Retro Pie — Restaurant in Manteca

Pizza was average. Got a hecka meat and the applewood smoke bacon was nice- and the crust had a crunch without being overcooked- but that is all I can say. Service was not so great- when asking for a custom 1/2 and 1/2 pizza, which the “chef” offered up when I asked what they recommend the owner/manager interrupted to say they can’t do that bcs a past customer ordered one with red and one with white sauce and they missed and they didn’t like it. So I switched it to two pizzas with red sauce and was told they can’t do two signature pizzas but could do a build your own half and half. So want your saying is I can ask for everything as if it was the signature but it had to be called build your own. And then he said something about having to follow a recipe… If you don’t offer it, just say that! Be direct and not try to make excuse after excuse. Out of frustration I walked away, because that is stupid, and let my husband finishing ordering. He To be honest I was a little hangry. We were then approached by the guy- who started off with “let me explain to you why”. I don’t need an explanation. You could tell I was clearly upset and you felt the need to come and try to explain… if you were trying to to apologize for not being about to offer the pizza- you again could have just been direct and say Hey I am sorry we couldn’t offer the pizza 1/2 and 1/2 pizza and if you want to try more of our flavor come by during lunch and try it by the slice… not try to explain to the customer why...

First time trying this place, I understand it’s a brand new business and things will take longer than expected. However, the owner from the moment we arrived was standing doing nothing attending ONLY the bar. The girl at the cash register was doing an amazing job handling the ENTIRE dining area. Huge props to her, she was sweet and attentive. All other employees were also working very hard to get pizzas out.

There were multiple opportunities for the owner to step up and help his employees but instead he decided not to help. I actually heard him complain about his employees needing to move faster in the kitchen. (Go show them how to move quicker if it’s a problem, be a leader.) I feel like he has no passion for the business and just in it for the money.

Phone was ringing and owner tried to hand the phone away to his already busy staff instead of handling it himself. This was the most upsetting part of the whole experience. His leadership will not keep employees for very long.

Pizza was okay I would’ve liked to give it another try, but the owner will...

Forgot to take pictures while the pizzas were still whole. Sorry—not sorry. 😋

The atmosphere is fun and very retro, which I was happy to see. But I was even happier to see they're using a deck oven instead of a conveyor oven. So expect delicious crispy undercarriages on your pies.

The food is really good. We got a Caesar Salad, a white slice pie (la Luna) and a spicy pepperoni (cali burn). The dough and toppings taste fresh and the crust has the perfect amount of crunch. The basics are being done correctly and they aren't trying to cover up poor crust and sauce by throwing a million toppings on it. This is the closest a restaurant has come the pizza I remember back on the East Coast. The owner was very attentive and passionate about the food.

I highly recommend everyone give it a try, and I hope Retro Pie stays around for a very long time. We need more local family owned restaurants like...