STlMealDeal

Pi has been receiving all sorts of accolades recently from St. Louis food magazines and has even gotten the attention of President Obama. I’ve always been a bit skeptical – Looking over the menu, Pi has always seemed pretty expensive for a pizza place since most of their pizza combos range from $16 – $18 for a small pizza.

The truth is that their pizza, while not a deal, really isn’t as pricey as it may first seem, especially when you take into account quality. What sort of prices can you expect to see at Pi?

• Small (12″) Plain Thin Crust Pizza – $11
• Large (16″) Plain Thin Crust Pizza – $15
• Small (9″) Plain Deep Dish Pizza – $12
• Large (12″) Plain Deep Dish Pizza – $16
• Additional Toppings – $1.50 (small), $2.00 (large)

The deep dish sounds a bit stingy but if you’ve ever eaten a slice of deep dish pizza, you know that its depth makes up for its lack of width and will leave you feeling much fuller than even a few slices of the thin crust.

Pi also has some surprisingly good drink specials. Everyday from 11 am – 6 pm (Note: they’re shut down from 2 – 4:30 pm) and 10 pm – close, Pi offers the following deals:

• $3 Special Draft of the Day
• $1 PBR pints
• $4 PBR Pitchers
• $3 360 Vodka Drinks

$4 Pitchers and $1 PBRs, even on Friday and Saturday nights? Count me in.  Sadly, these drink deals are available only at their location in the Loop.  The other locations don’t have quite the happy hour deals that the original Pi has going for it (and for that reason, The Loop remains my preferred location).

Check out my review and price comparison with a certain Provel happy chain after the jump

So maybe you’re still thinking – those prices aren’t that cheap. Let’s compare with Imo’s for a second:

• Medium (12″) Plain Thin Crust Pizza – $9.55 (- $1.45)
• X-Large (16″) Plain Thin Crust Pizza – $13.95 (-1.05)
• 4 Topping Medium Thin Crust Pizza – 15.00 (-$2.00)
• 4 Topping X-Large Thin Crust Pizza – $22.40 (-$.60)

Will I pay an extra $.60 – $2.00 for fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato sauce and a thin but actually substantial crust? What about fresh vegetables and exotic topping choices like prosciutto, artichoke hearts, and a variety of additional cheeses like ricotta, gorgonzola and feta? I don’t know about you but I definitely would.

DJGel and I decided to order both the small deep dish and thin crust to compare. DJGel picked the deep dish so it was a meat lover’s dream (bacon and sausage – $15 total) while I handled the thin crust (fresh basil, tomato and ricotta – $15.50 total) .

I have to say, my thin crust pizza won out hands down but I am not a deep dish person. My favorite part of the pizza is the cheese and deep dish downplays the cheese to a depressing degree, highlighting the tomato sauce and toppings instead. Our combo of bacon and sausage was also a huge pork overload that even DJGel admitted he wouldn’t order again. The crust is rich and buttery and absolutely delicious but it’s also not something I can eat a lot of without feeling a little bit huge.

The thin crust on the other hand was amazing. It wasn’t heavy or greasy, the tomatoes were fresh, the ricotta added a creaminess to the dish while the fresh mozzarella added a ton of flavor and the basil was nicely sprinkled all over in tiny shreds so every bite had a little hint of basil (rather than when they put on whole basil leaves). DJGel kept asking for my slices and he doesn’t even like tomatoes. This is definitely a combo I’ll be ordering again.

The downside to Pi is the huge line. Perhaps Saturday afternoon during the All-Star Game weekend wasn’t the best time to go, but when we arrived at 5 pm, it was already jam-packed with a bit of a wait. By the time we were leaving the wait time was up to one hour. I’d definitely try to get there early or go for take-out if you’re not interested in the drink specials. Also, be prepared to wait if you’re ordering a deep dish pizza. Those things take FOREVER to cook up – I think it was a good 35 minutes before we saw any food. Another plus for the thin crust.

All in all, I highly recommend this place – it’s trendy and a small thin crust 3 topping pizza + pitcher of PBR will only set you back about $20 (+ tax and tip) – making it a great place for a nice light date night meal. And splurging a bit on cocktails or nicer beers won’t jack up the bill either!

Pi
6144 Delmar Blvd
Saint Louis, MO 63112-1204
(314) 727-6633
www.restaurantpi.com

Filed under: $$, $$$, Beer, Friday, Happy Hour Drink Deals, Mid County, Mixed Drinks & Liquor Specials, Monday, Pizza, Reviews, Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Tuesday, University City, Wednesday