W C.
Yelp
We stopped in San Angelo on our drive from the Guadalupe Mountains back to Austin. We have an odd and inexplicable soft spot in our hearts for this town. Is it the ewes? Maybe. Probably.
The reason we came to Firehouse Pizzeria is because last time we were here we saw it when we came to the nearby park and playground. Listen, on concept, this place is A+. We loved the display cases with firefighter memorabilia and it seems like most of the inside is preserved well. It's spacious and the people working there are super nice.
You order your pizzas at the register and this was the first time that we were introduced to the beer card draft system (more on that in a minute). The prices are not that great considering the quality, but we already set our expectations accordingly, and those were met, so we're not upset about anything. The pizza isn't bad, but it's not like it's particularly good. Our main issue was with the dough, which was chalky and bland. We got the mushroom pizza, which did impress in terms of toppings, but our half plain/half pepperoni one really was not that great (although the pepperoni "cups" were nice).
The beer tap/card situation was interesting, and certainly novel. You essentially get a pint glass and a card and you insert the card above the tap and then pour to your heart's content and that's what you are charged. Our only issue was with their two prominent plexiglass cases to drop your cards off in with the choice of 18% or 20% for the tip. We just don't get it: why are we being asked to tip if we are doing all the work of getting it ourselves??? You *could* leave an alternate tip, but then you have to wait in the long line to do that at the register. Seems they've figured out a way to force their customers' hands, which we don't appreciate.
Anyway, it's a pleasant enough place in a unique environment, so we're glad that we tried it, but obviously there is no need to come back. Three average stars and no hard feelings.
Oh, and extra marinara sauce costs $.75. And it's cold. Just FYI.