I do try to support local restaurants so that is one reason we went to Rizzi's. Â We started off with toasted raviolis - they were tasty but looked like the ones you by at Kroger in the frozen food section.
Salads were fresh and the pizza crust was excellent. Â We got a half Veggie and half Bar-B-Q pork pizza. Â The Veggie was good but the sauce on the Bar-B-Q side was very sweet.
I could have gone four stars but there were some obvious food safety issues. Â I witnessed our server using her hands to scoop ice into a bucket and then dump it into the ice bin near the ice tea station. Â Nope - she did not wash her hands and had just bussed a table. Â There were a couple of other cross contamination issues. Â Our server said she had only been there a week - some training would be in order.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I could see the potential in Rizzi's pizza, despite having one of the worst pizzas I had ever eaten. Â As a result, we decided to give them one more shot on 5/14. Â We dined-in around 6:30, and the service was fantastic. Â I wish I had gotten the young girl's name that served us, because she was incredibly polite, incredibly prompt, increibly nice, and really was very welcomng.
The food was a completely different experience then the first time we ate here. Â This time, our pizza was not burnt, it was not over-floured, and I avoided the pork sausage (not the specialty italian sausage -- which I have not tried yet). Â Here is a new, quick review of the food.
Dough: Now that I have had the dough (almost) how it is supposed to be cooked, it is one of the best pizza doughs I have ever eaten. Â It is crispy on the outside, and tender and chewy on the inside. Â It was amazing. Â In fact, ironically, I told my wife they probably could have left it in the oven for just another 30 seconds to a minute. Â Though the outside crust was perfectly done, the bottom of the pizza toward the center was a little soggy. Â Dough: 5 / 5
Cheese: The cheese is still very good, and compliments the entire pizza well. Â It is not too salty, and has a nice, clean taste. Cheese: 5 / 5
Sauce: A perfect blend of tomatoes and spices that compliments the flavors of everything else. Â This is exactly what a good pizza sauce does. Â It is a flavor-enhancer for the rest of the pizza. Â Despite being good, I do like sauces that taste 'fresher'. Â It didn't seem like they used fresh basil or tomatoes. Â It tasted more like canned tomatoes, as well as dried herbs and sesonings. Â Still, a good sauce though 4 / 5
Based on my two experiences at Rizzi's, and some of the other Yelp reviews, I think it is only fair to add one more category to this review: Consistency.
Consistency: This is where they are getting docked. Â For me to go in and have one of the worst pizzas of my life one week, then a month later go in and have the best pizza I have ever eaten in Memphis, is a damn travesty... Ownership needs to seriously look at their staff and begin auditing their pizza-making abilities. Â Though my pizza was very good, it still wasn't perfect - and I still think they have more potential. Â This is saddening when I see that Rizzi's could be a solid 5 star pizza, but they have people working for them (probably high school or college students) that don't necessarily care as much about the product as the owners do. Â Sorry to pick on students, but I have found that their mentality (as mine was at that age) is, "I'll be quitting here soon anyway when I graduate...I'm not going to make pizzas for the rest of my life."
This is a bummer, and honestly, I would love to get a pizza made by the owner. Â I would love to see this places true potential, because I am certain that it is very high. Â Unfortunately, the extreme lack of consistency frightens me. Â What am I going to get the next time I go? Â This makes me wary of spending my money at this etablishment. Â I will be back again; I just don't know which pizza I will get -- the worst ever, or one of the best ever. Â Strange, and sad...
Overall Pizza Score: 4 / 5
Final Thoughts: When RIzzi's is at its best, I would be willing to go out on a limb and call Rizzi's one of the best pizzas in the entire region. Â I cannot fully recommend RIzzi's, because if they cook pizza like they did for me the first time I went, it makes me look stupid, and diminishes the value of my reviews. All I can say is, if you dine at Rizzi's; it may be great, or it may be awful. Â I hope you get a good pizza maker when you go. Â Maybe shake the Magic 8 Ball beforehand or something?
