Bryn Mawr Pizza and Deli, Minneapolis, MN
After a strong recommendation from Rob Dewey, James Norton and I ventured to the tiny Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis to visit Bryn Mawr Pizza and Deli. They're located in what their menu calls "beautiful downtown Bryn Mawr," which is essentially the few shops on the corner of Penn Avenue and Cedar Lake Road. The sign says "Fast Freddie's" and their menu says they're "featuring Fast Freddie's Pizza." It's all the same place.
Inside, their menu is clipped and glued to the side of an ice cream freezer, the walls are painted with a dark skyline with a blood red sky and there's a pinball machine in the corner. Of Montreal's "An Eluardian Instance" was blaring from the kitchen and there's counter space for about five people to sit if you're in for a quick slice. We chose to order a 12" Pepperoni pizza which came quickly in a cardboard delivery box and we decided to eat right there. Tasty pepperonis, red sauce with just a little bit of a unique kick and whole-milk mozzarella that strung off like it should and was balanced well. I'm used to a lot of midwestern pizza being too heavy on the cheese and our pizza seemed to have just the right amount. The hand-tossed crust was bendable although cracked a little bit when held while still holding all the topping manageably. My only beefs were slight: the cornicione (the edge of the crust) was a tad bit "bready" for my taste and the pizza was greasy but not so much where one need to dab a napkin on it. James and I kept looking at each other saying, "this is good!" Tasty, satisfying and surprisingly quite filling. I took two extra slices home and they reheated nicely. Residents of Bryn Mawr have a delivery goldmine here not just with the pizza but the large menu of sandwiches and salads that I've only heard praise of. Non-residents can sneak in as it's only a few blocks off of I-394 on Penn. Fans can also pick up a very well-designed $12 t-shirt -- it's a good sign when the local pizza shop has enough demand to sell shirts. Next time I'm in Bryn Mawr hungry, Bryn Mawr Pizza and Deli is my stop. Bryn Mawr Pizza and Deli 404 Cedar Lake Rd S Minneapolis, MN 55405 612-377-5501