Evil Austin Pizza Reviews #3: East Side Pies

To go east, we go central to check out this venerable entry

Picking my next pizza review target is always fun, and for this installment I turned to my Instagram page to crowdsource the assignment, dropping four choices into a poll.

And, naturally, I ignored the winner (Pinthouse) and selected the place I’ve had circled since before I launched these reviews, East Side Pies.

It’s an Austin original, which Michael Freid and Noah Polk (then work buddies at a bakery) took a leap of faith on in 2006 forging a classic American success story, opening a location on Rosewood Avenue in East Austin. With an emphasis on fresh ingredients and what it calls “Austin Style” pizza, which is really a South Chicago thing (more on this later), East Side Pies is up to four locations now, including the newish Allandale outpost that I visited.

So, let’s get to the review, shall we?

The primo views of Burnet are free.

SCORE LEGEND:

9+ Incredible pizza and experience that I highly recommend.

7.5-8.9: Damn good and most people will enjoy it a lot. I recommend it without reservation.

6.0-7.4: Good, with some issues but definitely worth checking out for most people.

5.0-5.9: Marginal. Some people will like it and it’s not a disaster, but y’all can do better.

4.9 or below: Problematic for a number of reasons. Skip.

PIZZA:

Having to follow Little Deli on my pizza quest was surely no small task for East Side Pies, but I suspected that it would rise to the occasion, and it did so with aplomb.

A very cool manager prepped me for the experience, cutting me in on the fact that the simple, ultra-thin crust variety of pizza they call “Austin Style” is very much a callback to Freid’s Chicago upbringing. This variety of pie doesn’t garner nearly the fanfare of The Windy City’s myriad of world famous Deep-Dish offerings, but it’s just as authentic—a South Side thing. Think of it as the White Sox to Deep Dish’s Cubs.

I went with the half cheese/half pep, and it came out hot and ready for action.

Huge slices of pepperoni are never a bad thing.

I’ll get right to the bottom line: it’s absolutely delicious. Unless you simply hate this style of pizza because you’re too deep into the cults of Neapolitan or Detroit Style (I have a pretty substantial personal bias against the former because if its lack of, you know, cheese), it’s difficult to not fall in love here.

The cheese blend was perfect, the char/cook dead on, and the overall taste hit all the right notes. One small counterpoint would be the fact that it doesn’t fill you up like some other styles, but that’s par for the course with this type of pizza, much like with Tavern Style. Counter-counterpoint: you leave feeling satisfied but not gross and weighted down, regrets creeping in. (Note: they have a pan pizza now, but that wasn’t reviewed, and also offer many other options for their base red sauce like pesto and ricotta.)

The bottom line: Austin Style Pizza (*wink wink*) is that dude.

COST: It’s certainly not inexpensive, but feels right for this level of quality in 2025 Austin. (I’m not assessing the prices of the ABIA location, because airport.) Toppings will run you anywhere from $1-$2.75 depending on the size of pie ordered.

Here are the base offerings.

If you want to dip into one of their several varieties of specialty pizza—from The Buscemi (Italian Sausage, Roasted Onions & Red Bell Peppers, Jalapeños, & Cilantro) to The Stagger Lee (Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Red Onions, Green Bell Peppers, Black Olives, & White Mushroom)—be prepared to pay more, and in several cases, quite a bit more. There’s unique and innovative pizza action going on with some of these and the prices jump accordingly.

A good variety of slice options are also available if that’s your thing, and they’re buy one get one free M-F from 11 to 4.

SERVICE:

The staff was outstanding. They were cool without being slobbery and, when I asked questions (they had no idea I was reviewing them), the manager was friendly and deeply informative. It just felt comfortable and welcoming.

After my pie was delivered, two different staffers came over to make sure that I had everything I needed. The service exceeded even Little Deli, which sets the bar pretty high.

The cashier was new and, while clearly still learning the ropes, projected affability and mild self-deprecation instead of anxiety.

Overall, the team was fantastic, with none of the detached “cool kid” Austin attitude that’s all too frequent nowadays.

Slices are available for those who like them.

VIBES:

A bit like Little Deli, this felt somehow authentic. Not like Italy or New York City or Chicago, but like 2006 Austin, as if time froze the year the first East Side Pies location opened.

Neither bougie nor cookie cutter in its feel, I think comfortable is the perfect descriptor for what I experienced—the kind of place where they’ll know your name and order by heart on your third or fourth visit.

I observed a worker shooting the shit with two customers in a way that you just don’t see much anymore in these parts. There’s a value in being a regular here, and that means something.

NOTE: They also run trivia games (check for locations and times/dates in advance).

Austin stuff.

SCORE: 9.5

While the first few forays into my pizza review experience have admittedly been weighted heavily in favor of Austin haunts of lofty repute, I want to be clear that nobody is going to coast on reputation (see my debut review of Allday, for example).

A lot going on here.

That said, East Side Pies gets a very robust recommendation from me. Everything about this place—from the high quality, tasty pizza to the cool/relatable staff to the fun origin story—combined to make me truly appreciate what they’re doing.

Run, don’t walk to this super chill venue. You’ll be very glad that you did.