or more, get them to re-heat it and enjoy that piece of delcious-ness.

These are my recommendations for downtown. But some of my faves are a little further out. Scroll down below for more places further out (including my favorite place in Austin).

Late-Night / After-bar Pizzerias

Of all the bar street pizza, most will taste good at 3am when your hungry and had a 2 to 17 beers that day (you can thank all the free noms for that). Nevertheless, a little overview on these pizzeria, in no particular order.

Stony’s mobile Pizza Kitchen has super soft crust and great mozarella if that’s your thing.

Ropollo’s – There’s a bazillion of these downtown. Okay, maybe four. And as much as it is “bar pizza”, I can’t diss their pizza. It’s always fantastic. My fave comes from West 6th, a lovely trailer between Union Park and Star Bar. They always reheat it just the right amount of time. I hang around these area a lot and have had their pizza maybe 14 times. Always good. They do run out of pizza, so get here as soon as bar close or even earlier.

Jack’s Pizza company – Taste and texture very very similar to Ropollo’s, sometimes I can’t tell the difference. Pretty good.

The Onion Pizza – The place is tiny but has good pizza. If you’re closer to Congress (Warehouse district for instance), I’d make the trip over to the Onion to grab your slice.

Pizza Paparazzi – Hit and miss sometimes. It gets super busy and you get a crazy crowd often.

Hoeks Death Metal Pizza – THE GREASIEST pizzas in town and awesome stuff inside with black lighting (they play episodes of He-Man often) AND they’re staff is super friendly. Pizza is a little salty and droopy because of all that grease.

Restaurant Pizzerias

Frank & Angie’s Pizzeria – Right on W 6th just before getting to the bar area. Tastes like Papa John’s pizza, nothing too special.

East Side Pies – Super thin crust pizza and so many specialty pizzas that get really creative. Check the map below, and you’ll see ESP the only pizzeria in that part of Austin. Fairly good pizza.

Southside Flying Pizza - On south congress, parking lot is super small. Decent pizza, they’re margherita is pretty tasty. But compared to Home Slice further up the street, I would choose the latter.

Salvation pizza – This is more on campus, but they are hosting a free(free at Indepent studio!). Nice place and decent pizza.

Whole Foods – yes it’s a grocery store. yes it’s organic this and that. But they have slanted escalators. And they have awesome pizza that come in pizza shaped cardboard boxes wrapped in gold foil. That. Is. Awesome.

Brick Oven Pizza – On 12th street in a plain looking building that doesn’t look like a restaurant until you get real close to it. Ok pizza, very similar to Southside Flying pizza.

Mangia’s – The only place near downtown serving Chicago-style deep dish. I’ve only had their pizza at the Airport so I can’t comment on the pizza. But Lake Austin Blvd is a scenic drive if you go further down.

Pie Guys Pizzeria – They’re on campus, but I mention it because they’ll be hosting a music event (with free pizza if you’re early – See below for details). I’ve never been here so can’t say anything about the pizza.

More artisan-like pizza can be found at Taverna, Vespaio, Brick Oven, zpizza. zpizza has a good variety and even has good-tasting whole-wheat options. These aren’t particularly amazing, but if you’re looking for this style of pizza, I would recommend making a drive out to House pizzeria (see below)

Finally, I don’t usually knock on pizza, but the only pizzeria that I can’t recommend is Cozzoli’s on Congress, across from the paramount theater. I gave it a a few tries, and all the time just not good pizza.

If you can make the trip…

If you have time and transportation options, make a trip further out downtown to visit these places

1) Little Deli. My absolute fave in Austin so far. If you want to escape the madness of SX, this will be your haven for at least for as long as your meal lasts. Hell, they have a Gazebo for you to dine and relax at. Owner and staff are super cool and friendly. They usually have pizza by the slice, or you can order whole pizza. Note they are closed on Sundays.

2) House Pizzeria. Neapolitan style pizza. Only have specialty pizzas on the menu, but a good variety and you can always make modifications. My recommendation is the Blue pizza + sausage (or other meat). Try their root beer and come with friends and order a bunch of pizzas to sample them all.

3) Cipollina Bistro – It’s not that far out, but you will need a car to get here if you are staying at a hotel downtown. Excellent pizza and nice place and quaint neighborhood.

SXSW pizza-inspired showcases/parties and free noms (credit to sxswfreenoms for the info!)

Music By The Slice (MXTS) March 18-20, noon-7ish

Hosted by Home Slice. Lots of great bands, no rsvp required. Check out the lineup here.

Free Salvation Pizza and Lone Star Beer at Covert Curiosity and Sonic Itch Music’s Eastside Get Down Party Thursday, March 18th from 12NOON to 6PM at The Independent (501 Studios)

Music + food. Details here

Free Pizza, Beer and Soda at ALIVE! Fundraiser Party Wednesday, March 17, 2010 from 12 NOON to 8PM at Epoch Coffee (221 W. North Loop Blvd.)

