When a new spot opens in town, we can't wait to check it out -- and let you know our initial impressions. Share a few photos, some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few items, and satisfying curiosities (yours and ours).
Restaurant: Downtown Pizza Lounge Location: 144 East Washington Street Open: Just over a week Eats: Pizza by the slice, salad Price Point: Under $10
There's a new place to grab a slice in downtown Phoenix thanks to "Downtown Dan" Majerle, the ex-player, current assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, and owner of four locations of the sports grill that bears his name.
Right next door to his location on Washington Street (Northwest corner of Washington and 2nd Street) and in the former location of Brooklyn NYC Pizza (which moved across the street into the Collier Center) is the new Downtown Pizza Lounge -- a quick stop for a slice, some sports, and, in the future, a brewski or two.
Opened for just over a week, DPL offers full pizzas as well as $3 pizza slices ($2.75 cheese) in varieties such as pepperoni, sausage, and Margherita along with a couple of side offerings of salad and yogurt. In a few weeks, DPL hopes to have beer added to the menu as well.
For three bucks, my Margherita slice came out super-duper size. The thin crust -- crunchy, a little buttery, and with a nice sprinkling of salt -- did the trick and, along with flavorful tomatoes, I certainly felt I was getting my money's worth. However, the $8 combo deal (any slice, any drink, and a salad) didn't seem like much of a value considering the salad's a simple one and the $2 bottles of soda are just 8.5-ounces.
The space is small and comfortable. There's a high-ceiling, several wood tables and chairs, bits of Suns memorabilia, and a lounge area with a flat-screen TV in the corner for sports fans who want to kick back, sofa-style.
DPL opens at 11 a.m., and I'm told may stay open late depending on what's happening downtown on a given evening or if folks at the next-door Majerle's feel the need for some late-night munchies. In any case, it's a nice, new option to grab a slice downtown.
What say you, pizza people? Have you been to Downtown Pizza Lounge yet? What did you think?
