Serious Pie - Belltown

There’s something about eating with people who enjoy experiencing food; it just makes everything taste better when fellow diners are on the same foodie wavelength. Enter Tom Douglas’s pizzeria, Serious Pie, for dinner with foodie friends.

Very reminiscent of Mario Batalli’s Mozza in LA, Serious Pie has a similar vibe in terms of its loud, homely atmosphere. Although Serious Pie does not take reservations, you can put your name on a list and the staff will call you when a table opens up. Our wait time was pretty long – over an hour – so be prepared for a Serious Wait. We decided to eat dessert first at Dahlia Lounge Bakery and thoroughly enjoyed the mini triple coconut cream pies. The bakery was wonderful, but a little small, and sitting outside started getting uncomfortably cold, so we went to the bar at Lola to stay warm.

Eventually, we were summoned over to Serious Pie and were seated. The space inside the restaurant was invitingly warm from all the firey ovens. One thing I could have done without was the extremely cramped seating on the communal bench tables. You are literally within inches from somebody else no matter which direction you turn, unless you happen to sit next to the wall. Another thing I could have done without was the snippy, hipster waitress who seemed like she was in a perpetually foul mood throughout our meal. However, I kind of don’t blame her since she had to wade through the crowd and hot air each time she brought out dishes or drinks; it probably isn’t one of the most pleasant experiences to have to endure for hours on end.

We ordered three pizzas to share between the four of us: penn cove clams, house pancetta and lemon thyme; house salumi, walla walla onions and sardegna; and the meatless arugula special (each pizza ranged in price from $15-16). We also ordered a bottle of the barbera ($38).

Penn cove clams, house pancetta, lemon thyme

House salumi, walla walla onions and sardegna

Arugula special

The pizzas were actually fairly substantial as I would have had trouble finishing one by myself. The crusts took up a disappointingly large percentage of the pizza, but it was a nice bubbly, crisp crust. Unfortunately, the clam pizza was too salty for my liking; the salumi one was better with thin disks of salumi draped over the top. I preferred the special with the arugula since it had a fresh, light taste and was not overly salty. I thought the barbera paired nicely with all three pizzas and made dinner, well, even more enjoyable. Since the pizzas all had so much crust, we found ourselves with excess pieces. Our fellow foodie diner suggested we ask for olive oil and parmesan cheese to use with the extra crust, and it was a great idea!

I would definitely return to Serious Pie again, especially to try the pizza with the cherry bomb peppers and sweet fennel sausage and the one with chantrelles looked interesting as well. Just remember that you shouldn’t expect an in-and-out type of dinner as this place demands that you experience and savor it for both its good points and its quirks.

Serious Pie
316 Virginia Street
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 836-7388 (no reservations taken)