This month, we decided to exercise some truly investigativebrjournalism skills in our quest to find the area's best pizza. After polling Southlake Style readers on which piesbrthey prefer, we tallied up the winners from sevenbrdifferent categories: best overall; best ambiance for date night; mostbrfamily-friendly; most menu variety; best delivery; best Chicago-style/deep-dish; and best vegetarian options. Sweeping the competition was Armend's, who grabbed four wins, while Coal Vine's, i Fratelliand Mellow Mushroom each nabbed one.brWhile combing through reader comments, one thing was obvious: Southlake lovesbrpizza. Whether it’s the friendly counter service at Joe’s, hospitality atbrFireside Pies, live music at Campania, thin crust at Mama’s, endless options atbrPie Five or the many reasons why our four winners were chosen, there’s certainlybrno shortage of places here in Southlake to get a home slice.
Armend's
Best Pizza, MostbrFamily-Friendly, Most Menu Variety, Best Chicago-Style/Deep-Dish
Husband-and-wife team — and Macedonia natives — Mirxhanbrand Asim Seji first opened Armend's off of White's Chapel Blvd. in 1994, afterbrmoving to Southlake from Connecticut. Back then, Armend's was a fine diningbrrestaurant with a full bar and didn't even sell pizza. After relocating sixbryears later to the current location on Southlake Blvd., Asim decided tobrtransform the restaurant into a more casual, BYOB environment that focused onbrdelicious pizza and pasta. Now celebrating its 20th year, Armend’sbris known for having some of the best Italian fare in the area.
Named after Mirxhan and Asim'sbrolder son, who began working there when he was 14 years old, Armend's makesbrtheir own house dressing (which Mirxhan says customers love to pair withbrpractically anything on the menu) and only uses local produce. Meats come frombrIrving but are shipped from New Jersey and New York, so all dishes arebrtruly East Coast authentic. Armend says many of the restaurant's loyalbrcustomers are families who recognize the passion that his family has forbrcreating quality food served in a laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere.
“One compliment we always get isbrthat we are consistently good,” he says. “We're family, and that's what peoplebrlike.”
Coal Vine's
Best for Date Night
Developed by renowned restaurateur Joseph Palladino, CoalbrVine's reflects his New York upbringing, offering a casual neighborhood vibebrsupplemented by specialty pizza and its famous wine list. Coal Vine's is particularlybrpopular on Wednesdays, where a pizza is free with the purchase of a bottle ofbrwine. Options range from pinot noirs, merlots and cabernet sauvignons tobrchardonnay and sparkling wine.
With décor that includes expertly stockedbrwine shelves, a plush red velvet wall dotted with long mirrors and a brick wallbrbehind the bar complete with an expansive chalkboard and portrait of croonerbrFrank Sinatra, it's no wonder people choose this cozy, intimate space for abrpizza date night.
“We thinkbrof our guests as guests in our home and treat them accordingly,” says PaulbrPardo, co-owner of Coal Vine's in Southlake. “Our staff is what helps set usbrapart. They care, and it matters to them to do a good job.”
i Fratelli
Best Delivery
In its 27th year of business, i Fratelli knowsbrpizza. The restaurant is still owned and operated by its founders, the Colebrbrothers — George, David, Mike and Darrell — who opened their firstbrlocation in Irving. Known for their thin-crust creations famously cut intobrrectangular slices, the restaurant offers many signature pizzas, including thebrstaff’s special (grilled chicken, artichoke hearts and Roma tomatoes) and thebrcarne classico (pepperoni, Italian sausage, meatballs, Canadian bacon andbrhamburger). All of i Fratelli’s dough — their own recipe — is handcrafted everybrday, and salad dressings are also made in-house.
“They use real mushrooms, notbrcanned, and have pepperoncini peppers,” says Tracy P., a reader who castbrher vote for i Fratelli. However, the restaurant's standout feature isbrdefinitely its fast, friendly and free delivery service. Take it from us whenbrwe say we had a very pleasant experience, from the timely delivery to thebrdrivers' hospitable demeanors and, of course, the hot pizza we immediatelybrdevoured upon arrival.
Mellow Mushroom
Best VegetarianbrOptions
Mellow Mushroom, which opened in Southlake in April 2012, isbrall about fresh ingredients — sauce is made in-house, most fruits andbrvegetables are local and the dough has a special (and secret) ingredient thatbrmakes it taste a bit sweeter. The restaurant is also big on gluten-free options and hasbran entire space in the kitchen devoted to preparing meals for those who can'tbror choose not to eat gluten.
“We takebrthe procedure extremely seriously,” says co-owner Sharon AuBuchon. “Serversbrleave the kitchen, scrub, put on a brand new apron, go to a different stationbrin the kitchen to prepare the pizza, bake it in a separate oven and deliver itbrto the customers themselves.”
One of thebrmost popular Mellow Mushroom pizzas is the Mega Veggie, which is packed withbrfresh vegetables like spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, Roma tomatoesbrand artichoke hearts encircled by crust drizzled with garlic butter andbrparmesan. On any given day, diners can watch the restaurant's skilled pizzabrtossers through the open kitchen as they prepare each perfectly handcraftedbrpie.