Pittsburgh Pizza Update - 4/23 - Be a Pizza Hipster

Hey! You’re reading the second week of the Pittsburgh Pizza Update! This is great news because it means Pittsburgh is bursting with pizza news. The Pittsburgh Pizza scene is rising faster than dough overloaded with yeast and set in a humid, warm room. 

I think we owe a lot of this growth to the recent changes in Pittsburgh and influx of adventurous young people. I don’t know the best way to describe it, but Tony from Pizza Taglio does. He believes the reason we have such  an insurgence in great pizzerias is due to the idea of “the hipster.” Which is in no way derogatory here. It’s a way to say people care about trying new things.

Which is why Tony can serve a pizza drizzled with honey, or a square pizza fused with cauliflower. Or why Bread & Salt can open up blocks back from Liberty Ave—Pittsburgh folks are seeking out new experiences which means these rad new places can thrive. 

Just thinking about it gets me really hyped up. Let’s get to some updates.


One of Many “Best Pizza in Pittsburgh” Discussions

I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff. And I found a Pittsburgh Podcast called “Is That Your Kid?” where they discuss pizza. I don’t think they always discuss pizza (or it’d be called “Is That Your Pizza?”), but in this episode the cast eats and argues about Fiori’s, Pizza Milano, Bet’s, Slice on Broadway and Giovanni’s. 

You can listen to that here. Being able to hear these discussions is important. It’s such a hot topic and there is no right answer, but being able to discuss the pros and cons for something as “simple” and “basic” as pizza helps you appreciate pizza on a whole other level. You’ll begin to notice the crust in unusual ways. And the cheese will seem different. And soon you’ll understand that sometimes it’s not about the quantity of pizza, but love and passion poured into each and every slice.


Portable Pizza Sure is All the Rage


This summer the concrete seas of Pittsburgh may be without our precious Pizza Boat, but it looks like there will be other portable pizzas around town.

Urban Pie is the newest addition to the fleet. They may be setting sail this May and they’re available for all your events that are in desperate needs of a pizza oven (which are all events).

Will they hit some choppy seas? Either way, it’s awesome to have more mobile pizza in the city. I’ll keep an eye on Urban Pie and update the site with any updates.


Slice on Broadway Recognized by the Pittsburgh City Council


Last week, Slice on Broadway was given their own day in Pittsburgh. For now on, every April 14 will be “Slice on Broadway Day” in Pittsburgh. And they deserve this and every award they receive. I spoke with Rico a few months back and he cares so deeply for his community. Plus, his pizza is out of this world.

Here’s a video I put together on Slice on Broadway.

Some Pizza Photos


I visited Pizza Taglio and Carhop’s pizza last week. Expect a full write-up later this week. In the mean time, here’s some photos to tide you over.

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Alright! That’s the second Pittsburgh Pizza Update. I’m working on some interviews, videos, and more which I’ll sprinkle into the website in the coming days. If you like what you read tell your friend! Tell your favorite message board! Tell a pizza shop! Or sign up for my pizza newsletter!

Pittsburgh Pizza Update 4/14/15

Woah hey!

Listen, I think we’re ready for a regular pizza column here in Pittsburgh. What’s crazy is that such a weekly column could even be possible. As Pittsburgh continues to appear on random top 10 lists that circulate around my Facebook feed, Pizza is still one of the most important advancements in this city. And quietly, there have been major shifts in the Pittsburgh pizza landscape. Which is amazing. Now when you have visitors coming into Pittsburgh and they say “Hey, pal, let’s get some good pizza” you’ll have options outside of Mineo’s. 

In classic Pittsburgh fashion, we have pizza makers that started their journey in Brooklyn, NY that have returned to Pittsburgh to make a difference. A real difference.

We have pizza makers that have traveled to Italy and know actual real-life pizzaiolos. We have restaurant owners and creators that are friendly enough to rub elbows and throw down in pizza competitions that rival the WWE in their histrionic storylines. 

