Pizza 51 — Restaurant in Kansas City

I have been dining at Pizza 51 with my family since I was a child, and I have always loved their oversized pizza slices. When Pizza 51 opened its doors in September 2004, it was located in a former gas station and featured a gas station and auto repair shop ambiance. The journey to establish Pizza 51 began in October 2002, nearly two years before its opening. Significant challenges included acquiring a liquor license, performing environmental tests to ensure the safety of preparing food in an old gas station, and obtaining financing. Since its inception, Pizza 51 has become a key part of the Brookside and South Plaza neighborhoods. Originally planned as a spot for college students, it has been warmly welcomed by residents of all ages as a fantastic dining option. Additionally, another restaurant in Kansas City, Milwaukee Delicatessen Company on 9th Street and Baltimore, also serves Pizza 51’s pizzas in their own Kansas City-known establishment.

Pizza 51 was founded by Jason and Shannon Pryor, who connected in 1999 while working for Amazon.com; Shannon was in Seattle, Washington and Jason was in Atlanta, Georgia. When it became clear that their relationship was serious, Shannon moved to Atlanta to be closer to Jason. Soon after, the couple relocated to Shannon’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri and settled in the Brookside neighborhood, where Jason resumed his job at Costco Wholesale Company. Jason Pryor actively participates in the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, having held the position of President in 2008 and 2009, and he remains on the Board of Directors. Pizza 51 proudly belongs to and engages with the Southtown Council and the South Plaza Neighborhood Associations. Jason has also acted as the president of the Countryside Neighborhood Association, served on the Food Advisory Board for the Kansas City Health Department, and been co-chair and the Mayor's representative on the Neighborhood Tourism & Development Fund. This history led to the establishment of a new partnership with Alan Kneeland, who managed Pizza 51 West from 2011 to 2018. Alan is also a member of the GKCRA as an active Board member and has served the community as a Prince Hall Freemason.

The Pizza 51 menu is famous for its variety of pizza sizes, calzones, salads, sandwiches, appetizers, sodas, beer, and wine. My family and I typically prefer to order the giant pizza slices with one or two toppings. The last time I visited Pizza 51 was in July 2022 with my father, and we ordered two specialty slices, the Cowton Lovers and Highway Special combinations. We also got a full circular Highway Special pizza to take home for our family. However, my father and I opted to replace the green peppers with beef on Pizza 51’s circular version of their Highway Special Pizza. Every pizza we tried was fantastic, just like during our previous visits to Pizza 51. If customers are searching for a good pizza place near the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC), I would suggest they check out Pizza 51 because they are recognized for their excellent pizzas.

If I were to draw a comparison between Pizza 51 and other eateries, I would liken it to Minsky’s Pizza, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que (particularly the original site on 47th Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas), and even The Lunch Box located in the West Bottoms of Kansas City. Pizza 51 feels like a blend of all three establishments, as two of them originated in a gas station or convenience store while the other offers pizzas along with other Italian-American dishes. If Pizza 51 were to make improvements to their establishment, I would suggest they include cold beverage refrigerators, a freezer for ice cream sandwiches, and even racks stocked with snacks such as chips and candy. Additionally, I would recommend that Pizza 51 offer automotive supplies like car cleaning products, windshield wiper antifreeze, and even motor oils for vehicles. Above all, I encourage Pizza 51 to keep up the excellent food and service they deliver to...

took my two grandchildren and daughter for pizza after the toy and miniature museum.. we walked in the door and ordered and paid for the order. When the pizza was ready Z kitchen staff said order up. took it upon themselves nicely to deliver it to the table, so to avoid delay.Even ask staff to help them find a pizza holder stand. We served up the pizza and started to eat. While sitting there the pizza slid off and flipped onto the floor. A neighbor customer ran to make sure none of the children were burned by the hot pizza when it splattered on the floor. Dumbfounded as to what happened both us and pizza makers looked towards the pizza with astonishment as to what happened. One of the pizza makers came over and picked up the pizza and said what was your pizza we will mate you some more. I responded with no need to make a whole big pizza again you can make a small one. The pizza maker said are you sure? I said yes of course. The pizza maker returned behind the counter. The wait staff or hostess approached us saying that the manager could not justify making a small pizza for us that we would have to settle for two pieces. I made an effort to explain that we had not requested a replacement we were offered a replacement and I had said a small one would be fine. The person was not listening to my explanation and said I will go talk to the manager and then rreturn saying I’m sorry she said two pieces. She asked if we wanted to talk to the manager I explained I have no issue sure two pieces would be OK. I also explained that we had not caused the pizza to flip onto the floor it was the angle of the stand. The young woman who was mediating between us and the manager was aggressive as if we had threw the pizza on the floor. The waitress staff who was standing there did not clean up the cheese grease or pizza toppings from the floor further making it a stressful situations as it would be fairy slippery if someone was to walk across it. I took what napkins I could find to wipe up the mess. prior to leaving we cleaned off our table and left a A tip for the men who prepared the pizza as they went out of their way to help us. A great day was practically destroyed by a mean hearted Mediator. The manager did not inquire As to what had happened. We Were treated like Second class citizens with Ill intent.Even the customer next to us tried to alert the staff as to what had happened and asked them to be sensitive but she was brushed off. Don’t assume people are trying to rip you off or try to avoid responsibility by attacking...

Let me start by saying I have never written a negative Google review before. I know it's more common for people to share bad experiences than good, and I don't like to participate in that sort of thing. Can't help myself on this one. My wife and I joined our usual Tuesday group last night for a run followed by pizza at this establishment. After finishing our run, we were among the first to order our food, as the others trickled in behind us. Approximately 20 minutes after we ordered, one of the servers told us, due to the size of our group, it might take up to 30 minutes for all of the pizza to arrive. No big deal. Over the next 45 minutes, everyone else in our group received their pizza, ate their fill, and had their left-overs boxed up and ready to go. My wife and I still had no pizza. During this time, I approached one of the servers and told her we had been forgotten. She told me that wasn't the case. She said she was fully aware of our order and it was "coming" soon. Another 15 minutes after that, she told me they were just pulling it out of the oven. 10 minutes later, my wife sought out the manager, Jacob, and asked him what was taking so long. He flippantly told her they could not be expected to complete an order for a group our size without delays. Mind you, this was well over an hour after we had ordered our food. It's also worth noting that easily a dozen other customers had arrived in the meantime and all had been served their food. What irritates me the most about all of this is being lied to repeatedly. Things get forgotten. Just own it, apologize, and work toward fixing it. It's clear the staff here doesn't understand or possess any customer service skills. Since you are prodded to provide a tip prior to the arrival of your order, I guess they don't need any. We did eventually get the pizza, and most of our group was kind enough to sit around and wait for us to eat. How was it? Glad you ask. The most charitable answer I can provide is "meh." Although the portions were generous, the flavor was so bland it's hard to describe. I'll put it this way: I can't recall ever having worse pizza. I can even steer you toward several frozen pizza options that are superior. After all of this, you might wonder why I didn't go with a single star for this review. That's simple. No matter the forum, I reserve the lowest possible score for the worst possible experience. The beer was cold, the pours were full, and neither I nor my wife have come down with food poisoning, so it could...