Izzo's Pub & Pizzeria

Izzo's Pub & Pizzeria
1147 S Washington Ave
Lansing, MI 48910
(517) 853-8500

So, here's the deal. I am a pizza snob. I grew up on the Northshore of Boston and didn't have a pizza from a chain restaurant until I was in junior high school. There were over 20 independently owned pizza parlours in my hometown. You picked which one you went to based on what kind of crust, sauce or toppings you craved that night. I moved to Michigan in 1990 and have been underwhelmed by the pizza at chains and even so-called Italian restaurants. Until Izzo's, I think the best pizza I've had has been (when it is cooked right) the Sicilian-style thick crust pizza at Crunchy's in East Lansing. It didn't remind me of home, but the ultimate combination of slightly burned cheesey edges with our favorite toppings -- bacon, jalapenos and tomatoes hits the spot with a huge mug of beer. This is especially awesome on Sunday afternoons when the pizza is half off normal prices.

To say I was skeptical that Izzo's would live up to the hype I had been reading online was a complete understatement. I wasn't expecting the worst pizza ever, but I didn't expect to have my sox (yup, I went there -- GO SOX) knocked off either. OK -- sox (red or otherwise) officially knocked off my feet!

Izzo's is everything I remember from my childhood and more. From the sheer diameter of the large pizza, to the large slices, to the semolina flour dusting the bottom of the crust. If you haven't had pizza from the East Coast -- believe me, this is the real deal! You have to fold it in half and there's that slight trickle of grease that runs down toward your elbow as you eat. Pure pizza perfection!

The sauce is delicious without overwhelming the other ingredients. Getting the perfect amount of sauce is a true art form. Too much and you have a soggy pizza -- too little and the pizza is like the Sahara. Also, this sauce has a nice spiciness to it -- not over the top, but enough to avoid the cloying sweetness found so commonly on chain pizzas.

The cheese is just chewy enough to make sure you have to work at your bite of pie, but not rubbery like a sports-bar mozzarella stick. There's just enough cheese to get bubbly goodness and hold all of the toppings in place. Once again, balanced too perfection.

And, as far as the toppings go -- magnificent. All fresh ingredients. Izzo's does some fun specialty pizzas -- like the Mediterranean with feta, olives and artichokes or the Whiskey BBQ Chicken, with tangy bbq sauce and tender white meat chicken pieces. We've tried at least four of the specialty pizzas and made our own combinations too. Even those that have lots of different toppings do so with style. Geno (the owner!) understands that less is more. The idea of trying to cram enough toppings on so that you get each item in every bite causes a soggy mess and doesn't allow you to taste the fabulous crust, sauce or cheeses.

I recommend Izzo's without hesitation to anyone who truly likes pizza or wants to have a small taste of the East Coast. The pies are reasonably priced and a large usually feeds Rod and me for at least two, sometimes three meals. The atmosphere on the pizzeria side is comfortable for families (no smoking, well lit, etc.) and the pub side is nice but tends toward smokey in the evening hours. The pub and pizzeria are owned indepently, but they work together so you can order an adult beverage on the pizzeria side and food on the pub side. The last time we were in they asked if we could pay for the food and beer separately -- that was no problem for us and certainly an understandable request when you realize the separate ownership situation.