Spirit Review – Dine-In Pizza with Drinks and More

The Pittsburgh Guidebook is Now Available

Our first book, The Pittsburgh Guidebook: 175 Things to Do in Pittsburgh, is on sale now!

Grab a print copy from online retailers Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org. Digital downloads and local distribution information can be found on our book's website.

Thank you for supporting independent media!

Spirit Opens a Full Service Pizza Shop

Shortly after arriving to Spirit's new pizza space, we noted how elegantly it is designed. It feels a bit like a vintage, 1960s restaurant with warm colors and a woodwork bar, which was tastefully done and had a welcoming, relaxing ambiance.

We started with a round of cocktails, the Belissima and Rinfrescante.

The Belissima felt like a hybrid between a Bellini and an Aperol Spritz and certainly was not lacking in an intense peach flavor that was refreshing. The Rinfrescante, on the other hand, was a blend of mezcal and tequila with lemon, rosemary, and blood orange and had quite the punch from the spirits and rosemary flavors in particular.

The snack and side area of the menu features a mix of small plates like pickles and marinated olives to wings and a vegetarian fritto misto.

We got the latter and really appreciated the variety of vegetables that were lightly fried and served with their house “bango” sauce that tasted like a citrus and herbed mayo that was incredibly bright and flavorful and worked with the vegetables quite well.

On the pizza front, we tried two 12″ round pies, the Bickle and the Claw and Order. Both pies were thin crust which reminded us a bit of a New York-style pie with a nice crispy crust, including the edges, that added some nice texture.

The Bickle was tomato sauce based with mozzarella, pepperoni, candied jalapeno, and topped with ranch. The latter was particularly flavorful and had a strong pickle undertone that really let the pizza pop. The thin layer of sauce and toppings also held up well on the pizza and retained a nice texture.

Claw and Order was one of the more inventive pizzas we've had in recent memory and was bechamel based with crab, Calabrian peppers, mozzarella, old bay crust, and lemon. It really felt like a crab cake in pizza form. It was rich, decadent, and definitely unique.

Select pizzas are also available as grandma pies, square cuts similar to the style we remember trying in previous visits to Spirit. However, it seemed like these were quite large (and at a price to match) so we stuck with round pies this visit.

In addition to pizzas, the menu also features a smaller selection of soups, salad, and pastas as well which really rounds out their offering well- we're looking forward to trying a pasta with a grandma pie on our next visit!

Overall, Spirit is one of those places that may not be on your radar, but if you have that certain kind of interest in a drink, pizza, or performances (or all three), this is one that you should definitely consider checking out.

Spirit is located at 242 51st Street in Lawrenceville.

Looking for more places to eat in Lawrenceville? Why not check out The Abbey on Butler Street, Banh Mi & Ti, or The Vandal.