Lake Harriet Pizza, Minneapolis, MN
Lake Harriet Pizza, was described to me by a dedicated reader as "a staple." I recently ordered it for pickup and arrived early to chat while my pizza was being finished up.
Lake Harriet Pizza is in a tiny strip mall near 50th and Penn, across the street from Broders' Pasta Bar. On a blistery January evening the florescent lights made their part of the building glow through the completely fogged-up windows and door. The oven was filled with pizzas and I was told it'd be a few more minutes. While a delivery guy busted through the door with red cheeks to pick up more pies, the man behind the counter said "you're smart to do pick-up" noting the below-zero temperatures, slick roads and forecast of perhaps the lowest windchill of the winter that night. When you're delivering three at a time, it's a really hard to keep that third pizza oven-hot, he told me, although they try as hard as they can. They were moving fast and the energy in the room was high. When I got my pizza, I think everyone in the place thanked me and I was charged as if I brought in the dollar-off coupon I didn't have. Very friendly service. At home and opened, everything about a Midwestern style pizza is here: the cheese being the predominant ingredient, tavern cut and a bit of grease. The cheese was thick and stretched, sometimes requiring a knife or fork to separate from the other pieces. The crust was just thick enough to be a solid base and had chewy and sometimes airy edges. Overall on taste, the cheese was fresh but nothing profound, the sauce was perky but nothing loud, and the pepperoni was flavorful but nothing extraordinary. Overall it's filling, satisfying and a bit sloppy. Although ordinary, it's not plain or bland. If there was a certification for Midwestern style pizza as there is for Neapolitan, this place would earn it and train others. It's a staple of the Midwest and Lake Harriet Pizza does a great job. Lake Harriet Pizza 5009 Penn Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55419 612-920-7717