Summer-time Pizza wrap-up

Well, summer vacation is officially over this week.   Kids will be back in school during the day instead of raising hell in the streets, and we’ll no doubt get several hundred (or thousands) of newbies (or n00bs) to the VCU area.   Their wallets will be no doubt loaded with their parent’s money and with what they think is an unlimited amount of RAMbucks, so it only makes sense that the area pizza joints are preparing to explode with college kids who are prepared to spend that money at the drop of a dime.

Most of these kids will without a doubt be hitting the pizza shops located on campus and the surrounding areas, but hopefully we can direct them to some other places that are worth the five-minute drive around the fan. 

Tarrantino’s

1 W. Broad St.

Quite possibly the best NY style pizza in Richmond, when its done right.  I seem to have the worst luck at this place, as three out of the five times I’ve ordered pizza from here, I get it way undercooked, resulting in an essentially worthless pizza.  But when its done right, its so good.  Its perfect.  New York style with a savory sauce, great mozzarella and a perfectly crispy and chewy crust.  Prices are a little on the high side, about $16 for a large pepperoni pizza.  18 inches though, not too shabby.

Bottom’s Up

1700 Dock St. (Shockoe Bottom)

A very popular, trendy restaurant in Shockoe Bottom, Bottom’s Up specializes in very thick, pan pizza slices dressed in one of their dozen styles like Greek, SouthWestern, Mexican, Chesapeake, Meat Master, and so on.  You can also create your own.

The single slices will run you about $8, while you can order an entire smaller thin crust pizza for around $11-12.  The pizza itself is rather generic.  Not being a fan of chicago style thick crust, I don’t care much for Bottom’s Up, but the thin crust is only marginally better than something like Pizza Hut.  You’d be hard pressed to distinguish between the two in a taste test…

Vito’s

904 W. Grace St.

They do a great job with their crust and a more New Yorky, sweeter sauce rather than the savory stuff I frequently get at Piccola’s or Mary Angela’s.  And whats this?  Crust bubbles?!  A seemingly mythic occurence from my childhood, they actually finish cooking their pizza’s to the point where I have little brown spots dotting the cheese and crust bubbles popping up here and there.

Delightfully crispy crust that may have been sitting out for too long and mozzarella that has already congealed are two side effects of ordering pizza by the slice.  But at $1.75 for a slice of cheese, you can’t find a better deal in the city.  Lets hope this place stays afloat amidst this congealed economy.

8 1/2 Pizza

401 Strawberry St.

Here it is.  The best.  Never in my life have I been so decisive about my taste in things.  Most of the time you’ll hear me say something like “Well, they’re both good.  You can’t compare em, they’re two different things.”  But I am steadfast in my opinion on the best pizza pie in Richmond.

Its perfect.  Crunchy, chewy, saucy, cheesy, and a little spicy.  How could it possibly be so good in every area?  Some of this may be attributed to the time and money they spend on the ingredients.  They use a lot of locally grown ingredients to make this happen.  Time and money goes a long way, and it shows here.  People are sometimes put off by the price for such a small, thin pizza.  But if you are interested at all by delicious pizza pie, you must do yourself a favor and eat here.  You won’t regret it.

Zorba’s

4026 MacArthur Ave.

If you find yourself looking for a pizza place deep in the north side of Richmond, you can find some friendly faces here at Zorba’s.  If you like extremely gooey cheese like something you’d see in a Ninja Turtles movie, you’ll probably enjoy eating this.  I found it way too oily (notice the puddles of amber-colored oil sitting on top of the cheese) and the crust a little stale tasting.

Sette Fire Roasted Pizza

7 N. 23rd St.

As far as I know, this is the only fire brick oven pizzeria in town.  Regardless of what I think of the pizza, you should pay this place a visit.

I’ve only tried it once, and I wasn’t terribly impressed, but the pizza WAS good, particularly the crust.  You can’t find a better crust in town.  The pizza I got was just, boring.  None of the flavors really jumped at me.  There are several different types of gourmet pizzas on the menu and they aren’t overpriced at all.  You WILL be able to eat the whole thing on your own though, so order appropriately.

Buon Giorno Pizzeria

2929 W. Cary St.

One of the smallest pizzerias in Richmond, Buon Giorno offers pretty authentic New York style pies and slices.  While not terribly flavorful, a couple slices and a can of soda for $5 is a damn good deal for anyone looking for a hunger fix in Cary Town.  The old, Italian owners of the place are there all the time to serve up what you need and they are sweeter than your grandparents, and probably make better pizza than them too.

So kids, if you don’t feel like hitting up Piccola’s or Assante’s for the umpteenth time, give these places a try.  Enjoy your slice. -gRant