Proletariat Pizza — Restaurant in White Center

Full disclosure: pizza means more to me than most people you know. I have made all kinds and styles of pizza for over 30 years, honing my personal recipes for doughs and sauces, studied how best to prepare ingredients/toppings, studied the best cheese combinations, etc.... I even helped build the Barton Street pizza oven. So, I am picky when it comes to pizza, pickier than most. WAY pickier.

So, Proletariat. I want to give this 5 stars, but it's 4. Overall, excellent pizza, you will NOT be disappointed. Great vibe in the store (when the &^^%# pandemic ends). Inside this is a great place to hang out -- after the pandemic is over. I like their gas deck oven, a solid way to cook good quality pizza. I also like that they use screens for their pies -- probably to ensure the size is always right; I think this is a smart idea. (On the downside, a screen probably prevents the best charring, but the crust wasn't bad.) Good quality and quantity of toppings, mostly. I had a mix of pepperoni on half and green pepper, onion, and sausage on the other. The pepperoni side was great - nice quantity and quality of pepperoni. The other side, excellent pepper quality and quantity and size, very good with onion. But the sausage, not memorable. Not bad, but not a lot there. But again, very good and you will NOT be disappointed.

As to value: very good. One of the best in the West Seattle area. Compare the prices, Proletariat has very good pricing. Up there, but at the lower end in terms of cost.

Aside from sausage quantity, the dough. This dough is not bad, but it did not have the kind of flavor that a Neopolitan pizza maker would like. I'm not sure what rise time they put in, but I'm guessing it's not what it could be to get the bubbles and texture that top notch dough has. Also, the pie we had was very droopy in the middle when you held it up for a bite -- cooking on screens probably keeps the crust from getting the crispy firmness needed to prevent this. The person I shared the pie with did NOT like the crust for this reason -- they found it too thin and too droopy for a thin crust. But in my opinion, this dough wasn't bad overall, maybe a bit thin and undercooked in the middle, but it worked and it tasted fine; but this not 5 stars quality dough, in my opinion.

All that said, DO buy from Proletariat. Great place, great people, and not insanely expensive. Don't be surprised if you strongly disagree with this review and give it 5 stars, but in my opinion 4 is much fairer. I would not hesitate to buy from...

Great Happy Hour Pizza Prices

I'll start by saying that nothing comes close to Serious Pie or Big Mario's. I will say, however: this place has the most amazing Happy Hour pricing, and you won't find a better price for what you get.

$12 for a large, (rather crispy) thin crust, Pepperoni pizza is an awesome deal (considering the quality versus fast food pizza). And for that alone, these guys get high marks from me. The sauce is fine, the dough is okay; it's all-around decent. Most people will be really happy with that. My recommendation would be to add some sugar and more herbs to the sauce.

The Margherita is my favorite of the pies I've eaten. It has nice little bites of quality chewy mozzarella, ribbons of basil, and fresh roma tomatoes. Just add a little salt and you'll be satisfied.

The restaurant is clean, they have a nice layout with tons of space, and the servers are extremely friendly and great. They have a few arcade machines in the back, but the selection is rather limited.

My only criticisms: pizza quality can be judged by "How Good Does This Taste When It's Cold". Unfortunately, this pizza doesn't hold up in that regard; it has to be eaten hot and on the spot. The dough just isn't chewy enough and it quickly turns into a sad experience. That said, it's perfectly decent when it's hot and fresh; especially with hot pepper flakes, grated parmesan, and garlic salt.

Definitely go at happy hour. It's too good to pass up. At dinner prices, I'd say skip it unless you live in the area and refuse to go to Capital Hill...

When we first moved to West Seattle several years ago pre-pandemic, Proletariat Pizza was our #1 favorite pizzeria in the area. The service was never prejudiced against us as a male/male married couple and the food was high quality. Not anymore.

Not sure what happened to this place but the last few times we've either ordered for take-out or dined in, the service and quality have taken a nosedive.

On our last visit, since we were a male couple, it seems like our presence wasn't welcomed: We were ignored and customers that came in after us had their orders taken before ours. When we finally did have our order taken, our food wasn't prepared until even more customers came in to order and we watched them receive their food before ours.

Add to this, our pizza was forgotten in the oven and came out burned. NOT Neopolitan-style, but truly burned on one half. When we tried to send it back they argued with us, told us we didn't know what we were talking about and said, "it's just well-done." I had to argue with them in a packed restaurant before they finally took the pizza off our ticket. We just paid for our beverages and left.

From what I heard, the ownership changed. It makes sense considering the last and final visit we experienced.

If you like your pizza with a big side of prejudice, then Proletariat Pizza is your place. If not then seek better...