Description
The best seats at Pizzeria Lola are those at the bar, which offer a view into the fiery mouth of the restaurant's iconic, copper-clad oven. One could spend hours watching the oven master add pies and logs as the coals glow orange and the pizza cheese bubbles. The rest of the former Xerxes Market now looks worthy for inclusion in a contemporary architecture magazine, with its wood-lined walls, tomato-can track lighting, and vintage soda bottles that double as tabletop flower vases. The vibe--and the nice beer and wine list--makes Lola date-worthy, but it's still a suitable, though spendy, place to take the kids. The pies are mostly excellent: Neapolitan-style, wood-fired crusts covered in toppings that stray from typical Italian or Midwestern styles. The Xerxes, for example, includes rapini, feta, and olives; the Sunnyside combines leeks, pecorino, cured pork cheek, and a sunny-side up egg. The Hawaii Pie-O is a gourmand's take on the rebellious teen standard and it tastes a lot better than you will remember. Also good: the roasted vegetables, the beet salad, and the luscious, house-made soft serve.
