So the inlaws are coming to town and they want to know, what is the best Pizza Place in Portland?? They are Pizza fanatics and very picky about their pizza, it must be the best. A simple Papa Murphys "Take and bake" wont do.
So where should I take them? In your opinion what is the best Pizza place in portland??

American Dream Pizza on NE Glisan near Providence is pretty darn good.

Flying Pie Pizzeria.

Oasis Pizza on Hawthorne.

Pizza Roma on Woodstock

Guiseppe's on 181st in Stark

Yeah...I grew up in the area...=D

Flying Pie on Stark is awesome. The one in Gresham leaves something to be desired.

I'd say Schmizza, but again I'm a bit biased, seeing as I run the one in the airport. (Justin - if they fly in or out send them my way, I'll hook 'em up!)

Anyone remember the old Engine House Pizza that was at Jantzen Beach? The thin crust with corn meal underneath and lots of those little round pepperoni's! They are no longer here but there is a pizza place a short trip from Portland that is well worth it. Papa Pete's Pizza in Ridgefield. Located right off of I-5 exit 14 just 14 miles from the I-5 bridge. In the strip mall to the right as you take the exit you can see it. Heck if you go there you can take them 2 miles up the road when done to La Center and play some BlackJack or other card games at the four casino's located there. That is at exit 16...turn right go into town and cant miss them.

Cheers

I have a Portland Pizza website:

http://www.portlandbridges.com/portland-pizza.html

which maps out most of the Portland pizza "joints" on a Google map.

Lately I prefer Hot Lips Pizza, but it varies.

I'm not a Flying Pie fan myself - sorry to buck the trend. But I also like NY Style "plain" slices, and the plain cheese I've had at Flying Pie tastes like cardboard.

Schmizza used to be great, but since they expanded and franchised a couple of years ago, the quality varies too widely per store for my tastes, and their prices tend to be higher than places like Hot Lips. (I've not been to the Schmizza at PDX, Brianl, so I am not talking about your store in particular.)

Andrew

I've always had good luck at Bella Faccia (sp?) on NE Alberta...one size pie or by the slice...though not necessarily the best place for the inlaws, unless they like their Led Zeppelin cranked up.

If you find yourself in Salem,

Look up Christo's downtown.

Awesome Itialian Pizza.

For Pizza parlour Pizza, Padingtons.

Best pizza for me is my wife's home made Pizza. Starts with Organic pizza dough from New Seasons. Then we use up the veggies from our Organic's to You delivery. (do you sense a theme here) Yes some organic sauce and two kinds of cheese, the real stuff or I have come to enjoy soy cheese. (needs to be melted)

But when forced to eat out we prefer gourmet pizza from Pizzacatto.

Bellagio's

The only Portland Pizza I have tried is Pizzacatto and it was good.

Amus like me tends to frequent Salem places. I have only eaten once at Christo's and had their margarita pizza which was great but I have only been their like I said once.

Second the nod to Paddington's Pizza at 2 locations in Salem. By far one of the best pizza parlors around with a pleasont family atmosphere and awesome NW style pizza.

For overall quality and experience overall I reccomend a night out on the town at Lefty's Blues Club & Pizzeria on State Street in Salem. Not only do they serve awesome pizza and salads, they also have an impressive selection of Beer, Wine, and cocktails. Lefty's is indeed the closest thing that Salem has to Portland's nightlife scene. Here is the link:

http://www.leftyspizzeria.com/index.php

It took me about 4 or 5 times of eating there, but, every time I eat at Lefty's I get sick. Something they use in the sauce or something does not agree with me. I can eat all kinds of things with NO problem. But for some reason...eh...whaddya gonna do?

I will say that it tastes good going in.

My two favortes or Nona Emelia's in Beaverton area and another one somewhere...once...It was good though.

Not in Portland exactly, but I have always been fond of the Smokey's on 4th Plain in Vancouver, down the street from Pro Calibre.

Run-down, greasy smelling and some of the wait staff aren't exactly the most polite in the industry (not always but sometimes!) but I do love the canadian bacon and pineapple, thin crust! Tastes good, anyways........at least they do have a good salad bar.