Of course, it can’t be all good news. You can’t have progress without a few casualties in the pizza arena. And yes, unfortunately Pizza Cono had to shut down and move on. I tried to support them and spread their cone-shaped gospel, but sometimes the public just isn’t interested in stark change. It’s unsettling on one level and unorthodox on another. Being surrounded by Pittsburgh pizza institutions probably didn’t help. 

Which leads us to your Pittsburgh Pizza Update. 

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Pizza Update

Once a week I’ll write some updates about the pizza happenings in Pittsburgh. I’ve talked with folks who think this isn’t possible. They think there isn’t enough pizza news happening. And ya know, I sincerely doubt that. Because pizza melted its way into this country’s core fabric. 

And, if Pittsburgh runs out of events I can always hit up scottspizzatours, because if he’s not counting his pizza boxes he’s judging some underground pizza competition in Brazil which is equally fascinating. 

Let’s talk pizza.


Pizza al Taglio is Cutting its Way into Pittsburgh

Pizza al Taglio originated in Rome and is typically sold by the gram. It’s square and cooked in a tray. It’s not the Sicilian pizza you get from any other pizza shop. No, it’s much better. Pizza al Taglio is often made from a cold-fermented dough, meaning the pizza you eat is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Something like this.

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That’s a fine looking pizza mattress. 

Pizza al Taglio is considered takeaway pizza, or something you grab on your way to your next appointment. “Taglio” actually means “to cut” in Italian, so it is literally just a cut of pizza. If you’re reading this and in a hurry, rest assured that you have time to swoop into one of the two pizza shops in Pittsburgh that serve Pizza al Taglio and still make whatever appointment you have next on your agenda. 

If you’re in East Liberty you can visit Pizza Taglio. Tony runs the shop down there and if you’ve ever had the pizza at Espresso a Mano, you’ve had Tony’s pizza. His shop opened a short while ago and he’s actually running out of pizza. That’s the best sentence I’ve ever typed. 

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Here’s Tony showing off his pizza at Espresso a Mano. Also, Matt (who runs Espresso a Mano) told me that Tony is still hoping to supply Espresso a Mano with pizza on Saturdays. 

If you’re in Bloomfield you can pop into Bread & Salt. They’re deep into Pearl Street and worth seeking out. I haven’t had their pizza yet, but I’ve popped in and had some of their baked goods. If their pizza is half as good as the rosemary, basil cookie I had then we’re in great hands.

I have an interview with Tony I’m currently editing together, so look forward to that in the next few days.

Back from the Dead - Pizza Boat Sails Again

What a twist, right? Pizza Boat, some of the best pizza in Pittsburgh, has found a permanent home on Slice Island. If you have your pizza map in front of you you’ll know that Slice Island is inside the Spirit Lodge, a new event hall / bar / space in Lawrenceville, close to 51st street. 

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While I always admired the nomadic spirit of Pizza Boat, I’m glad they’ve found a permanent home. But is it permanent? Who knows with these folks. They start a beef with a new adversary every week, so it’s only a matter of time before they’re back in pizza purgatory. God bless em!

Alright! That’s the first Pittsburgh Pizza Update. I’m working on some interviews, videos, and more which I’ll sprinkle into the website in the coming days. If you like what you read tell your friend! Tell your favorite message board! Tell a pizza shop! Or sign up for my pizza newsletter!

Return to Pizza Dojo - Meet the Combatants

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The Return to Pizza Dojo (Why they didn’t spell it dough-jo is beyond me) is this Friday, July 25. I wrote about the feud between Pizza Boat and Bread and Salt last week, but I wanted to get to know the entrants a bit better.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. These are pizzaiolos that are willing to do nearly anything to win this competition. Empires have been won and lost on pizza competition, and this is no exception so you know tensions are high.

Both Pizza Boat  and Bread and Salt’s response to “tell me about your role in the Return to Pizza Dojo” reads like fan fiction from an episode of WWE’s Monday Night Raw  but instead of wrestling they’re making pizza.

Too good to edit, here’s what they had to say about the competition.

The “mysterious” Bread and Salt on pizza, pizza dojo, and life lessons

Who I am and my background are of little importance. There is no Pizza but the Pizza. The Pizza is of importance. I serve the Pizza. I pray five times a day with my face turned towards Naples. I only wish to express and share the true nature of the Pizza. Everything else is falsehood and frivolity. I need no strategy. The boys on the Pizza Boat mean well, but do not know the true depth and power of the Pizza. Their boat will sink. Friday, all will bear witness.

