The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
12 must-try Memphis-area pizzerias
Who doesn’t love pizza? From pizzerias serving thin-crust pizzas to thick-crust pizza pies, there is a pizza for about every taste bud in town.
From Downtown Memphis to Collierville, here are 12 locally owned pizzerias that are serving up some of the best pizzas in the area.
Pete & Sam’s
Pete & Sam’s has been serving Memphians thincrust pizzas for more than 70 years. The Barbecue Pizza, which is the top seller, is a Memphis original. Pizzas can be ordered hot and ready-to-eat, but Pete & Sam’s is now also offering both take-and-bake and frozen versions of its most popular pizzas. Pete & Sam’s is offering in-house delivery in addition to curbside pickup.
3886 Park Ave.; (901) 458-0694; peteandsams.com
Ciao Bella
Ciao Bella’s thin-crust pizzas all have a delicious gourmet twist. The Piccante, topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, red onions, mozzarella, parmesan and marinara, is one of the top sellers. We also recommend the BBQ Chicken Pizza and the vegetarian Ortolana with spinach, artichokes, black olives, Roma tomatoes, feta, mozzarella, Parmesan and marinara. Ciao Bella is offering in-house delivery in addition to curbside pickup.
565 Erin Drive; ciaobellamemphis.com
Garibaldi’s
Since 1975, Garibaldi’s has been serving handtossed pizzas to hungry Memphians. Pizzas come in four sizes, so there is an option for every size family. Pepperoni is the top-seller, but the Bar-b-que Pizza has been a Memphis favorite for nearly 40 years. Their secret recipe smoked pulled pork barbecue on top of a handmade cheese pizza makes for a winning combination. The pizza shop offers in-house delivery and curbside pickup.
Three locations: 3530 Walker Ave., 764 Mt. Moriah Road and 7521 Queens Court, Germantown; garibaldispizza.com
Memphis Pizza Café
(901) 205-2500;
With four locations, Memphis Pizza Café is a Memphis favorite. All the classics are on the menu, but don’t miss out on its signature pies. The Buffalo Chicken, a pizza topped with chicken marinated in Frank’s buffalo sauce with mozzarella and cheddar on an olive oil base, is a must-try for wing lovers. It’s drizzled with Frank’s sauce and ranch dressing just before serving. Memphis Pizza Café does not offer delivery. Curbside pickup is available.
Four locations: 2087 Madison Ave., 5061 Park Ave., 7604 W. Farmington, Germantown, and 797 W. Poplar, Collierville; memphispizzacafe.com
High Point Pizza
Tucked away in the High Point Terrace neighborhood, High Point Pizza is a hidden gem. This tiny pizzeria has been a neighborhood gathering spot since 2007. The two most popular pizzas are the Margherita and the Loaded. The Loaded is just like the name suggests — a pizza loaded with pepperoni, black forest ham, Pesce’s Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, and black and green olives. Highpoint Pizza does not offer delivery. Curbside pickup is available.
477 High Point highpointpizza901.com
Terrace; (901) 452-3339;
Ciao Baby!
Ciao Baby! serves classic Neapolitan-style pizza cooked in a wood-fire oven This family-owned pizzeria makes its dough and mozzarella cheese fresh daily. Pizzas cook in 90 seconds in a 900-degree wood fired oven. The result is a tasty pizza with a pliable, chewy crust. The traditional Italian Margherita is the mostordered pizza. Ciao Baby! is now offering in-house delivery in addition to curbside pickup.
890 W. Poplar, Suite 1, Collierville; (901) 457-7457; ciaobabypizza.com
Aldo’s Pizza Pies
Aldo’s Pizza Pies is known for thin-crust New Yorkstyle pizzas. We always love any pizza they offer made with their signature Vodka tomato sauce. The Bring Out the Gump pizza topped with poblano cream, sundried tomato pesto, seasoned shrimp, mozzarella, red onion and basil is a true original not to be missed. Aldo’s is temporarily only selling whole pizzas, available in 12- or 19-inch. Both in-house delivery and curbside pickup are available.
Two locations: 100 S. Main St. and 752 S. Cooper St.; aldospizzapies.com
Little Italy
Located in Midtown, this little pizzeria serves classic New York-style pizza. The Fresh Mozzarella Pizza at Little Italy is hands-down its most popular pizza. This favorite pie is topped with slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh plum tomato sauce, Parmesan and basil. Little Italy offers online ordering, in-house delivery and curbside pickup.