From New York City I really missed my pizza. If you're looking for authentic tasting pizza this is the place to go. We ordered the Big Rizzi pizza to share. Sausage and onions and peppers, Oh My! Â The cheese almost slid off the pizza (which is always a sign of a good NY pizza).
The crust was thin and crispy. It was easy to fold and eat properly.
The pub part was closed since it was lunch time on Sunday but I'd love to come back and check out the live music sometime.
It was okay... that about sums it up..
My son, a growing 19 year old, ordered lobster ravioli, it was very tasty, but when the plate showed up, it had 4 ravioli... it looked like 4 over easy eggs plopped on a plate. Â Four whole ravioli?? Â That's it.
I had a calzone, steak, pepper, onions, it had good flavor, the ratio of filling and dough was not balanced. Â My husband had a portabello sandwich.. he said it was good, although, I thought it looked meager... Â
Everything did taste pretty good, a little stingy maybe
My impression of the place was,, they are trying to cut costs.
Went to eat at Off the Hoof on a Sunday............yeah, theyre closed. Â So we figured we try Rizzi's.
 I had the Portabello and Provolone submarine and it was pretty damn tasty!  I mean, I really enjoyed it.  I suggest they get real ketchup bottles for tables though, those little packets are a bitch!
 Krista had the Italian steak calzone, and it had HUGE flavor, could have been more stuffing in it, but it was very good.  Not heavily sauced, just let the ingredients speak for themselves.......nicely done.
 Our son Jake had the Lobster ravioli, there were only 4 raviolis on the plate so it looked sparse for the 10 buck price tag.  But it came with a huge hunk of garlic bread and those 4 raviolis were stuffed with lobster meat.........I mean well stuffed, and not with filler crap either, it was all clean lobster meat.  So after a second look, it wasnt too out of the box for 10 bucks after all.
 If were over in that area again, Id certainly go back in.  Id love to try a pizza next, if they are anything like the food we had, Im sure theyre great too.  I think our bill was like 35 bucks with the tip.........well spent.  Give it a shot, I think youll feel the same way we do about that place.
Arrived early so when we sat down we were the only peeps in the place. Â No matter, we're here for the pizza.
Three different pizzas ordered.
1. Â Cheeseburger Pizza - Good +
2. Â Meat Lovers - Fair
3. Â BBQ Chicken - Great -
Overall, very doable pizza. Â Will definitely be back cuz I like the atmosphere - has the look and feel of a real pizza parlor (note: Â Bar portion was not open). Â I think it might make for a cool pizza experience if the place were hoppin later in the evening.
Enjoyed the cheese/garlic sticks were pretty tasty too.
Worth returning to try more pizzas and other treats.
We are certainly fans of Rizzies. We love that it's around the corner, but we'd go even if it were not 3 miles away. They have a great stuffed pizza, good Alfredo, I like the lobster ravioli, but my favorite is the veggie calzone! Love it! Best of all, I never pay more than $10/person to get out of there, unless we buy drinks. My husband is a big fan of the fried pepper jack cheese balls! We order them every time! It has a good ambiance and outdoor seating.
Review Source:This is a fun pizza place in Arlington. They have two sides- one is the restaurant and the other is the bar side. The bar side stays open later and has live music some Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
The pizza is your standard thin crust pizza and you can get them by the slice which is great when you are with a group with different tastes. They have take out and you can also order pizza in advance of arriving if you are in a hurry.
A nice change of pace from chain pizzerias, Rizzi's has a great selection of hand-tossed pizzas whole or by the slice. Â Calzones, pasta, sub sandwiches, and salads are also served at this quaint cafe in downtown Arlington. Â You can find tiramisu and cheesecake chilling in a cooler alongside your favorite sodas. Â They have Orangina, a personal, hard-to-find fave of mine. Â Music adds atmosphere to cafeteria-style seating in a clean, friendly atmosphere.
Review Source:
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