Pepperoni Pizza from Hiawatha Pizza, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.
My neighborhood got a new pizza place this summer, Hiawatha Pizza. It’s tucked away behind Cub Foods and Target in a strip mall near Lake and Hiawatha. I stopped in in mid-July on the week it opened and had a slice. I was disappointed to the point where I refused to write about it and decided I didn’t need to go back.
Marie, another blogger in the neighborhood, visited in early-August and her experience was a lot better than mine, so I decided to go back.
Bo and I stopped in early September and it was much, much better. We took out a pepperoni pizza that was a bit greasy but had good cheese, a fluffy and mildly doughy crust and tasty pepperoni slices. We hadn’t had any alcohol that evening but agreed this would be a perfect pizza to sober up with. It has that filling, satisfying, no-complaints edge to it.
I came back a few days later for a slice and talked with Hiawatha Pizza proprietor Hassan Abdulle a bit. He asked, like each time I’ve been, how it was and the slice was significantly better than my first. He added that they are constantly trying to improve their pizza and I told him I certainly noticed. The slices at Hiawatha Pizza certainly compare well to a standard Manhattan slice shop which is a mixed compliment but hey, sometimes that’s exactly what you need. In that category, it’s quite good.
There’s no posted hours on the door but he said they’re open usually until 11 P.M. and they’re going to try to get delivery service started by winter. This will give them another edge over the synthetic-tasting Little Caesars pies on the other side of Hiawatha which aren’t delivered.
Friendly people and continually better pizza. Check them out. I’ll be back.
Hiawatha Pizza
2740 Minnehaha Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-465-8586
Comments 6
I was so excited to see that you reviewed (and approved of) Hiawatha Pizza!
Hassan is a friend of mine, so I was afraid I was biased about how good his pizza is. My fears are now put to rest.
Posted 13 Sep 2008 at 20:21 ¶Ohh, good find, I will have to give it a try. Still waiting to hear what you thought of Mesa in Dinkytown. My NYC transplant friends who live not far from there really like it, I have only had it luke warm but need to go.
Posted 14 Sep 2008 at 08:09 ¶Glad you tried it again and liked it.
I haven’t tried it again yet, but I will.
Posted 16 Sep 2008 at 13:42 ¶I just stopped in at Hiawatha Pizza and got a slice of pepperoni. Not bad at all. The slices are huge, and for $3.50 with a soda, it’s quite reasonable.
And I’m a huge fan of choose your own slice toppings, wish more places would do that.
Posted 08 Oct 2008 at 11:13 ¶I just tried this today and was not dissapointed! Actually posting this from inside the store
Posted 25 Jan 2009 at 16:46 ¶Born in NY I have been missing an authentic NY “slice” it was so good I will be leaving with a pie. Cut in slices how it was intended.
My wife and I tried Hiawatha Pizza for the first time tonight. It was tasty, but I’ll be surprised if we go back again. We ordered a 12″ (or 14″ or something) pepperoni. It sure was greasy! That was no big deal, though. They were generous with the cheese, and the price is definitely right. The service was fast & friendly, too.
I was a little disappointed with the sauce. Sauce is always my favorite part, and I like it with a little bit of zing to it. Theirs was adequate, but nothing to get excited about.
But the real reason I think we’ll probably not go back is that I was disappointed with the atmosphere. It just sort of felt like a stale strip mall – empty white walls, cheap wood paneling. Obviously, not a lot of thought has gone into decorating the place. It might not be entirely fair to judge a restaurant by the atmosphere instead of the food, especially for something like pizza which we would probably order to-go anyway. I realize this sounds a little bit petty. But part of the reason I eat out is because I like the experience and atmosphere of locally-owned restaurants, and they aren’t even trying to compete in this arena.
Posted 23 Jan 2010 at 00:01 ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
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