I also like the pizza Palace in Camas, across from the chinese restaurant. A bit nicer than Smokey's and the pizza/salad bar is really good too.

Just a couple i have always seemed to be biased to over the years.

Re: Engine House~
My Mum worked her very first job there, while she was in High School! Only been there once (circa 1990, or 1991, after Dad bought our first CD player at Silo) but I do remember the pizza..........

Another one I miss is Square Pan Pizza at Vancouver Mall!

Do you remember Sunshine Pizza over in Cascade Park. They had a super large pizza challenge if two people could eat it in an hour it was free. Two guts from high school tried and "Died" and had to shell out 40 clams for it!


Edit Add:

BTW....Smokey's in Hazel Dell people are much nicer!

Oh yeah.

Right across from Yaw's (wasn't affiliated with THE Yaw's in downtown PDX, as far as I know.....this one was like Shari's.)

In fact eons ago we used to order pizza from Sunshine Exchange quite a bit..........I think it's some Indian restaurant now isn't it?

In fact I had almost forgotten about Sunshine Exchange until you mentioned it Darktemper!!

"Smokey's in Hazel Dell people are much nicer!"

That's very true (eaten there before), but I live clear over by Evergreen/Cascade and it's quite a bit of a drive..........and I don't think they deliver this far away............

Oops sorry, I was referring to the one on 4th plain and 500........wasn't aware there was one in Cascade Park area as well.

There was a Smokeys at one time in Cascade Park, and Mill Plain down by Thrify Auto but those are gone. don't know if the one downtown vancouver is still there. Only two Smokeys I know for sure is the one on Fourth Plain West of Dairy Queen and the one in Hazel Dell on Hwy 99. I like a Pepperoni and Canadian Bacon mix.....mmmm...good stuff! Go to Papa Petes sometime and give them a try.....way gooder.....
more bettererrr....

Hot Lips Pizza
Giuseppe's on 181st in Gresham
Cafe Bono in Troutdale. Classic Italian Pizza. Mmmm.
That pizza place on 47th & Glisan, American Dream

There is another Hot Lips pizza in the Pearl. Highly recommended.

Another Hot Lips? Dude, there are FIVE of them now! There's the PSU store, the Raleigh Hills store, the Pearl store, the Hawthorne store, and the new NE Portland store at NE Killingsworth and 33rd Ave. The tiny Hawthorne store just doubled in size; now you can take group in there, no problem. The Hawthorne store also has WiFi; at the Pearl store you can pick it up from the Ecotrust building (PersonalTelco.net).

(Can you tell I eat a little too much pizza??? :-)

Andrew

Na...not really....but you might grab a napkin and wipe that PIZZA GREASE off of your chin!! LOL

Man, I guess so.

Way outta the loop on that one. And I thought I was gonna get to look somewhat hip with a Pearl reference.

I stand bested and bow before your pizza acumen Andrew!

(As I contemplate the idea of making the greater rounds...)

You can never eat too much PiZZA!!

Well I guess so if you don't mind looking like "Pizza The Hut"!!! LOL

What movie was that from....

Spaceballs?

My wife is a native Bostonian and decries the lack of "decent pizza" in Portland. Being a lifelong PDX'er I cannot relate (I'm in heaven when eating Abby's canadian bacon and tomato), so I'm wondering if anyone familiar with "decent" New England pizza can recommend a place for her. Thanks.

Take a look at Apizza Scholls. They may have the style you seek!

Has anyone here, besides myself eaten at
" Mystic Pizza", in Mystic, Conneticut? It truly is a " slice of heaven". !

Thanks DT. Somewhere on Scholls Ferry, I presume? (I'm in Sandy)

A Pizza Scholls
(503) 233-1286
4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97215-3249

If you go let me know how it is....I have never been there but there are lots of rants about it!

http://www.apizzascholls.com/

Found a picture of Pizza Margherita at Apizza Scholls for you. Look good!

http://images.43things.com/place/00/08/e9/583963lr.jpg

Hmmm...I'm not a stranger to Hawthorne, but have never heard of this place. But it's been years since I lived in the neighborhood.

It's now on the list of places to check out.

