Pizza is definitely one of my favorite foods in the entire World, so what better way to express my love for pizza than a Seattle Pizza Tour!? This past weekend (as part of our Anniversary weekend), Cherry planned out a 2-day pizza tour. Sampling several pizza joints that Urban Spoons lists as, Top Pizza Places in Seattle! were were on mission!
Ready… Set…GOOO!!!
1.) Talarico’s
entrance from the outside
large bar
pepperoni
drunken sicilian; cascioppo brothers italian sausage, beer braised onions, green peppers, provolone cheese, mozzarella and marinara
Our first stop was Talarico’s in West Seattle. When it comes to pizza, there’s no mistaking what you’re getting at here – East coast style pizza. They are especially known for their ginormous, made to order slices that measure 14” in length!! Needless to say, each slice is the equivalent to two or maybe even three slices at any other place. The restaurant’s interior has a very “east coast” feel with dark wood throughout the entire restaurant and several booths that I could picture an Italian mobster sitting in. There is also a very large bar that’s centralized in the restaurant allowing easy access from anywhere. The Pepperoni was tasty with a generous helping of pepperoni. But like most pepperoni pizza, it was very greasy! The Drunken Sicilian had a good amount of sausage with sliced provolone on top. The beer braised onions added a nice caramelized sweetness to the savory sausage and sharp green bell peppers. I would have liked to see the onions more evenly spread atop the slice, instead they were just all clumped in the middle. The crust on both pizzas was very good – having a nice combination of crunch on the underside and soft interior on the end crust. The menu also offers a large variety of pastas, but their selling point is definitely the pizza!
2.) Veraci’s
mushroom pizza
Our second stop was more of an unexpected one. We decided to go to the Fremont Sunday Market and upon meandering through, we were pleasantly surprised to see a Veraci’s stand serving up some fresh pizza. They had a portable wood fire oven and offered three choices: pepperoni, cheese and mushroom. I chose the mushroom and it was quite tasty. One of my favorite things about wood-fire pizza is the crust and the pizza here definitely had a great crust with good char and crunch.
3.) Hot Mama’s Pizza
inside view
sausage
tomatoe, mushroom, basil & garlic
hawaiian & pesto
By this time we were already full from a day’s worth of pizza, but we still have hard work to do! Hot Mama’s Pizza is ranked in the top 10, so sacrifices had to be made in order to taste their offerings! Located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Hot Mama is your quintessential, “hole in wall.” There’s nothing fancy here, and from my initial first glance, their cleanliness is suspect too! Nevertheless, we had to try their pizza. There’s about 4-pizzas at any given time to choose from and also a hidden area behind the register. Cherry went with a slice of sausage and also hawaiian, I went with the tomato, basil, mushroom and garlic pizza and a slice of pesto. Everything about each pizza worked well. The tomato sauce they use isn’t overpowering and has a pleasant hint of sweetness to compliment all the savory toppings. The Pesto had a nice rich flavor and also pieces of feta sprinkled on top that added a nice contrast my bite. Overall, Hot Mama’s does pizza well and would definitely say it was one of the top places I’ve tried so far!
… the tour continues…
nw gourmand 