The Pizza Shack

The Pizza Shack
4523 Summer Avenue
(901) 680-7900

In March, I did a story on eating challenges for the Flyer. My research led me to the Pizza Shack, which is tucked away in the Lowe's parking lot on Perkins & Summer. (It really is a bizarre location and I feel like they are cheating to say they are on Summer Avenue!)

I'd tried eating there when they first opened, but the night we went it was super crowded, so we left. (It's pretty small inside.) However, when I interviewed the owner for the story, I got a couple of pizzas to go and really liked them. The hot wing pizza was really good, and their crust totally reminds me of my old college favorite, Pierotti's. (Oh, Pierotti's, I miss you!)

So a few weeks ago, the monkeys and I went with my mom and niece for dinner on a Wednesday night.



I don't know if you ever went into the pizza place that was there before the Pizza Shack, but I promise you, the interior is now 1000x better. They really made it look nice and it feels like a real restaurant now rather than someone's shed.

When we went in, there were just a few people there, so we grabbed a table and perused the menu. Everyone was super hungry and a little cranky, so deciding fast was of the utmost importance. (I'd thought of ordering ahead, but we weren't familiar enough with the menu.) I really wanted the hot wing pizza again, but it's way too spicy for this crowd. Jiro knew for sure he wanted pepperoni pizza, so that was a go since my mom and I didn't really care. My niece is really into BBQ pizza, but I thought two pizzas would be a bit much for us since they are rather large. Satchel also liked the idea of BBQ, so I convinced them to share a BBQ chicken sub. I also wanted to try an oven toasted salad, just because I'd never heard of such a thing.

Once we were all set on what we wanted, I noticed that there really weren't any waitresses or anything. The owner's wife (and co-owner, I presume) was sitting by the register, so I got her attention and asked if I should order at the counter. She nodded, and off I went. They have daily specials-usually announced on their Facebook page. On the day we were there, it was a one topping large for $9.99. (An almost $5 savings.) Coupled with Satch & Sutton sharing a sub, and my insisting everyone drink water, our total bill came to $24, which is pretty awesome for 5 people.

Once the order was in and I told them we were dining in, they brought waters over to the table. I let the kids play their iPods and DSes to ward off the cranky. I had no idea how long it might take to get the food out.



My mom and I chatted while the kids played, and in no time at all, our food arrived. The pizza was big & beautiful. (Not as big & beautiful as the Trolley Stop, but it wasn't bad for an East Memphis gal.)



Jiro loved it.



Oh and I'll say that I was glad to see they had cute, reusable plates instead of styrofoam. And real silverware. If they nixed the styro cups they'd be on the right road to meet Project Green Fork requirements.

The BBQ chicken sub looked very tasty too. (I ordered Satchel's half without onions.)



Once we figured out a way for Satchel to pick it up, he ate it right up.



My mom and I each had a couple of slices of the pizza, and I tried getting her to help me with the salad, but she was too full. It wasn't as exciting as I'd imagined, but it was good. How can you go wring with bacon and melted cheese?



In the end, we had 2 slices of pizza and half of a salad to take home to Warren, so the $24 stretched to six people.

While we ate, the owner came over and checked on us and we chatted a bit about their pizza challenges. I definitely don't think eating an entire large Shack Attack with 6lbs. of meat and toppings is in my future, but I am curious to try A BITE OR TWO of the en fuego. It's not big, it's just crazy hot. I can't imagine it would be a good idea to eat too much of it though.

Spicy pizza might lure Warren in, but he isn't a big fan of the crust. I imagine a day will come that we are in Lowe's, and we are hungry, and I convince everyone to eat a hot wing pizza. So yes, we'll be back.

Jiro and I checked out the restroom on our way out--perfectly clean, just small. Changing a diaper would be tricky.