No badge required. Facebook event page

Free Pizza at The Best Damn Day of Duos Ever…Dammit Party Thursday March 18, at Pie Guys Pizza (2222 Rio Grande St.) 12 NOON to 8pm.

Pizza Map

Here’s a map of pizza places mentioned. Blue star indicates a recommended spot! (note: the locations on the map are pretty accurate, but for some reason the addresses listed on got tagged differently, apologies)

View SXSW 2010 Pizza Places in Downtown Austin + Recommendations in a larger map

(512) 477-7006

www.brickovenrestaurant.com

This place is located on 12th street and red river in a very plain-looking building in a seemingly vacant lot. But inside houses a pizzeria, friends. The pizza is very similar to Southside Flying Pizza in terms of the cheese and sauce, which is tasty and somewhat garlic-y. Their crust is more crisp though, which I like.

Overall, their pizza didn’t particularly amaze me but nevertheless it was a good meal.

Til next time pizza friends!

(512) 472-3534

www.hutsfrankandangies.com

Frank & Angie’s is a small pizzeria on 6th just after Whole Foods and before you get to the bar area of West 6th. They’re not open late for after-bar slices, but open late enough for pre-bar dinner. It’s right around the corner from Hut’s Hamburger’s, which is popular on their 2-for-1 nights. Parking can be pretty sparse in their lot, so you may want to find street parking and walk. And the guy’s bathroom is located in the very back, and you actually have to go to outside the back door and re-enter another hallway.

I’ll go straight into the pizza: pretty much a Papa John’s as far as taste, sauce and consistency of crust (just enough softness), and slightly better toppings. I was recommended the Angie’s Combo, which had eggplant, garlic chunks and sundried tomatoes. And also tried their sausage pizza. The big chunks of eggplant and lots of garlic cloves made for a nice combination. The sausage pizza left something to be desired. They have more than just pizza here – it’s an Italian eatery, so you have more options.

Enjoy your slice pizza friends!

]]> http://pizzuh.com/2010/03/10/frank-angies-pizzeria/feed/ 0 http://pizzuh.com/2010/03/10/rounders-pizzeria/ http://pizzuh.com/2010/03/10/rounders-pizzeria/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:35:56 +0000 Christian http://pizzuh.com/?p=1301 Rounder’s Pizzeria

(512) 477-0404

www.rounderspizzaria.com/

My first experience with Rounder’s was after a long day of ACL. And I promised I would return here, curious what their fresh pizza would be like. Well here you have it.

To start off, it’s kinda like Little Caesar’s (I know this may deter some people, but hear me out). Awesome balance of flavor between mozzarella, sauce, and toppings. Pretty greasy, but not overboard. No specialty pies here (unless there’s some secret code…need to ask next time), so you just add ingredients to your base cheese pizza. Sausage aweesome, pepperoni was a treat – it was those old-school small rounded ones that curl up into bowls with puddles of oil. Check out those macro shots! Almost reminded me of Little Deli pizza (my fave so far in Austin), but perhaps a slightly heftier dough and crust. I really liked their pizza. And the leftovers tasted phenomenal the next day!

Rounder’s has a really cool venue too. Old school arcarde games (Galaga, donkey kong, tabletop sega frogger you can eat on), a nice patio deck for when it’s nice out, and some tables have gold cushion-y seats. They were also playing Superbad on their plasma when I was here, so plus points.

I applaud you, Rounder’s. Enjoy your life, and enjoy your slice :)

(512) 474-6357

myspace.com/hoekspizza

This place rocks. It’s one of those places where you go inside and tell yourself “I’m glad such a place exists.” Maybe it was the black lights inside. Maybe it was He-Man playing on their plasma screen. Maybe it was the replica of Castle Grayskull mounted proudly in view. Maybe it was the 1943 arcade shoot-em-up. Perhaps even the loud-as-hell metal music that just makes you bang your head (either along with the music, or because of the music). It might be mix of all those.

But i think in the end, it was simply that they have some of the friendliest staff here along with the greasiest pizza slice in town.

The Pizza – it really is greasy. Greasier than this one slice from Sbarro’s I had at a mall food court years ago. I couldn’t even hold up the slice properly without it drizzling off too much oil onto my hands. Their pizza is super flavorful, it seems like they add extra extra parmasean on their slices. Sauce taste a little bloody. But i think I was just getting subconscious cues from the interior lol. Overall, great experience. But I feel that pizza slice is going to give me a heart attack from oil and saltiness.

Til nex time pizza friends!

www.myspace.com/stonyspizza

Across from Emo’s Wednesday-Saturday nights (and sometimes inside Emo’s when they have outdoor shows)…you will find this red truck. A tiny checkerboard table always sits out front. And you get your slice served through the driver’s seat.

