Nine Pies Pizzeria — Restaurant in Seattle

The jury was split over this one.

On one hand, we both loved how fresh the ingredients were. Flavor-wise, each part popped, from the homemade meatballs to a tomato sauce that taste like it was recently whole tomatoes. The decor was bright and sunny, their house valpolicella had a piquant fruit nip to it. The 80s music was upbeat and low key. And Boy! This place is clean. The dining room was pretty spotless, considering that we just came in from the most unpleasant of Seattle weather: days of muddy rain.

Looking over the menu online, we were both drooling for the Trafali pizza with meatballs and sweet pickled Mama Lil’s peppers, drenched with bufala mozz. We drove over Beacon Hill at 5 pm on a game day for that. The vegetable calzone with all the mushrooms and funky name also sounded great. We debated on which to get, so we got both and a traditional Caesar to start.

I was really prepared to discover the next greatest thing in culinary Seattle, but didn’t. My husband grew up eating New York pizza on the east coast just flat out denied that that was New York pizza. Period. It was good; but he wouldn’t seek this out on his own again. Although it was fresh, the sauce didn’t have the spices I’d expect from true New York Italian marinaras. The Caesar didn’t have enough anchovy in it to really be considered a Caesar.

The one thing we both agreed on to be primo was the dessert cookie, which wasn’t really a cookie and more a molten chocolate lava cake with more crispy edges on it. We went through that REAL fast, before I could even take a picture. I would suggest to management to advise exactly how long it actually takes to come out of the kitchen (they baked it to order), so patrons don’t get annoyed by how long it takes to heat up a “cookie”.

Overall, this place is lovely, low-key and delicious. It just didn’t have that certain pop that exclaims PHENOMENAL PIZZA HERE. The result just doesn’t justify the prices charged.

We would not hesitate to bring his foodie mom and stepdad here, especially with the plethora of wine tasting rooms within stumbling proximity. (They’d love that!) But we would think twice about sitting on Columbian Way again during rush hour into SoDo...

COME FOR THE PIZZA, RETURN FOR THE OSCAR

Ok, yes they have delicious pizza, nice and thin, with that d delightful oiliness that I'm looking for. And beer. But what really sets this place apart is OSCAR. Every time I have been here, Oscar--who I'm assuming is the manager/lead for this joint--makes it feel like I'm at his house.

His boisterous and kind greetings fill the space and make you realize that you are patronizing an establishment that CARES about people. And really, there are plenty of places who serve decent food/bev but don't do much to make you feel like you belong there and are more than just another customer. The other staff here are also very nice, but Oscar is the anchor. I hope his management values him enough to keep him in place, cuz he makes this place rock.

Without him, it's just another decent...

I was given the wrong calzone after I had cut it open and touched it, and when I brought it to the waiters attention he then picked it up and put it at the end of our table with another guest that was with our group. I then received my calzone after everybody was halfway done with their food, and it wasn’t cooked all the way I sent it back and by the time I was getting it we were already paying for our bills and it came back hard as a rock and all I got was 10% off of my bill for having a meal that I didn’t even enjoy or get to eat!! When I called to talk to the GM about it, he pretty much told me that it’s a pizzeria and everybody eats off of everybody’s plates so it’s not a big deal that my calzone that was wrong was given to somebody else at our table after I had physically touched it. I will never come back...