Broadway Bar & Pizza® Hastings — Restaurant in Hastings

New Pizza, Same Brotherhood: A Slice of Life at Broadway Pizza, Hastings When Logan pulled into town from Albert Lea, I knew two things: he’d be bringing that dry, intellectual wit of his, and we were about to eat well. I’d been meaning to check out the new Broadway Pizza in Hastings, and with Logan in town, it was the perfect excuse to break bread and trade brain cells. We walked through the doors and I immediately turned to him and said, “Remember this entrance.” There was something about it, clean lines, open air, welcoming staff... that just felt right. The kind of first impression that makes you want to stay a while. The hostess, young and polite, walked us past the bar, where the TVs were set up just right, and the Blue Moon on tap whispered to a former version of myself. I don’t drink anymore, but I could appreciate the vibe. No temptation, I could just feel the comfortable, casual, no pretension atmosphere. We landed at a window seat with a full view of the room. A prime spot for people-watching and philosophizing. Logan ordered what he called “whatever passes for Sprite nowadays,” and gave me a look that said he wasn’t fully onboard with Starry yet. I ordered my signature Pepsi. 18 months in prison, I am committed for life. The first stop on any restaurant reconnaissance for me? The bathroom. If you’ve ever lived out of a backpack or crashed in a shelter, you know a clean bathroom isn’t just a bonus... it’s a small miracle. This one? Spotless. Like… you could eat your pizza in there clean. But the sign over the urinal caught me off guard: “DO NOT FLUSH WHILE TRAIN IS IN STATION.” Logan and I would spend a good five minutes later trying to unpack the metaphysical implications of that one. Back at the table, he was already working his charm on the waitress, trying to get the inside scoop on the menu. After weighing the options and decoding the hype, we passed on the thick, doughy deep dish and went with the New York-style Primo. Slimmer crust. Bigger flavor. No food coma. Before the main event, though, came the wings. And, those wings. I went bone-in with the Cajun dry rub and it felt like Mardi Gras in my mouth. I smacked those things like Smith Wigglesworth casting out a demon. Logan, being the gym-rat philosopher he is, stuck to his all-white-meat boneless Thai chili. Said it leaned more tart than hot, but fit his macros, so he was happy. While he hit the restroom, I sat back and watched the model train circle the room above us. It was a charming touch. Something nostalgic and a little whimsical. And in that moment, I just felt grateful. Grateful for good food, a clean slate, and conversations that don’t need surface-level filler. When the pizza arrived, it looked like something out of a commercial, perfect cheese melt, crisp edges, and just enough grease to know it meant business. The kind of pizza that would make Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles drop his nunchucks and say, “Bro… that’s a slice.” We each grabbed two pieces like seasoned pros, no rookie mistakes here. One bite in, and it was confirmed: this wasn’t just pizza, this was a spiritual experience wrapped in mozzarella. We boxed the rest. No shame in leftovers when you’ve already won the meal. Logan downed four Starrys like they were being discontinued at midnight and he had the last shot at hydration. It was about as amusing as watching him drink coffee out of a pop bottle years ago. He has some strange drinking behaviors now that I think about it. We didn’t leave stuffed. We left satisfied. And that’s the kind of meal you remember. Good food. Great company. And a clean bathroom with a sign that still has us scratching our heads. So if you're ever in Hastings and want a spot where the pizza hits, the wings slap, and the train never stops running, Broadway Pizza might just be your next destination. Bring a friend. Bring your appetite. But maybe… don’t flush while the train’s in the station.......

We sat at a tall table in the bar area. It took the bartender over 10 minutes to greet us. There were two people at the bar! We watched him clean the bar, fill ice, and look completely lost before noticing we were there! We ordered our drinks, our daughter and SIL arrived and it took another 10 minutes for the bartender to notice they were there! Refills on pop for the two...very painful! Our daughter and sil both ordered pastas. Our daughter's pasta had some chicken issues so she ate around the chicken, my sil's alfrado was lacking sauce, the bartender never came back around so my poor SIL didn't even eat! We ordered the meatball appetizer and a pizza to go. Appetizer was decent but wish I would have checked the over done pizza before we left! When the bartender finally came back he did have my daughter's pasta remade without the chicken and ordered more sauce for my SIL. The sauce he brought back was in a small plastic condiment cut that clearly was melting! It wasn't worth saying anything more! My SIL threw his pasta in the trash as we left, because he knew he wasn't going to eat it as there really was no sauce on it! My husband and I went to reheat the pizza for dinner only to find it was sooooo over done it was gross! So....when ordering a pizza make sure to say "please don't cook it to death" make sure to ask for extra sauce on the pasta! Hopefully they figure it out because it is a nice place but the service and quality of food needs a lot of work! Oh it wasn't busy...

My family and I (8 of us) went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We were all impressed! Morgan, our server, was personable and attentive, despite several other groups coming at the same time or soon after. We had a few pizzas, a few appetizers, and a couple beers. The kids' food and apps come pretty quick, and not too much longer for the pizzas. I very much enjoyed the NY-style. Perfectly crisp, but not burnt, and the toppings were flavorful. The pizzas are a bit pricey, in my opinion, so this is going to be more of an occasional place for us, rather than the go-to for weeknight takeout. That said, we happened to be in there during happy hour, and I think those deals are pretty good. The only other complaint I can think of is that the woodwork and furniture throughout is fairly worn, because I think much of it has been there for close to 20 years (I worked in this same location when it was Green Mill). I will definitely be back for the occasional meal with family (we don't eat out frequently, anyway), or for a 9pm app and beers. Any new restaurant will need a bit of time to get the hang of things, and I think the Hastings Broadway has reached that point by now, a little over a month...