As Baltimoreans, we all have our own go-to favorite pizza joint. Some love Matthew’s Pizza. Others will rave about Birroteca. Honestly, my mouth waters whenever I think of Paulie Gee’s or Hersh’s. However, it’s because of these popular pizzerias that we fail to venture and try other pizza places that are just as good or even better than the well-known pizzerias.
Take Zella’s Pizzeria for example.
If I was a high risk taker and willing to bet $100, I’d bet most people haven’t heard of Zella’s Pizzeria before. After all, I was one of those people too until I was invited by Dave, the guy I’m dating, to Zella’s board game night! And ever since that night, I’ve been coming back. My latest trip there, Dave and I got the Zella’s Special.
You know those cartoons where a character pulls a slice of pizza away from all of the other slices and the cheese pulls so deliciously in a delectable, gooey way? That happens with every single pizza I eat at Zella’s.
Zella’s Pizzeria does a great job covering every inch their pies with toppings. They don’t bullshit you with throwing toppings sparingly and leaving gaps of cheese. And the crust is so delicious. There is a medium thickness to the crust. It’s soft and chewy on the inside, but crispy on the outside. When I eat pizza, I usually don’t eat the crust… I’ve made an exception for Zella’s though haha.
Speaking of crusts, you can also order a gluten free crust if needed!
If bland, saucy pizzas bother you, no worries here! The pizzas aren’t ridiculously saucy, and their sauces are extremely flavorful: high quality, fresh tomatoes and spices jump at you with every bite. When the tomato sauce is combined with the cheese, you also don’t need to worry about extreme amounts of oil running down your pizza slice. Can you imagine just shoving that greasy pizza slice into your mouth? That’s just nasty.
Other pizzas I’ve tried at Zella’s were the Saint Magnus’s Meat Classic and the Pizza Proscuitto. Out of the three I’ve tried so far, I really like the Saint Magnus’s Meat Classic. One of the tastiest pizzas I’ve ever had in Baltimore city! In the future, I’d love to try the Margarita with chicken added in, the Spinach and Artichoke, and the Olives Roasted Eggplant.
If you aren’t feeling pizza, they got other stuff too such as chicken wings, salads, lasagna, etc. They also have a great selection of vegetarian food! Interesting to note: their breadsticks look like a mini version of a cheese pizza.
And for some reason, if something is stopping you from dining in this wonderful establishment, they do carryout! There’s also a special that comes with it: get a large pizza with a free regular topping for $9.95. Nice. They also have other specials too (NOT CARRYOUT) such as half-price wine night from 5:30PM – 10PM on Sundays with a minimum $20 food purchase and a dine-in sandwich special of $4.95 on all sandwiches from 11:30AM – 4PM on Tuesdays.
So, enough about the food. Where the hell is this place located?
Whenever I mention Zella’s Pizzeria to my friends, they always ask me where it’s located. Anyone familiar with Hollins Market? It’s literally situated right next to it… like next to the actual market.
Tell me some other info that doesn’t pertain to food, please!
This clean, cozy pizzeria is decked out with cool local art work hanging on the exposed brick walls.
Wooden chairs and tables, large windows, and a couple of small tvs are dispersed around the restaurant space. A high top bar with stools takes up the right back corner of the room. About 8-10 people could probably sit there and drink whatever Zella’s Pizzeria has on tap.
In case you were wondering, they have 6 beers on tap. Also, the people there are really chill, friendly, and fantastically helpful with their service.
If you plan on bringing a group of people over for some good pizza time, the space can accommodate large and small groups of friends and/or families. Better yet, bring over those peeps whenever they have events! They host random functions such as neighborhood happy hours, music series events, art and film shows, their regular happy hours, and–my favorite–board game night!! Happy hour is Monday-Friday: 5:30PM – 7:30PM. You get $2 off all drafts, wines & rail drinks, and half-price apps.
Board game nights happen on Tuesdays! Enjoy playing with the locals, bring your own board games or play others peoples’ board games, sip some drinks, and eat pizza!
Prices are also affordable especially for the high quality food and wonderful service Zella’s gives to the customers.
So, give Zella’s Pizzeria a try! You might like it! If you do try it out, let me know what you think!
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Zella’s Pizzeria
1145 Hollins St, Baltimore, MD 21223
Sun.-Thu. 11:30 a.m – 10:30 p.m. | Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m – 11:00 p.m.
(410) 685-6999
View Zella’s Pizzeria Website
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