Aaron Landry

Sammy Perrella’s™ Pepperoni Pizza, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

After reading about Sammy’s Pizza having a couple locations in the Twin Cities, Andy and I decided to check out the location in Coon Rapids.

If you’re familiar with Sammy’s Pizza from around the Iron Range, this is the same group except it’s “Sammy Perrella’s” instead of just “Sammy’s.”

Andy and I were both surprised when we walked in: the exterior looks like a regular suburban strip mall but interior was very large and roomy. Decor was a bit silly at times with all the fake fencing, a strange tree and the mix of random and sometimes unrelated stuff on the walls.

Service at first was a bit humorous: I was asked if I’d like anything to drink and I asked for water initially and he came back with a Coke. Otherwise service was without any problems. They have four beers on tap: Michelob Golden Draft Light, Blue Moon Belgian Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale and Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss. They have a few beers in bottles too and list Molson Canadian and Corona under their “Premium” bottles. Not much for selection but we didn’t complain about $4 frosty pints. Their location in Brooklyn Park apparently has a full bar.

Our pizza was exactly what I expected: just like Sammy’s up north. Brick oven pizza with crispy crust cut in squares, generous but not an overbearing amount of cheese and, well, a lot of grease. The crust is a bit floury, almost crunchy on the edges and is hand shaped in a way that’s somewhat unique in the area. The overall consistency is chewy and it’s definitely a no-surprises pizza. It’s a pizza type that I many times crave: to the point and pulled off well with no frills. It’s certainly above average and likely the best pizza in Coon Rapids.

The slices came apart well enough but required a bunch of touching. Silverware is limited to a single fork per person. Andy and I didn’t ask for a knife but we asked for extra napkins. We then each got one. We chatted about the pros and cons of this situation and we agreed that we appreciated the conservatism opposed to having silverware we wouldn’t use and a pile of napkins that’d be trashed.

Overall we enjoyed our pizza trip to Coon Rapids. If I lived in the area I would consider getting some of their frozen take-out pizza as well. It’s roomy enough to throw a very large pizza party there too. The environment pretty kid-friendly.

It’s certainly much better than any of the chains around and if you like keeping business local, this is some great pizza in the north metro.

Sammy Perrella’s Pizza & Restaurant
445 99th Ave NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
763-786-8400

Also check out the rest of my photos, a bit on Sammy’s history as well as the history related to the Coon Rapids location.