She mentioned a pizza place in nearby Pocatello Idaho, called Pie Hole Pizza.
And I instantly fall in love. I HAVE to go check this place out, simply based on their awesome name.
Well I did, and I have to say, I was fairly impressed.
...mostly.
When I first arrived, I liked the overall look of the exterior. It had the 'hole in the wall' vibe going on without looking too trashy:
Three things I noticed right away:
- The "we are open late" sign, followed by
- The large amount of bars in the area (coincidence??)
- The $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, all day every day. (Have I just walked into a hipster pizza joint?)
Inside, you can tell this place is a college hangout. Idaho State University is in town, and Pie Hole is definitely catering to that crowd. Snowboards line the walls as decorations. There is a chalk-written menu. Odd art on the walls. Electric stoner-funk playing though the speakers.
Me, at 31, felt a little old in this place. But I really liked the atmosphere.
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| *click to enlarge* |
- Pizza
- Soda
- Beer
- Repeat
They had 'create your own' options as well as house specials. The one catching my eye the most was their Potato & Bacon pizza. It uses alfredo sauce instead of marinara, and then, well, potatoes and bacon.
Sounds odd, doesn't it? Well, when I was there, 3 out of 5 people were ordering that...
Service was friendly, beer was cheap, and they served pizza by the slice. If I'm a poor college student or a hungry stoner, this place seems like a great fit.
But what about a traveling salesman, just looking for some good road food?
(Notice how I haven't talked about the food yet?)
...meh.
You know those mall pizza places? (Sbarro, I think?) Yeah, the pizza looks and tastes like that. Flimsy thin crust, gigantic pepperoni slices that your teeth can't cut though, so you get the whole damn thing, and grease grease grease.
But, I paid $4.40 for a slice and a soda. Overall, I think I got what I paid for...
If this were a newspaper-esque restaurant review, I would give an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5. GREAT marks on ambiance, service and price, but the food brings the rating down. It's not bad, not bad at all, but not as high-quality as some other pizza joints.
But, alas, Pie Hole also has locations in the Boise market. I'll probably be back, so shove more pie down my piehole...
15 witty retorts:
You had me at "piehole".
I was actually expecting more "shut your"... preceding the references to piehole.
I long for cheap, greasy pizza. Damn gluten-intolerance.
I have places you can try in your travels.
Rod's Pizza - Hot Springs, Arkansas
Papa's Pizza - Fort Smith, Arkansas
US Pizza Co - Little Rock, Arkansas
Sam & Ella's - Tahlequah, OK
All of the above have really great pizza and/or atmosphere and none are Sbarro style. USA today did an article years ago on the top 50 places for pizza in the US (one per state) maybe you should find yours and see if it is all that?
There's a chain in Montana called McKenzie River Pizza Company. ORGASMIC gourmet choices, and all super fresh.
When I lived in London there was a place called Planet Pizza that made a corned beef and mustard pizza that I always ate when drunk.
Poatato and Bacon in Alfredo sause. Yummy!
I do like the name and I also like the idea of chalkboard walls because I can draw while I eat.
I'm not sure that I've ever been to Pie Hole sober...
We have an awesome pizza shop down the road from us. We always order the "Sweet Chilli Wedge" pizza.
Tomato base, chicken, cheese, potato wedges and sweet chilli sauce. Sooooo good.
Yay! Well, I'm glad you went, but I'm sad that the awesomeness of the pizza was not proportional to the freakin' fantasticness of the name and signs. I guess they had a lot to live up to :(
I'm still going to try it in a couple of weeks though!
Sam and Ella's! also, the hideaway.
Hungry Howie's is my favorite franchise pizza, but for local pizza here in Jackson, MS, it's hard to beat Pizza Shack. However, Sal & Mookie's is a close 2nd.
I'm a fan of the name - but they would need to have pie on the menu as well
The pizza looks a lot like Little Caesars pizza, and that's not a good thing.
I like Sbarro, a little. I love pizza though and will try almost anyone's pizza! Hey what can I say. I'm a sucker! In other news, I've been eating a pizza you've described at the pizza buffet on Wednesdays, it's the baked potato pizza. Kinda like the one you were talking about. I love some bacon, everyone knows though. Yum!
I'm going to try the Potato Bacon pizza next time I go there.
And there WILL be a next time.
When I'm on the road and looking for good food, Pie Hole probably won't be on my list. But if I'm looking for something quick and greasy (which I sometimes do) this fills the niche.
Did you know greasy foods, when drunk, will help you keep from getting a hangover? Pie Hole Pizza would be PERFECT for this!
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