A few weeks ago we went over the fact that Grumpies Pour House (25 E. Cross St., Federal Hill) will be expanding into the adjacent/empty Federal Hill Lounge space in the next who-knows-when, and as it turns out, they’re probably planning on turning the whole operation into a pizza restaurant of some kind.
For most people I’m sure this sounds like a great idea, as literally everyone with red white and blue American Blood flowing through their veins loves pizza and can’t ever get enough pizza, but it seems to me like Baltimore is reaching something of a saturation point with regard to pizza and pizza related products in the past year. This trend is replacing the now seemingly passe Tapas craze, which seemed to dominate the restaurant scene for the past few years – a trend which I think most of us can agree is past its prime. With Johnny Rad’s, Two Boots, Iggie’s, Bagby Pizza Co., and another pizza place slated to open soon where Boomer’s used to reside in Riverside, this past year has been the year of the slice. Good thing? Bad thing? Any thing?
But getting back to Grumpies for a moment, there are 9 or more places to eat pizza within walking distance* of the place, and granted most of them are carry out establishments but chances are dollars to donuts that they’re at least cheaper – and in some cases, better tasting, than a few of the other pizza restaurants in the city (Hot Tomatoes in Fells Point is a fantastic example of this).
It seems to makes sense, pizza is relatively cheap and easy to make. Easy to make, and the markup on “gourmet ingredients” as toppings can be astronomical ($3.00 for artichoke hearts, really), and all you need is a single oven to get the job done. From a business standpoint, actually, it’s funny that there aren’t more pizza restaurants in Baltimore – well established pizza places like Joe Squared and Matthew’s seem to be chugging along with no end in sight and they’ve become cultural fixtures in and of themselves. So which of these new establishments will cut the muster? Which of them suck? Will Future Grumpie’s Pizza Restaurant be able to compete?
…at least it’s not a Tapas place.
LONG COMMENT ALLERT!!!!
I dunno man. Federal Hill really, really needs a spot with good pizza by the slice, served until 3-4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Can I break it down for a second?
Pub Dog’s pizzas, while served late into the night, cost too much and aren’t worth the hassle of pushing your way past a bunch of drunken post-college kids to pick up.
Hilltop Carryout’s pizzas used to be good but now stink, royally.
Domino’s and Papa John’s are decent if you want a whole pizza, but don’t serve by the slice and take FOREVER — even for carryout — on Fridays and Saturdays.
Maria D’s serves it by the slice and is open late but even when I’m near blackout-drunk I still can barely stand the taste of their pizza. The cheese is rubbery, the crust is unremarkable and the sauce tastes like it comes from a can (because it probably does).
The dude in Uncle Pete’s Grill is really overbearing. I don’t even remember what the pizza tastes like. I just remember the dude forcing conversation upon me. He’s a nice guy, but I was just trying to get a slice, man.
Mikie’s, Pizza Boli’s and Ultimate Pizza are even worse than Maria D’s.
It’s a testament to the power of pizza (and the high concentration of drunken 20-somethings) that so many crappy pizza places have stayed in business for so long in South Baltimore.
Whew. Sorry for the screed here but I had to get that off my chest. What’s on your chest?
Wow, even worse than Maria D’s, that’s a bold statement – I remember once I accidentally ate their pizza sober and nearly Exorcism-puked all over my living room. Totally on board regarding Pub Dog, and to make matters worse when it gets late they tend to cook them slightly less to make up for demand and you end up with a soggy mess on your plate or in the box… Uncle Pete’s is actually under new management, and unfortunately it’s because the guy who forced conversation (which he did) passed away last summer – brain cancer or something. Sad. Their pizza is basically the same.
Eh, I suppose as long as it’s affordable I’ll be happy, I feel like Turp’s totally nails the quality/price ratio and it keeps me coming back. If this place can do the same, I’ll probably give it a repeat performance
Sam, has Midnight Sun jumped the shark with the comment about Shark Week? Can Maza do a blog about why the Midnight Sun is so bad? Please help him. It can still be saved, maybe?
Turp’s gave me the burps.
That’s a shame about Uncle Pete’s. I feel bad now. He was a nice guy, just lonely maybe? I don’t know.
By the way, you left out Ledo’s, which I think has awesome sauce and thick, meaty pepperonis. They don’t serve by the slice or stay open super late, though. They don’t cut corners, either — the pizza’s square! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHcoughcoughcough
Tapas was the new sushi, so no.
Pizza is the new sushi.
There’s a Venn Diagram in here, somewhere
Are you guys kidding? This isn’t about selling pizza it’s about expanding the premises so that they can sell more booze. The pizza joint story just makes the business model sound more palatable.
I’ll palate your business model.
Someone said Rub is shutting down and becoming a pizza place as well. Or was that in your list?
It wasn’t at the time of this post, but yeah now Rub is becoming Hersch’s Pizza and Subs (eyeroll) – Rub’s BBQ is apparently going the catering/food truck route.