Red's Savoy Pizza

01/22/09

Stop comparing to NYC and Chicago - Different style of pizza, people!!

by nickgards at Citysearch

The problem with pizza ratings is that everyone thinks their home town has the best pizza. It's what you're used to and what YOU like best. Face it - pizza comes in different shapes, sizes, flavors, crusts, sauces, and everything you can imagine. Think of beer - ales, lagers, stouts, etc. They're all beer, they all taste great (usually), but completely different styles and they all have their place.

With that said, STOP COMPARING TO NYC, CHICAGO, CALIF, ITALY or WHEREVER!!! This is Red's Savoy Pizza, and it is phenominal! Not the floppy doughy crust of Lombardi's in NYC, not the deep bready, buttery crust of Lou Malnatti's or Giordano's in Chicago, but the thin flakey crust you get in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Different pizza guys!!

Now that we have established it is a different STYLE of pie, let's compare it to it's peers and contemporaries. In this style of pizza, nothing comes close! Old World (formerly Pizza Factory) in Inver Grove Heights is about as close as they get, but it still pales in comparison to Savoy. The crust is a little thicker than it should be, but considering the weight of this "thin" pizza, it has to be sturdy. Mozzarella and provelone a-plenty make every Minnesotan and Wisconsinite proud, the sausage is huge, the pepperoni is thick and spicy, and the sauce is bold and infuses the veggies. Don't waste precious stomach space on bread - meat and cheese for me please!

Hey New Yorkers - you have the best New York Style pizza! Nothing beats Chicago if you want Chicago Style pizza. But if you like toppings, cheese, and a little kick without a lot of bread, Savoy will leave you singing it's praises! Get off your high-horse, grab a pitcher of beer, and watch your taste-buds rejoyce!

• Pros: PIZZA!!!!! Oh, and the lunchroom trays are awesome.
• Cons: A little slow and occasionally a little rude

10/11/09

Yes!

by michiganborn at Citysearch

Born in Upper Michigan raised in Chicago... I say YES to Savoys!!!

Of course you'[ll have to wait your turn.... that's a sign of Great Food!!!!!!!

• Pros: Very Good Pizza
• Cons: usually busy and full

06/28/09

Amazing pizza, not such good service.

by Sparklie925 at Citysearch

I have always loved savoy's. it's by far my favorite pizza. My fiance had never been so we went out to eat there, we were initially told it would be a 45 min. wait for the pizza, which was fine because it was mother's day and busy. Our waitress took our drink and appetizers orders, it took 15 min. for our drinks to reach our table, a half an hour for our appetizers and an hour and a half for our pizza. our waitress wasn't checking on us, we could see her just inside the kitchen stuffing her face while we waited for our food(I was also pregnant at the time), i had to stop her for a drink refill. I have worked in many restaurants, and know how tipping goes, We didn't tip her too well, than we realized she was okay with that, because she took the HIGHEST amount of recommended gratuity out of our change. I love savoy's too much to not eat there, but i am never dining in again.

• Pros: love the spicy sauce and pizza
• Cons: staff and wait times.

06/15/09

HORRIBLE experience!

by plf115 at Citysearch

I recently dined in at the downtown St. Paul Savoy location to celebrate a friend's birthday. Being short on time, we looked online and called in our order. The food came quickly, but my hamburger literally had a pool of grease sitting on it when it came to me. The food was good, but our waitress never came back to the table to check on us until she gave us our check. When the check came, the prices in the store did not reflect the online prices, and when we questioned it (I pulled up the menu on my blackberry) they refused to even discuss the manner. The manager first claimed that they did not even have a website, which they clearly do and I was holding it in my hand on my blackberry so all she needed to do was look. She wouldn't even look, basically told me I was cheap for even having the nerve to tell her that the prices she was trying to charge me were not the prices stated in the online menu, and she ended up throwning a doller of her tip money at me and walking away, then very loudly complaining to everyone at the bar about our table. In addition to this horrible experience, this restaurant fired all of their union workers, and refuses to hire more because they do not want to pay people a fair wage. I'm certainly never going back. There are several other places in town where you can get good pizza!

• Pros: good pizza
• Cons: rude staff, poor service, hard to see

04/07/09

Old School Pizza

by Jbocci at Citysearch

Most are gone. Mamas on Rice St is good, but different. I have read about the service - the place is busy. As for the people that are complaing about the pizza, I guess they grew up on Pizza Hut and Dominos!

• Pros: Back in the day...there was a lot more places like this.

01/29/09

Old, slow, Norm Coleman's father...

by hage0269 at Citysearch

This place is doesn't have the best service or ambiance; however, it does have the best thin-crust pizza in town. I've had pizza in many cities known for their pizza. It's lame and doesn't have anything on Savoy. I find the atmosphere amusing and then the pizza tops it off.

• Pros: pizza
• Cons: slow, st. paul

01/23/09

decent pizza

by cgcrazed at Citysearch

I was a little let down by the pizza after reading all the great reviews. It was pretty good for pizza I've had in the twin cities, but I think I like ronnally's in woodbury better. The sauce was different, but not my style I guess. If I lived closer to one would probably go again, but wouldn't drive out of the way to get this again.

11/21/08

Best of what's available

by agilitynut at Citysearch

Let's face it the Twin Cities isn't exactly a hot spot for pizza. Ok you got a lot of new age pizza, but pizza shouldn't have shrimp, steak or cilantro on it! We most often pick up pizza from Red's. It's not like pizza from New York or Chicago, but it's the best in this area. People often tell me Cosetta's is the best, but I respectfully disagree. Cosetta's crust is better, but they don't use enough sauce and it's not as tasty.

08/03/08

If you Don't believe this is one of the best, Your tastebuds must be fried!!!

by freedomgraphics at Citysearch

I couldn't believe anyone gave anything less than five stars to this place. Although I haven't eaten IN the place, I have ordered many times there. The pizzas are always fantastic. I agree that the little squares could go, but guess what? If you ask them to cut in pie shape, lo an behold, they'll do it, no questions asked. Hmmm, ask and ye shall receive.....teehee.

This is by far the BEST pizza in the twin cities.

• Pros: Don't ask for extra cheese, There's tons of cheese already on their pizzas.
• Cons: none in my books.

05/31/08

Won't be in the Pizza Hall of Fame

by Wrightright at Citysearch

While locals may protest, the standard for great pizza is New York and Chicago. I tried Red's because so many locals swear by it. I was disappointed. A pizza is only as good as its ingredients and the care with which the sauce and dough are made. New York pizza is slightly tangy and the dough sweet. Whatever cheese is put on top - sometimes imported cheeses from Italy or France - really comes alive because the sauce acts as a compliment, not the driving factor. The dough ensures that later, after the meal has made its way through your system, you won't feel like your passing a brick. Red's bitter, spicy sauce dominates the taste of its pizza - and not in a good way. The cheese - who knows where they get it from - and the meat create grease. The dough isn't particularly sweet or light. When you bite into it, all get is an overwhelming spicey sausage taste. Why not just put an Italian sausage on a bun and leave it at that? This isn't pizza. I don't know what it is. And, it certainly doesn't come close to Chicago stuffed pizza like you get a Giordano's or Gino's East. St. Louis' Imo's trounces Red's too. But, there are a large number of positive reviews here. I would say that if you're familiar with pizza from New York, Chicago, or St. Louis, you're not going to get anything like that at Red's. And even if we're not comparing Red's to the pizza Holy Land of NYC, it's still mediocre at best. The only pizza in the Twin Cities that comes close to a good pizza is what you can get at Cosetta's - and that's assuming they actually take the time to cook the pizza properly.