Really blows open the whole Return to Pizza Dojo.

Here’s Jeff from Pizza Boat on Bread and Salt and childish antics

Bread and Salt is Rick Easton, a transplant from Virginia and a guy who can bake sometimes, if someone provides him the means. And we can just assume that Joey Hilty is part of his camp at this point too. Joe’s a Livermore henchman who originally came up with the Pizza Dojo concept and pitched it to Rick, Matt, and I as a collaborative project to bring the oft-feuding pizzaiolo community together in order to push each other further creatively. But as the night of the initial Dojo drew closer, Rick and Joe veered off course unfortunately, resorting to the childish antics you’ve been seeing online.


I feel like Matt and I are pretty easy going, and we can take as much trash talk as we dish out, but Rick’s been taking things increasingly further, recruiting help online–essentially Twitter trolls to come up with his retorts. He said he’s even paying for designers to photoshop images for him in order to try and humiliate us that way too. Not sure where he got the money for this… from what I understand he’s been living off of Livermore’s scraps and whatever he can manage to get off of us for free–which we’re about ready to cut him off from.


Not to say that we’re frightened. We’re just annoyed, and it’s kind of sad. I mean this is an adult. At first we kind of looked up to him. But to threaten to poison our starter, sneak salt into our tomatoes, and urinate in our sanitizer bucket, is a little beneath where we thought his constitution lays. I think something must have cracked in his head– from the loneliness, malnutrition, the fact that his bakery STILL isn’t open, who knows. I’m sure his life is stressful, and thank god these nights have been cool so it’s actually probably comfortable for him to sleep out on the street.


Our plan is to take the high road during the Dojo, of course. We’ll plan a couple pizzas that we’ve been testing and hope people will enjoy and respect, hope to gain some respect from Rick and Joey (if they have any at all to give), and have a good time slinging some pizzas, because that’s what’s fun for us, and exhibiting that along with the discipline involved is what Pizza Dojo should be about.

Will there be blood at this event? Steel chairs? A cage to fight in afterwards? I’m sure at least two of those are a certain. 

The Return to Pizza Dojo takes place Friday July 25, at 6pm in the Bar Marco lot in the Strip District. If you enjoy pizza in the slightest you need to be there to witness Pittsburgh Pizza History.

The streets will run red with blood and sauce - two Pittsburgh pizza upstarts ignite pizza rivalry

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For a long time Pittsburgh has suffered from stale pizza competition. Well, lack of competition, really. There’s the “Mineo’s vs Aiello’s” battle, which has become too convenient for the common Pittsburgher. If there was actually competition between the two we would see pizza innovation! New recipes, new technology. Instead, it’s the equivalent of two old folks sitting on opposite porches groaning at each other. 

But lately, there’s been a slight shift in the pizza scene. If the wind is blowing from the Strip District in just the right way, you can smell the innovation of Pizza Boat. To quote myself, “I predict big things coming from [Pizza Boat] in the future.”

For the past few weeks they’ve killed it next to Bar Marco. Cranking out some of the best pizza Pittsburgh has ever seen. Fresh, smart, and just perfect. It introduced a level of pizza that blows the standards out of the water.

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But there’s a  competitor in town that is willing to answer the call for pizza competitors: Bread + Salt.

I don’t know too much about Bread + Salt. I know they competed in the first pizza dojo. And I know they love trash talking. Exhibit A, B, and C:

The Return to Pizza Dojo will open old wounds, stuff them with fresh basil, and cauterize the wound shut with some hot mozzarella. In the wake of the Pizza Dojo  will be sauce, dough, cheese, and a few bruised pizzaiolos.  And you need to be there to witness it on Friday, July 25th, at Bar Marco.

But this is the price of progress. This is what it takes to spur the Pittsburgh pizza landscape that’s willing to crown a pizza place other than Mineo’s as “the best pizza.” This is the beginning of a long pizza journey, young grasshopper.