Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on April 9, 2024.
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This review was based on Joe & Pie's now closed downtown Pittsburgh location. They still have a location on S Braddock Avenue in Edgewood.
On our never-ending quest to find the best pizza in Pittsburgh, we were tipped off to a local pizza joint and cafe in Pittsburgh's Cultural District downtown known as Joe & Pie.
This restaurant takes on a bit of an odd structure in that it is open for almost the entire day, serving breakfast and coffee in the morning, and pizza, gyros, and sandwiches in the evening. That concept doesn't sound like it would be a combo with a delicious product, but we were pleasantly surprised with the pizza all the same.
Joe and Pie Doesn't Follow the Average Pizza Mold
One of the things we always look for when it comes to eating pizza in the city is if it follows the same mold that most pizza shops fall into with no discerning factors amongst themselves.
Joe & Pie stands out for two notable reasons, their crust and the unique topping combinations that are offered.
The crust at Joe & Pie is unique to us as it is incredibly thin in the middle (it almost takes on a cracker like consistency when baked), and big, puffy edges on the sides. As we ordered takeaway the crust itself was not the crispest by the time it was delivered; however, you could get a solid bite into it all the same.
For our first pie, we had to try the namesake, the Joe & Pie special- topped with white sauce, gyro meat, mozzarella and feta cheese, spinach, and tomatoes. It would be going a bit too far to call this one a gyro on a pizza, but the depiction is fairly close.
The pizza itself was incredibly rich, so much so that Angie professed that she was not a fan of it on her first try because it was a bit too savory (while I respectfully disagreed, it is worth considering going in for a white sauce pizza such as this).
Grabbing a Gyro from the Rest of the Menu
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the menu at Joe & Pie goes well beyond the standard pizza menu, and during lunch and dinner hours includes wings, rolls, sandwiches, full pasta dishes, calzones, and much, much more.
To accompany our pizza I decided to go for a lamb gyro, as I thought it would compliment our gyro-esque pizza quite well.
The gyro itself was among the larger of all of the gyros we've enjoyed in the city, and was overloaded with lamb and toppings. The thick pita was a bit hard to get through in a few bites, but the extra sauce ordered helped compensate for the large, dry wrap and is highly recommended.
Overall, the gyro itself is a fairly solid iteration for a non-Greek restaurant, especially for those looking for a large meal that isn't pizza. Would we get it again? Perhaps- but we are certainly glad we did the first time. With a menu as large as Joe & Pie's we are looking forward to trying another side to go with our next pie to see how they stack up!
Joe & Pie is located at 1621 S Braddock Avenue in Edgewood. This review was based on the former downtown location which now appears closed.
For more pizzas in Pittsburgh, check out Slice on Broadway, Ephesus Pizza, Slice Island Pizza, Caliente Pizza, or Beto's!
