Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on June 25, 2020.
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If you've spent any time in the Strip District, odds are good you're quite familiar with the famous Enrico Biscotti Company right in the heart of the popular shopping district.
But did you know that the same company has a cafe located behind the biscotti store, only accessible via a narrow alley, that is also only open on select days for breakfast and lunch? What if we told you that this is the place to go for some of the best-woodfired pizzas in Pittsburgh?
You'll want to get to this one right away.
Enrico's Cafe Serves Up Some of the Best Pizzas in Pittsburgh
It took me several visits to make it into Enrico's Cafe to try their pizza. During my first visit, I didn't realize that they maintained separate hours from the biscotti store as the hours are hidden a few pages down on their website (here). During my second visit, they were closed for an event. Finally, on my third visit, I made it happen.
It was worth the wait.
I opted to go for the Francais pizza, which is essentially their house Margherita with a fried egg added on for good measure. I paired it with a glass of house red wine sold by the on-site wine distributor (a separate business that is affiliated with the restaurant), and waited.
In just about five minutes or so, my absolutely stunning pie came out.
As far as woodfired pizzas are concerned, the pies at Enrico's Cafe checks a lot of boxes. It is quite thin crust, with a nice char on the edges and bottom, and, for a Margherita style, generously topped with mozzarella. Like most woodfired pies of this nature, there is no discernable crunch when biting into a slice but comes together with a rather robust flavor that we would call more or less perfect.
Throw on the fast turnaround time from order to arrival, and call me quite pleased.
Sandwiches Are a Bit… Interesting
During my visit, I also opted to order one of the restaurant's sandwiches (spelled sangaweech), in order to round out my meal.
The menu was a bit sparse on information, but I ordered the Sicilian which featured sausage, onion, and tomato sauce made with the cafe's house pizza dough. I don't know why I was surprised, but when the sandwich came out it was quite literally a pizza folded in half on itself, with the only difference being that it was packed with substantially more toppings than the pizza I ordered.
I should've seen that one coming.
While the flavors of the sandwich were good, they more or less mimicked a pizza slice folded over onto itself, with simply more toppings to fill the gaps. While I can appreciate the option for having more toppings on a style of pie that typically doesn't hold up well to mounds upon mounds of items, I do have to say that I would probably just stick with the pizza on its own- fewer toppings included.
Overall, the sandwich design aside, I really enjoyed the meal at Enrico's Cafe, and can truly say that they make one of the finest woodfired pizzas in all of Pittsburgh. Throw in the fact that both the pizzas and sandwiches run just about $10-$12 (during my visit), and you've got a well-priced meal worth seeking out.
Now only if they'd be open longer hours!
Enrico's Cafe is located at 2022 Penn Avenue in the Strip District, just behind the Biscotti store!
Looking for more great restaurants in the Strip District? Check out Kaya, Bar Marco, or Penn Avenue Fish Co!
