East Side Pies

East Side Pies - initial impressions

1401 Rosewood Avenue
Austin, TX 78702
512-524-0933

This weekend I stopped by East Side Pies to take some pizzas over to a party. I'd sampled their pizzas before at a friend's home, but I had never actually been over to the restaurant. It's tiny! Situated on a corner lot, it is close to the newly revitalized E. 11th St area, home of Blue Dahlia Bistro and Primizie Osteria. East Side has a nice, partially covered outdoor seating area, however, from what I was able to see, there is no seating indoors. Actually, there is not much space for the customer indoors at all. When I went inside I got the faint feeling I was invading a private space - the kitchen so totally dominates the room, it hardly leaves room for much else. There is only a small spot left for a glass case containing pizzas by the slice and a cash register stashed directly behind. The rest of the room contains walls of ovens and prep stations for the staff. But don't worry, you don't have to only order inside, you can also order from the outside at a window on the side.

East Side specializes in extremely thin crust pies. They offer a wealth of unusual specialty options with names ranging from the Nacho to Buscemi. The ingredients are as varied as well. I sampled the Olivia - pesto base, artichoke, eggplant, roasted garlic, feta cheese and olives, the Marge - tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, and the Chicago - sausage, sauteed bell peppers and onions, as well as plain cheese and pepperoni. The pepperonis are huge by the by! Overall, everyone at the party enjoyed the selection. I definitely enjoyed the Olivia, however, the crust for all of the pies was a little stiff for my tastes - I like it when my crust has a nice chewy edge to it. But really, I'm quibbling over a small point here.

The staff was super friendly and helpful - they carried all of the pies out to my car for me. Besides pizza, they also offer a range of garlic knots and a few salads. Overall, I think East Side is a great addition to the Austin dining scene and I plan on going back there when I'm in the area and get the chance.