1495 Union Ave.; (901) 725-0280; littleitalypizzamemphis.com
Fox Ridge Pizza Bar & Grill
For 40 years, Fox Ridge Pizza has served its famous pizza with toppings all the way to the crust. Customers can choose from 9-inch, 12-inch or 16-inch pizzas, as well as a “crustless” glutenfree pizza. Choose from specialty pizzas like the “Fox Ridge Special” topped with sausage, pepperoni, smoked sausage, Canadian bacon, barbecue pork, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms, or opt to build your own. This East Memphis pizzeria offers curbside pickup and free inhouse delivery up to five miles.
711 W. Brookhaven Circle; (901) 7586500; foxridgepizza.com
Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza
Tamboli’s is a newcomer to the pizza game in Memphis, but has quickly become a popular dining destination. The
Midtown eatery is currently serving a selection of four wood-fired pizzas. Each comes as a 14-inch pizza. The Meat Board Pizza topped with house-made mozzarella, red sauce, bresaola, capicola and soppressata is the top seller. Curbside pickup and in-house delivery (for a minimum $20 order) is available.
1761 Madison Ave.; (901) 410-8866; tambolis.com
Since 1977, Broadway Pizza has been a Memphis original. The restaurant’s first location is still on Broad Avenue. and there is now a second location on Mendenhall. We recommend the “Broadway Special.” This meat-lovers pizza is loaded with sausage, beef, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, smoked sausage, mushrooms, black olives, bell pepper and onion. Curbside pickup is available.
Two locations: 2581 Broad Ave. and 629 S. Mendenhall; broadwaypizza memphis.com
Sunday, I went to the Malco Paradiso to see a movie. I did not know that before the end of the week theaters in Memphis and across the nation would be closed, but I had a feeling.
More than a feeling: I wondered if I was being socially irresponsible by pursuing one of my favorite activities, moviegoing.
To enforce a rudimentary version of “social distancing” in response to the threat of the coronavirus, Malco already had announced that no more than 50% of the seats in any auditorium would be sold for any specific screening. But every-other-seat spacing in a movie theater still puts you in proximity to a lot of folks.
The movie on this Sunday was not just any movie. It was the 1933 “King Kong,” presented by Turner Classic Movies, which once a month “hosts” a so-called classic — or, in this case, an undeniable classic — in cinemas across the country.
Attendance at the Paradiso that day was sparse, but, to my surprise — a surprise that I would have characterized as very gratifying, in less fraught times — “King Kong” had drawn the biggest crowd of the day, according to the ticket seller.
In other words, people were staying away from Sonic the Hedgehog and Vin Diesel, but they had made a point of
Humans pay the price for disrespecting nature in the 1933 “King Kong.”
emerging from whatever form of selfquarantine they were practicing to renew their acquaintance with the 87year-old giant gorilla who remains one of pop culture's most recognizable icons and most potent symbols of the deadly consequences of human hubris.
The racially diverse crowd — I'd esti
mate about a third of the seats were filled — did not appear to consist mainly of old movie buffs or what might be called “film nerds,” yet the action onscreen never was interrupted by the inappropriate or superior laughter that audiences so often bring to old films. Instead, the crowd remained rapt throughout the 100-minute running time of the black-and-white action, from the foreboding voyage to Skull Island to the monster's capture of Fay Wray to the confrontation atop the Empire State Building to the final epitaph delivered by Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong): “It was beauty killed the beast.”
When the movie ended, the audience applauded.
In other words, this was an ideal moviegoing experience. Except. Except ...
I've seen “King Kong” more times than I can count, including in revival at the drive-in and the Orpheum. It was a pleasure to experience it again on a screen large enough to showcase the film's ambitions and broad enough to shoulder its freight of meaning.
Yet when the movie was over, the feeling of melancholy in the air could not be attributed entirely to the thrilling yet sad story the audience had just witnessed, a story of injustice perpetrated by greedy humans against an innocent animal.
“King Kong” was a huge hit in 1933, in part because it was presented to an audience desperate for an escape from the hardships of the Depression. But in our current “depression,” the escape of theatrical movies is now denied, along with those of concerts, restaurants, bars, museums and organized sports.
Even the Empire State Building's observation decks are now closed to visitors. Beauty may have killed the beast, but this time, what we need is a vaccine.