Broadway Pizza

Broadway Pizza
2581 Broad Avenue
454-7930

I took off work to hang with the monkeys (Satchel, 6,and Jiro, 2) during their fall break. I thought it would be fun to walk over to Warren's office and then get a pizza at Broadway Pizza. I was right!


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I hadn't eaten at Broadway Pizza in I don't know how long, but the memory of it wasn't good. However at last Friday's Broad Avenue Art Walk I peeked my head in and saw a sea of happy customers, so I decided to give it another try. We visited Warren at work and then agreed to call him when the pizza was ready. (In case it took a long time, then he wouldn't miss a lot of work.)

We arrived around 1:00pm and the place was packed! Well, not standing room only or anything, but there were way more people there than I expected. Broadway Pizza is fairly large and has two big dining rooms filled with tables and booths. There's a large counter where to go orders are picked up and where the waitresses sit when not running food and drinks. All along the walls are pictures of Elvis. (I've heard a rumor that Elvis used to eat at Broadway Pizza, but considering they opened in 1977, I think the pictures are more of a tribute than anything.) There's a jukebox, a couple (at least) nice big TVs, a Ms. Pac-Man, a racing car game, a stuffed animal grabber game, and an old timey candy machine that reminded me of an old cigarette machine.

When we walked in the monkeys immediately ran up to the animal grabber machine and bowed down before its glory. As I walked back to the counter to ask if we should sit or order there, they were briefly lured by the candy machine. It was like they were in heaven! The waitress handed me a menu and told us to have a seat. I let the monkeys choose, so naturally we ended up in the booth next to the games.

On our way to Warren's office, we stopped by Exxon in the hopes of getting a free fluorescent light bulb so the monkeys each had a soda and a treat to eat after the pizza was in their stomachs. Satchel opened his and it immediately spewed all over us and the booth. (Probably due to the fact that we ran across several crosswalks.) Thankfully the waitress was sweet about it and came to our rescue with a towel.

Jiro, who was pretending to play Ms. Pac-Man, was unscathed but Satchel was soaked. Luckily Satchel was dressed for much colder weather than we were actually experiencing so he just took off his jacket and was fine. I sent him to pretend to play the race car game so I could figure out what to order. I was fascinated by the menu (which, of course, had a picture of Elvis on the cover).

Although tempted by the more exciting pizzas (i.e. Around the World Beef, Shrimp, Chili, Taco, and Jalapeno), I opted for a standard pepperoni. I did notice that they had many other kid-friendly menu options like chicken tenders, fried cheese sticks, and even chicken noodle soup. I can only assume that Broadway Pizza's location on Broad Avenue is the only reason it isn't swarming with kids.

The monkeys were a little jacked up due to the proliferation of video games/toys, the proximity of unopened candy, and the newness of the environment, but the TV and buzz of the other customers kept their squeals from ringing throughout the restaurant. To keep them in their seats I allowed them to sample Jiro's Gobstoppers while having them try and guess which colors I was hiding in my hands. Of course there was a plea for quarters about every 5 seconds. Satchel really wanted a crack at the stuffed animal grabber. "I'm really good at it," he assured me. And he even said, "I want to win one for Jiro."

Our pizza arrived just in time (only after about 15 minutes) and I phoned Warren for backup. It looked yummy. And we were all excited to see it cut in squares. (I don't know why, but pizza squares are fun!) All pizzas at Broadway come with a bowl of pepperoncinis and green olives, which is a nice touch.

Warren walked in before we'd taken our first bite. (It was hot!) He immediately sat down next to satchel and said, "Why is the seat all sticky?" After some musical chairs everyone was happy and we dug in. The pizza was really good. I thought the sauce was yummy and the cheese was really stringy. It wasn't too greasy (the pepperonis were under the cheese). The crust was thin, but not super crispy like the Memphis Pizza Cafe, but not super floppy like New York style either. I'd say it was a perfect mix of the two.

It took us about five seconds to eat the entire thing. Satchel had three pieces and Jiro had two. Warren ate the whole bowl of pepperoncinis and green olives. We shared some sweet tea, which was very good too. Our total bill was a little over $16. ($22 with tip and 8 quarters for the stuffed animal grabber.)