Lamp Pizzeria

Reviews 4

SH

Sherry Hass

I almost hesitate to write this review, because I want to keep this place all to myself. Its that good. But, oh well, the world deserves to know about great pizza! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place! Went there the other day for the first time to try the pizza and it was fantastic! It reminded me a great deal of the pizza at Apizza Scholls in Portland, OR- which is one of my all time favorite top 10 pizza places in the US. I got there at a weird time of day... somewhere around 3:30 or 4 p.m.- too late for lunch and too early for dinner. The place was dead quiet and I was a little concerned- maybe I had been misled by the other positive reviews? I need not have worried! I got a very welcoming host who offered me my pick of all the tables in the place. The waitstaff was wonderfully attendant without being pushy or making me feel rushed. And by the time I left, the eager dinner crowd was funneling in. Everything on the menu looked fantastic, but I ultimately went with the 12" Margherita Pizza (without the basil). I am a big believer in a pizza place getting the basics right. If they can do a good simple cheese pie well, they will be able to do just about anything else. And, let me tell you, it was darn near perfect. Very crispy crust with a nice char that you only get from a very hot baking oven. Even though the crust was very thin and crispy, it still had a good chew to it in the center. Again, something you usually only see from bakers, so I started looking around and sure enough they also sell loaves of bread. I didnt get one, but I am certain that I will another time. The only thing that I would have changed was that I would have ordered extra cheese and extra sauce next time. Not that there wasnt enough on it, but just because it was so good I wanted more! The other thing that I really like about this place is that they have Mexican Coca-Cola in the glass bottles. Its made with real sugar, instead of corn syrup, and it just tastes so much better than the other stuff. It goes perfectly with their excellent pizza. The decor was lovely and simple, the music was a basic mix of light rock and pop. Nothing offensive and not too loud. Nice ambient atmosphere. There is only one thing I would change... and its such a little thing. There is something in the kitchen that beeps really loudly, and a lot, every once in a while. It might not be too bad when the restaurant is full, but when its quiet that sound is really loud and really jarring. Kind of like when your smoke alarm battery is getting low? Hated that noise. Bu, in short, this place is completely awesome! The pizza is fantastic, the service is wonderful and it feels like a home away from home for a pizza lover who sometimes misses her old favorite pizza place in PDX. We are hopefully moving to that area soon, and I can easily see this being my weekly pizza spot. I will definitely be back!

BU

buddy reyes

For Christmas my son-in-law’s mother (Joyce) gave my wife and I a gift certificate to Lamp Pizzeria but it was just a couple days ago my wife and I got around to visiting this very special Pizzeria and restaurant. Joyce is always on the lookout for Pizzerias that have wood-fired, stone hearth ovens because a few years ago I built one in my backyard for the purpose of baking pizza and bread. Since then whenever I travel to a new city I search for Pizzerias that have wood-fired stone ovens or at the very least wood-fired ovens. Until a couple days ago the best pizzeria I found was Masullo Pizza in Sacramento, CA, I gave them 10 out of 10 points, an “A”. I also gave Lamp Pizzeria the same score, an “A”. They make their own dough, pull their own mozzarella cheese, they hand-pick and test the 00 flour blend they use for their dough, proof the dough for a couple days – they selected all other ingredients on their menu the same way. I know because the owner endured my quizzing him and took the time to tell me his story and methods. When grading a pizza baker I always order a basic Margherita pizza and maybe one other. If you can’t make a decent Napoletana style Margherita pizza I won’t come back. Now, the Lamp Pizzeria isn’t a certified Napoletana because they’ve searched for better ingredients than those prescribed by the association that certifies Napoletana pizzerias. Lamp’s pizza is still a slightly charred thin chewy crust pizza that’s fired at >700 deg. in a wood-fired (oak and pecan wood) oven in less than 4 minutes (usually around 2 minutes). It’s the best I’ve tasted in the Valley, as good as my pizza!!!! My wife had the Kavorka pizza with LAMP Sicilian Sausage, Red Onion & Piquante Peppers. It was super also!!! We shared a spinach salad which was excellent and came with a couple generous sized slices of his homemade bread – I make all my own bread with my own sourdough starter and use the best flour I can find. The bread was as good as any I’ve made. It had a nice open crumb and was chewy inside and out and had the great flavor of dough made with the best flour and that was proofed for a long period. Lamp Pizza is a great and I can’t wait to go back to taste some of their pasta dishes.

AL

Alexa Vasquez

LAMP has the most divine bread. You get it with their meatballs (also delightful) or you can order it ahead of time for your family! If you love bread, then you know that great bread can make a meal. Another thing I love as much as bread is a nice salumi selection. The used locally sourced options on many of their pizzas and they are wonderful. The crust is just the right amount of chewy and the sauce (whether on a pizza or paired with meatballs) is tangy and nicely spiced. Another item I cannot say enough about is their salad. If you get the simple, it is just that...simply elemental and great, with parmesan, tomatoes, red onions. I am in heaven. If you wish for more in your salad, then venture out to a pairing of grapes and cheese that is the perfect blend of salty and sweet, or go for their excellent (and personally preferred) version of a Caprese (also featuring their gorgeous bread). I have a few other favorites, but the main point of my review is that this place is delicious and CLEAN (very important in my humble opinion) with great decor and great people. Not to mention, the owner, Matt, is there, making you the food (not necessary, but a really nice bonus). This is a place that we enjoy eating at and ordering in...great food, great prices, generous portions.

T

T Cus

Awesome authentic Naples-style pizza! Even if you make the trip to Naples (as I have), you would be hard-pressed to find better pizza. There is an obvious effort to use only the best possible ingredients, from the parmesan shaved on the salads, to the beans in the bean salad, to the tomatoes in their sauce. A nice authentic touch is how they serve wine in juice glasses as they almost always do in Naples. -- P.S. we used to feel that Pizzeria Bianco was the best Neapolitan pizza in Phoenix, but Lamp just might equal or exceed it. -- P.P.S. their salads are so good that it also makes a great lunch spot too.