Marc S.
Yelp
Let's be honest, opening a new restaurant is a daunting, thankless task. A whirlwind of construction, building permits, inspections, missing inventory, unforseen delays, more permits, more inspections, and God knows what else. Been there, and have no fond memories of this red-tape-laden process.
Now, add to that the horror of opening a new restaurant in the middle of a 100-year pandemic, and you can see how the mere FACT this place was brave enough to open amidst all of the madness around us deserves at least more than one star...whoever you are. But not to get too personal, I decided after seeing the soft opening messages on their Facebook page to give them a fair (warning) shot. You know I couldn't do a review of this place without a few Van Halen references, right?
I'm also a gimmick freak, so a pizza joint with what amounts to a logo of my all-time favorite rock band, and menu items named after some of their greatest guitar hits (take their Italian sub called "The Solo from Beat It") was a no-brainer. Somebody get me a doctor (pepper)!
Not having an official online presence is understandable, and the soft opening menu looked appealing enough. I was also happy to see that Richmond's own (and fabulous) UnMoo cheese was being featured on their vegan and vegetarian pizzas. So we called in an order and were looking forward to giving this rocking joint it's big break.
We ordered four 12 inch pies, the Van Zuylen (standard meat-lovers), Temple of Boom (mushroom mania with garlic), Runnin' With the Basil for our vegan son (he added vegan meatballs) and a standard pepperoni. (I'll call it "Pepperoni Delight" as a homage to Van Halen's long time concert openinig song. (Look it up) All four were called in, no toppings or special orders were missed, and the pizza was ready when promised.
The lagtime from downtown to our home was about 20 minutes, and the pizzas were still hot when we ate them. All I can say is, this is a SERIOUS contender for best pizza in Richmond. We actually thought the crust, although a bit more chewy than a few other places in town, was very tasty, almost like a sourdough bread that you would like to dip in extra marinara.
My son with the dairy allergy LOVED his pizza and there was more than enough for a decent lunch the next day. The toppings were delicious and plentiful, and getting a plain cheese for under $10. is a terrific deal. The subs are a bit pricey, but we have seen how the processing and meats markets have been ravaged by Covid-19, so hopefully they'll tick down slightly when all of this is behind us.
So, again, I don't mind someone calling out a restaurant when they have consistently missed the mark. But this is a fledgling business (literally DAYS old) with an excellent product that has opened despite incredible odds and challenges. That in of itself is worth giving ANY business more than one chance. We were happy with our first try, but we will be back to see how this place rocks when the crowds are "Unchained." (I'll be here all night) After our first taste, we doubt that this pizza joint will be a one-hit wonder.