13 of our favorite pizza places in the Triangle that go beyond the traditional pie
Let me guess. Of all the takeout or delivery foods you’ve gotten over the past six months, pizza is at the top of the list.
Yeah, me too. And if you’re like me, you have a favorite style and a go-to topping combination. Every now and then, though, I like to break out of the pepperoni-and-mushroom rut.
Here are a few of my favorite change-of-pace pizzas, including some that I’ve discovered in the course of my Coronavirus Diary “research.”
Big Sergio’s, Apex
Big Sergio’s turns out a first-rate New York-style pizza, with some two dozen toppings available to help you switch up your pizza game. Create your own steak and feta combo, say, or try the house specialty Chicken Alfredo Pie.
For a complete change of pace, don’t overlook the Grandma pizza, a large, thin-crusted pizza topped with mozzarella, fresh basil and diagonal stripes of a rustic tomato sauce. Notwithstanding its humble roots in Italian-American home kitchens, this one tastes as good as it looks.
Coronato, Carrboro
If you’re a fan of Neapolitan-style pizza, you owe it to yourself to try its Roman cousin, made with a dough that includes a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Baked in a screaming hot oven imported from Italy, the result is a thin, blistery crust that’s cracker-crisp at the edges, and just pliable enough at the center to be folded.
Topping options range from traditional marinara (a no-cheese pie with raw crushed tomato sauce, garlic, sea salt, and Sicilian oregano) to chef Teddy Diggs’ signature potato pizza, featuring slow-roasted potatoes crushed with olive oil on a bed of fontina, fresh mozzarella and parmigiano spangled with roasted garlic cloves, fresh rosemary and a spritz of lemon.
A Family Night Special, offered Sunday through Thursdays, includes three pizzas, a chopped salad, six suppli and six cannoli. And Coronato recently introduced a Roman pan pizza with thicker crust, available for take-out only. Diners are encouraged to order ahead.
Jet’s, Raleigh and Cary
Detroit-style pizza is the name of the game at this Michigan-based chain with three Triangle locations. Aficionados may quibble that Jet’s takes a few liberties with the classic Detroit style formula — tomato sauce and choice of cheese (but not the traditional Wisconsin brick) spread on the crust first, rather than layered on top of the other toppings. But the trademark thick crust, baked in square steel pans to a light, airy, crisp-cornered turn, will silence all but the harshest critic.
Pie Pushers, Durham
Leave it to a pizzeria that started out as a food truck to let you order pizza by the slice online. If, on the other hand, you want to go all in on a whole pie, you’ve got a bewildering variety of options, from the vegetarian Pace Car (olive oil base, corn mix, fresh basil, jalapeños, mozzarella and parmesan) to the Breakfast pie, made with bacon, local country sausage and roasted potatoes on a base of cheddar, mozzarella and tomato sauce. And you thought breakfast pizza meant cold leftovers from the night before.
Poole’side Pies, Raleigh
Ashley Christensen’s foray into the pizzeria business lives up to the James Beard Award winner’s national reputation. Christensen describes the Poole’side style as “Neapolitan-inspired,” which translates to topping combinations ranging from classic margherita to sausage alla vodka.
If it’s still available, try the Southern-accented Duke Tomato: Duke’s mayonnaise, buttermilk cheddar and marinated local heirloom tomatoes. As long as you’re going rogue, prime your palate with a pickle juice Caesar salad.
Rosati’s, Morrisville
To many Americans, “Chicago-style” is synonymous with deep dish pizza. But to Chicagoans, the term conjures up a different image: a crust that is thinner and crisper than New York-style, with toppings applied more generously than true Italian-style. Rosati’s satisfies on both counts. They ought to. The chain’s pedigree goes back nearly a century to 1923, when Sam Rosati opened the prototype for what would become a chain with locations scattered over 15 states (The Morrisville location is the only one in North Carolina).
More pizza favorites
Here are a few more of my favorite pizzerias that I’ve written about before that offer takeout. Check the restaurants’ websites or Facebook pages for current menu and hours.
▪ Napoli: 105 East Main St., Carrboro. 919-667-8288 or napolicarrboro.com
▪ Oakwood Pizza Box: 610 N. Person St., Raleigh. 919-594-1605 or oakwoodpizzabox.com
▪ Pizzeria Faulisi: 215-101 E. Chatham St., Cary. 919-377-8244 or pizzeriafaulisi.com
▪ Pizzeria Mercato: 408 Weaver St., Carrboro. 919-967-2277 or pizzeriamercatonc.com
▪ Pizzeria Toro: 105 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 919-908-6936 or pizzeriatoro.com
▪ Pompieri Pizza: 102 City Hall Plaza, Durham. 919-973-1589 or pompieripizza.com (also has patio dining)
▪ Pizzeria Veritas: 1260 NW Maynard Road, Cary. 919-319-3232 or pizzeriaveritas.com or facebook.com/PizzeriaVeritas
Takeout Tales
Send me your experiences with restaurant delivery and curbside pickup at ggcox55@gmail.com. I’ll publish as many as I can in this space (edited as needed for brevity and clarity).
Taste
Fay P. is inspired to write her first-ever restaurant review about Taste, a hidden gem tucked away in a pocket of retail ensconced in a Raleigh residential district.
“I’ve never written a restaurant review, but Taste in Raleigh has become our new go to restaurant for amazing food in these times of pandemic.
“Service is great, and the food is wonderful. I’ve tasted almost the entire menu over the past three weeks. My current favorite is pad thai noodles with shrimp. My husband loves the shrimp and grits, but the grouper with three flavors is a close second. Add half-price wine on some days, and Taste is the top of our take-out dining list. Amazing food in a safe space.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 8:30 AM.