The newest episode of The Nosh explores Seattle pizza; specifically, creative, culturally diverse pies that may or may not define our city’s style. I have tried dozens of Seattle pizzerias, often with two close friends who share my mission to taste every slice the city has to offer. So here are a handful of my favorite pizzerias, in no particular order:
Moto
Dungeness crab! Lechon kawali and calamansi lime sauce! Sourdough! Moto is Seattle meets the Philippines meets Detroit meets Rome, which is why the owner, Lee Kindell, defines his style simply as “odd pizza.” You can learn all about Moto in the new episode of The Nosh!
Sunny Hill squares up. (Courtesy Sunny Hill)
Sunny Hill
Jason Stoneburner’s Crown Hill pizzeria has round, thin-crust pies on the menu, but that’s not why you’re there. You want the Detroit-style square pizza, with a crumb reminiscent of pillowy focaccia and a crispy, caramelized cheese perimeter. If your toppings taste leans classic, the pepperoni is curled and crisp and the cheese melty and plentiful. But for the more adventurous, there are pies like You Scratched My Anchor, topped with kale, queen oyster mushrooms and caramelized fennel and onion.
Post Alley’s hoagies inspire near-religious fervor. (Rachel Belle)
Post Alley Pizza
I have never had a slice of pizza outside of New York that actually tastes like New York pizza. But this is getting pretty close! It’s a thin, but not too thin, sturdy slice with a crust that crackles, made from locally sourced grains. And you can order by the slice! I know we’re talking pizza, but Post Alley’s East Coast-style Italian hoagie has a cult following, and I am a member of that cult. Their freshly baked sesame seed hoagie rolls are stuffed with Italian meats, sharp provolone, shredduce, shaved red onion and Italian vinaigrette. But you’ll still want to ask them to slather it with Hoagie Jazz, a spicy, umami-rich spread made with chopped Calabrian chili, anchovy, olive, pickled onion and roasted garlic. *jazz hands*
Lupo
This is my favorite wood-fired pizza in the city. The crust is bubbled, charred and perfectly chewy, the sauce bright and acidic and you can have a creamy blob of burrata plopped right on top. The space is dark and romantic, perfect for a date, with service so warm and friendly it could melt the Seattle Freeze. Order the Little Gem Caesar if you want to be reminded that a Caesar can still be a very good salad!
Good Shape
I was lured into Good Shape, located inside Jupiter Bar in Belltown, by the Breakfast-for-Dinner, a pizza topped with mozzarella, cream cheese, eggs, bacon, chives ... on a Everything but the Bagel seasoned crust! The bar has a huge arcade in the back, so, to be perfectly honest, my expectations were low — I imagined mediocre pizza for preoccupied pinball players. But I was so wrong! The pizzas are excellent and on the smaller side, which meant we could order many of them! It also has to be the best deal in town: pies range from $9 - $14, less than half the price of the average Seattle pizza, and from 4 - 6 p.m. every day you can get a beer, a shot and a pizza for $20.
Have a food- or drink-related question (Need a restaurant rec? Have a mystery that needs solving?) Send me a note: rachel.belle@cascadepbs.org
And for newsletter-exclusive content, including my Taste of the Town Q&A with a notable Pacific Northwest person (this week it's musician and filmmaker Mindie Lind) subscribe here!
XO
Rachel Belle
