Tony's Pizza

Tony's Pizza operates four pizzerias in Charlotte and a few handfuls of other joints around the state. The same group also runs Mario's Pizza, which has a few stores outside of the metro area. Between Tony's and Mario's, this business successfully monopolizes stereotypical Italian first names. Serving North Carolina since 1981 they proudly serve "Authentic New York Italian Pizza."

Side note: How cliche is "Authentic New York Pizza"? What makes it authentic? A distant relative was born in Brooklyn? The guy at the counter has an accent that clearly isn't Charlotte-local? We should lobby the USDA to have an "Authentic New York" labeling on restaurants, much like the same process for Organic certification. Certified Organic and Authentic New York? I'm definitely giving my business to that place.


Unlike my last review, Tony's is truly a pizzeria. Slices (or pies) are ordered at the counter. They also offer your basic selection of Italian dishes and sandwiches, but the packed lunch crowd here clearly preferred to go with slices -- my kind of place. The options are limited -- either Plain Cheese ($2.85) or Pepperoni ($2.99) -- so I ordered one of each.

The Verdict:

The Plain Cheese Slice: Clearly Tony's defines "Authentic New York" as large slices because their pizza is HUGE! One slice would've been sufficient for my lunch and I had trouble finishing the second. Cheese and sauce were tasty, but I was surprised that the crust quickly became hard -- almost stale. I love a well done slice, but not when it starts to taste like cardboard.  3.75/5

Toppings: While many more are available for pizza pies, Tony's only offers two options for toppings on slices: Plain or Pepperoni. The pepperoni was of very good quality and had a noticeable spice to it. Its a nice touch when you can stand out on something so common. 3.5/5

Value: No slice was over $3, making it easy on any budget -- especially with the large portions. At only a 14 cent difference, you're better off just going with Pepperoni slices. I passed on their Lunch Special, which advertised a slice, a drink and choice of side salad or garlic knots for $6.75. I'll just stick with my two slices for the cheaper cost.  4/5

Overall: A very good slice overall. A few things to fix (staleness, etc.) but this place clearly has the fundamentals down of what makes a great pizza. For having to manage multiple locations, Tony's seems to get the pizzeria business right: no frills, just good (and tasty) portions at a fair price. If I were to pass a Tony's on an empty stomach, I would have no problem with stopping by again. 3.75/5

Of course..... this is just the opinion of one humble blogger, what do YOU think of Tony's Pizza? Please leave a comment below and thanks for reading!

Tony's Pizza

1605 Galleria Blvd # 130, Charlotte  - (704) 708-5111 14027 Conlan Circle, Charlotte  - (704) 541-82251530 Overland Park Ln # 1-104, Charlotte  - (704) 688-6880 9548 Mount Holly Huntersville Road, Charlotte- (704) 394-5677

Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza

Johnny Brusco's opened in the Promenade on Providence on June of 2010. Its the second North Carolina location for the Georgia-based pizzeria, but is one of over 70 locations in the Southeast. I've passed by this place many a time, as its just a few miles from my house in South Charlotte/Ballantyne, but have never had a chance to stop in for a slice.

According to the company website, the chain originated in Upstate New York in the 1960s before soon relocating down to Forest Park, Georgia. I can't say that most New Yorkers regard the Upstate area as the hub for great pizza, so maybe thats how they wound up in the South.  

Anyway, I should first off note that Johnny Brusco's is more of a restaurant that serves pizza rather than a pizzeria. My buddy Kevin and I were greeted by a waitress who took our orders. Kevin ordered one of the lunch specials, a pepperoni slice with side salad and a drink ($5.75). I ordered a cheese slice ($1.95), and took the waitress' recommendation for her favorite specialty slice, which was The Gourmet (a whopping $4.95). According to the menu, The Gourmet comes packed with fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts and feta cheese -- interesting, at the very least.

All three of our slices were about average in length but particularly thin. I will say theres a clear difference between making a thin crust pizza and making a pizza that cuts costs on production, and these slices were unfortunately the latter. This may be less of the franchiser's fault and more of the entire franchise itself -- we weren't aware Johnny Brusco's was a chain until after we had left. Still, in its defense the cheese pizza had a nice crisp to it and an alright consistency between cheese-sauce-crust. 

The slice's flimsiness was most noticeable with toppings. The grease from Kevin's pepperoni slice easily seeped through its crust, making it hard for him to hold it up straight. While the toppings were generous on my Gourmet slice, the subpar crust made it impossible to hold without toppings falling off onto the plate. Its a shame, because after struggling through half the slice I was finally able to notice that it was quite tasty. 

The Verdict:

The Plain Cheese Slice: The slices are smaller than you'd like, and are especially thin in size. Still, theres a good mix between cheese, sauce and crust, with nothing overwhelming the other. 3/5

Toppings: I got the feeling some of the toppings on my Gourmet, the artichokes in particular, were from a can but they certainly did not cheap out on the quantity (see above) and they all blended together very well for a fresh taste. 3.5/5

Value: $1.95 isn't bad for a cheese slice these days, even at its thinner size -- but $4.95 is a bit outrageous no matter what the toppings are (I could also tell that the slice was simply a plain cheese with toppings put on after the fact). As for my friend's "Lunch Special", I would say there are better deals out there than $5.75 for a slice and small salad. 2/5

Overall: I'm going to give this place the benefit of the doubt and note that slices and lunch specials -- the main focus of this blog -- aren't really their thing. Perhaps this is more inclined for taking some of your kids out on a weekend after church (I do live in the suburbs, after all) As for me, between the problems with the slices and higher costs, I will probably be taking my slice business elsewhere. 2.5/5

5349 Ballantyne Commons Parkway
Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 321-1700

Pizza! Pizza!

Greetings and welcome to my new pizza blog!

Pizza has been a staple of my diet ever since I was a kid growing up in Sea Cliff, New York. Back then I used to make my parents take me to Ellio's, just next to the Pudgie's Chicken in the CVS Shopping Center. If the weather was nice, my friends and I would ride our bikes up to see Jeff at Village Pizza on Sea Cliff Avenue, where we would pool money to grab a slice (plain, or pepperoni if we had a little extra scratch that week) and a soda.  

These days, things have changed. All my original pizza destinations have come and gone -- even that Pudgie's Chicken is no longer. I moved to North Carolina in 1998, and although I was pulled away from my roots my love and appreciation for a great slice has never ceased.

Now living (and loving!) in Charlotte, North Carolina, I've spent the last seven years here on a mission to find the ultimate slice. Yes, I've had to settle a few times, but over the years I think I have found a few good joints, and continually keep my heart open to find more.

The mission? Find the best slice in Charlotte. The method? In my humble opinion, one cannot truly review a pizzeria without trying its plain cheese slice first. How else can you accurately determine the quality of the sauce, the thickness of the cheese, the crisp of the crust? Don't get me wrong -- I love my toppings! -- but they can often be masks for what is a rather inadequate slice. I will also review a second house specialty slice, and other random menu items from time to time.

Anyway, feel free to comment and chime in with your own personal favorites! Is there a pizza place you want to see reviewed here? Let us know.

Happy pizza-ing and enjoy the blog!