Dark Temper~

I used to frequent the Chkalov/Cascade Park Smokey's as well until they closed, of course. (Apparently, Angelo & his "homiez" were asking too much for rent and Smokey's decided to break its lease on that location. This is according to one of my co-workers who worked there until "the end".)

I remember the Smokey's on mill plain near Thrifty, I ate there a couplea times *way back when* after piano lessons at Beacocks. (F.Y.I., I am a *horrible* pianist, by the way........) I believe they re-located, but not sure where. The one on fourth plain is still there, as is Hazel Dell, and the one on St. John's down the street from the IGA store.

Aren't there any Smokey's in Portland too, or are they only in Vancouver?

Vancouver only....just the three places....three of the most....well lets just say not the cleanest looking places i've been in! But great Pizza!

WHERE'S PIZZA HUT???

LOL!

Pizza the Hut....wasn't that a really gross pizza character from Spaceballs....you know the guy that ate himself to death? LOL

I think Apizza Scholls actually started out in Scholls Ferry but (so a friend tells me) they decided to move to the big city. I think they've only been on Hawthorne for about 18 months. I've never been there - they aren't open all the time, and the first two times I tried to visit them they were closed.

Andrew

I just checked out DT's link for Apizza Scholls and they are open weird days and only during dinner hours.

Edselehr, I spent 3 plus years in New England ie Providence RI just an hours drive south of Boston. And I can honestly say that the pizza overall with very few exceptions was not at all appealing. I think it is more of a what were you raised on that comes into play.

Well, I just had a great slice of cheese pizza from BrianL at Pizza Schmizza PDX. I asked to be bumped from my AA flight back east via Chicago, which is a nightmare on this, the busiest travel day of the Christmas season; got $500 for my trouble and a later flight through Phoenix. Since my original Chicago flight left 90 minutes late, I would have missed my connection anyway and would probably have arrived around the same time anyway! Happy holidays!

Andrew

Very true, Shyguy. I'm not trying to suggest that EC pizza is better or worse than WC, it really is what you were raised on (see my Abby's example above). Heck, they also drink Moxie back there, which a weird, vile rootbeer-like drink.

Just looking for a place locally that might be able to give my wife a "taste of home".

It was a pleasure to meet you Andrew, and glad you weathered through the crowd to get a slice ... (and thanks for the plug! hah!)

Happy Holidays everyone

Old Chicago Pizza in Tanasbourne next to Haggens has great pizza.

-edited changed Winco to Haggens

Next to Winco? You mean next the The Old Spaghetti Factory right???

I had a brain fart, my mistake, next the Haggens in Tanasbourne. Across from the new 1st Tech Credit Union. HERE

YES!!!
I did to because the OSF is next to the theater! ON THE OTHER SIDE OF 185th!!!!!

Yeah Old Chicago is great Pizza, spendy, but good. I guess the old saying is true. You get what you pay for. For Pizza that is so true!
I also enjoy Round Table and The Blind Onion.

Huh.......

You wanna know something about the Blind Onion, Justin? My first-grade teacher (Ms. Judy Kutch, Hearthwood Elementary 1990/1991) and her husband Ray own that place, at least last I heard.

The Kutches used to own the two Dodge City Saloons (one on E18th, across from Bergeron Lumber and the one in Camas across from the movie theatre) but they sold out a couple years ago ("divesting" as my source told me.)

I wonder if they even still have the Onion?

So Motzak did they just own The Blind Onion or did they actually invent the Pizza's secret ingredients?? Not that it matters, but the Blind Onion makes a DAMN good Pizza, it's in my top 10 list of GREAT PIZZAS.

I had a slice of Hawaiian pizza at Pizzacato the other day and it was
"To DIE FOR" soooo yummy! infact it was a little "slice" of heaven on earth.

Don't know about the pizza (I never have eaten there for some reason) but I do know they did/do own the place.

Ya know, I really should go in there sometime.....maybe if I am lucky I might see Mrs. Kutch there.

Also, I don't see her at Hearthwood any more (I sometimes board-op the sound for events and assemblies in the Gym) because she's teaching at Illahee on 192nd now.