Giant slices. Quick service. Cheap cheese slice with yum Mozzarella.

But….Super soft crust. One of the softest in Austin. If that’s your thing than Stony’s fits your bill.

Steve owns and operates this truck, and has gained a following since opening just a couple years ago. I told him he looks so much like Oribe (complete with arm tattoos) that I showed a photo of the guy. Anyone see the resemblance?? I swear, his doppleganger. Serving up pizza isn’t the only thing Steve does. He makes custom glass neon signs on the side. For example,  the brand new sign for Casino el Camino – that was Steve’s handiwork. We got into a discussion about how easy it is to knock over drunk people. It’s really true.

If you’re on Red River, you’ve most likely been to Stony’s.

Enjoy your life and enjoy your slice, pizza friends!

6th and San Jacinto
Austin, TX 78798

You might miss this one, what with all the other pizzerias directly on 6th street. This one is just off the 6th. Even then, this place can get crowded after 2am rolls around. Love the art in the left wall as you enter. And they have a love meter tester. I thought they stopped making these when bowling alleys went the way of pogs.

Their pizza – crust is decent, nice char action but just too thick for me. Toppings and cheese aren’t anything to write home about. They do usually have a good variety of pizzas (other than just cheese an pepperoni/sausage) so that is a plus.

Enjoy your slice, pizza friends :)

(512) 482-8484

A friend rounded up some of us for a carb-a-licious dinner at an Vinny’s – an Italian restaurant on Barton Springs Rd. The next day is the Austin Marathon, and my buddy was packing in some energy to fuel those legs for the big race. Much respect, as he does not seem like the athletic type or physique but will be finishing the 26-mile strong! For an optimal diet regime for marathons, there’s more detail than just a big plate of pasta - check out this article on carb-loading.

As for the pizza, I ordered the Margherita after verifying they use Bufallo Mozzarella. I wasn’t expecting too much, but the pizza turned out decent. I like the strong flavor of Bufallo Mozzarella, but this was as potent as others I’ve had. The crust was more like a flatbread, had hints of garlic, and went well with the sprinklings of basil and tomato chunks. Wouldn’t die to come back for the pizza, but their selection of pastas looked yum from what my friends ordered.

A couple of quotes from tonight:

“What’s more interesting than age difference is height difference.”

“I bought the largest soda so that it put a giant wall between me and the guy at the movie theater.”

Tonight is also v-day eve. I haven’t heard stories this entertaining in awhile, haha. Til next time pizza friends :)

(512) 444-7437

www.homeslicepizza.com

Tonight was one of my first delves into event photography with Jon Garza. Jon is an old high school friend of my cousin, and is making strong buzz within Austin photography scene. Not only does Jon shoot amazing photos, but is a blast to hang around. We were shooting at a fundraiser at Jose Luis Salon on West 6th, featuring the famous hairstylist Oribe and fundraiser. I felt like I was in the Zoolander (one of my fave movies), so it was a treat. Awesome friendly people, complimentary wine and appetizers, and good times! Check out the photos here.

Now, onto Home Slice! I’ve heard buzz around the expansion built next door, and on the way home picked up a slice. This place gets packed for dinner, but now with the side shop open you can still grab your pizza in less time and make your tummy happier much quicker. I really like the interior of More Home Slice, spacious and tall compared to next door. The Meatball/Mushroom slice was heaven. I have a lot of evidence now to support my theory that 2-hour old pizza re-heated tastes better than either fresh pizza, or day-old pizza.

Props Home Slice for extending the reach to pizza friends :)

(512) 301-0063

www.mangieris.com/

I remember eating at this far-South Austin pizzeria about a year ago, but don’t remember quite so much how the pizza was (I did manage to rummage some photos of the place – the things you find on your external HD after years!). I went to re-visit Mangeieri’s, which is located at Slaughter and Escarpment, in the Circle C neighborhood. I went in to order a 10″ Margherita to take back to my place.

Tall ceilings, wine-red/black motif gives a classier appearance yet has a nice casual feel. Several parties dining in on a Monday night, and they have a selection of wine to go with your pizza.

Impressions: The dough was waaay soft – perhaps the softest crust so far in Austin – and taste was very reminiscent of Little Caeasa’rs Crazy Bread but with strong hints of garlic. Check out the second photo, you can see a little sponginess on the underside. I actually love Little Caesar’s (Michigan, what!!), though for a Margherita from a non-chain pizzeria, I expected more. Toppings were even, taste just ok. The sauce was very good, not an overwhelming flavor.

Soooooo….If you like Little Caesar’s, you might want to give Mangieri’s a try – just expect to pay a lot more (The 10″ pizza came out to just over $10). Come for a dining experience and order a glass a wine with your pizza.

That’s all for now, pizza friends. Enjoy your life, and enjoy your slice :)