Spak Brothers — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

2022 review: 3 years from my negative review and I can safely say that Spak has redeemed themselves. I'm assuming there was a complete overhaul of staff as I haven't had an issue ever since I decided to give the place another chance, they get crazy busy with their takeout so it's understandable why food will take a while to be made, but even then it is done fast. I still think their pizza sizing could be better, but at least I have always received what I've asked for ever since. I stand by the fact that the pittsburgh steak sandwich is the best item on the menu.

2019 review: It's sad to say that Spak Brothers isn't what they used to be. It used to be a place where you could get fantastic food and lots of it for not that much money with good customer service, however now it's a place where you can get fantastic food, but it's not much food, it's pricey, and the employees won't stand by their mistakes. For example, about two weeks ago I walked in and ordered some things that normally take about 15-25 minutes to make, but this time they took like 50 minutes and the place wasn't even busy! I'm pretty sure I heard an employee screaming in pain and nobody else seemed to care what's wrong, and for a very anxious person like me, that was...less than nice. Come just last week, I order an extra large pizza from them (which is only 12 slices, ouch) and some seitan wings, that was over $30 which is already not good. Next, I have to wait an hour for my order, and they gave me the wrong pizza! Instead, it was the "large" pizza which is only 10 slices!! This pizza was meant for 3 people, not just me, so this wasn't gonna cut it. So I call them back and they say "no, you asked for large so you get large" even though I CLEARLY said EXTRA. LARGE. I got ripped off by a place I've been going to almost since they opened and have loved for years, so I feel cheated. I guess they're just coming up with ways to make extra money, and for that reason, I'd say skip it unless you're going for the wings or sandwiches. There are better places out there that won't rip you off and I ended up having to order pizza from another place, which was roughly $20-ish for a MUCH larger pizza and breadsticks.

Original review from 2018: You can't ever go wrong with Spak Brothers, seriously. I've been going here since I was really little (Always used to have the Seitan wings) and I won't ever stop. If you like quality pizza, hoagies that are a mouthful and some of the tastiest wings in the area, you will love this place. Don't just take my word for it though, try it! Oh yeah, they have an arcade machine here too and pinball in case...

This is an extremely popular pizzeria, especially for vegans. And it's very easy to see why: they have tons of vegan options, from vegan pizza and calzones to even wings and sandwiches. If you are a vegan, then this place should be a must-stop (you at least have to give it a try). But, I ordered a non-vegan option: the regular extra cheese calzone.

First, I must make a note of the portion. This was most likely the smallest calzone I have ever bought. And, it wasn't even a 'small' size listed under their site. There is only one size for the calzones as far as I know. To add to this, it was on the slightly more expensive side at $14 dollars, which is a bit more than the calzone at Bellisarios which is absolutely huge (at least twice the size of this calzone).

In terms of flavor, it was pretty good. There is definitely an adequate amount of cheese in there, both mozzarella and ricotta. The dough is made and folded in a way that reminds me a bit of empanadas (just look at the creases) but it's certainly good. No sauce on the inside, only in the side to keep it from getting soggy. Although, it was somewhat oily. There is a little puddle of butter forming in the middle when I picked it up. The sauce was quite good, but surprisingly a bit spicy. It was definitely a nice change from the average sauce and had little tomato chunks, but for some it won't be a pleasant surprise.

Another note is that they do not have a cell phone and do not open for lunch. Definitely a small place on the inside but cool theming. So, do plan accordingly if you want to visit Spak.

All in all, this place makes some pretty good calzones. They are quite expensive for their size, though. I'd say it's overpriced and not worth coming back unless you are vegan. If you are vegan, this may be one of your go-to spots, given there are limited amounts of places offering...

Since Spack Bros is an order online only, we dropped in to ask if there was any way we could order a pizza with half not cheese. They were very friendly and told us just to add "Half No Cheese" in the name area of the order. We have been doing it this way for over a year, with no issues. Luck would have it that an order we placed a few weeks ago came with 100% cheese. We just thought they made a mistake. Today we placed another order and again marked is as we had been directed to do. I went to pick up the order and it too was 100% cheese. I told the person at the counter that we specifically ordered half no cheese. I was told that such an order was "the discretion of the kitchen" and that they decided not to make it as requested. There was no offer to correct the order, it was simply, take it or leave it. I chose to leave it. Such poor customer service! I am glad that I did not pay for my order in advance. We then drove to nearby Angelo's Pizza, where they not only offer a great pizza, but they also offer a thing called customer service. You can place phone orders as well. Don't waste your time with Spack Brothers and their way or the highway approach. There are better pizza restaurants in the area, and they offer customer...