I’ve never been to Pittsburgh before but Chris from Red Knife Lottery spent months in the place. When I was out with them on a short tour I asked for his expert advice when looking for a pizza joint. He didn’t know. I then looked toward the locals for a hint. Brandon, a good friend and drummer from Pittsburgh hardcore band Girl Fight, highly recommended Pizza Sola. We had already been drinking at Dee’s bar which was only a few short blocks away so I gathered some friends and we headed down.

I was impressed right off the bat with Pizza Sola. It’s a by the slice place with tons of options. More than your typical cheese, sausage, or even a pepperoni/sausage combo, Pizza Sola offers slices such a Pepperoni Feta or Chicken Broccoli Spinach. Their pizza display case is definitely something to see.
I’m sort of a pizza purist and believe that the true test of any pizzeria is their pepperoni pizza. Of course, that is what I got. Others went for some of the aforementioned slices. After a short wait for the slices to be warmed up in the oven our boxed slices were ready to go.
Other more drunk friends opted for the walk and eat while my good friend Dan and I decided to wait until we got outside of The Smiling Moose (the venue that Red Knife Lottery was playing that night). After the first bite I was a little angry. The cheese was kind of runny and there was a definite lack of sauce. Most of the cheese and pepperoni dripped off my slice and back into the box which I promptly slapped back on my pizza. The crust was very thin and pretty chewy. Despite runny cheese and small amounts of sauce the taste was fantastic. The slices are a good size. Everyone else was impressed with their slices as well. When I’m in Pittsburgh again I will definitely go back.

The Good: The thin crust was done very well. The variety of slices is definitely impressive and that display case is something that would make most pizza places jealous.

The Bad: Runny cheese and a lack of sauce. Really? Those are the 2 most basic things that make pizza amazing.

Try: One of their not ordinary slices. Everyone I was with who got one loved it. They seem like they’re more about toppings than cheese and sauce.

Rating: Super Bowl XXXVII