I have been telling you for a couple years now that Portland is a great pizza town. It is time you hear it from someone else. Recently, Marc Schecter aka @pizzaman_420 visited Portland, exclusively to try our great pizza options. @pizzaman_420 is a pizzaiolo in the bay area. He is turning out great pies and quickly gaining a following for his pop up pizza nights (and regular selfie videos on IG lol).
Here is what he had to say about his visit to Portland:
Portland has been on my pizza radar for quite some time. You see, before I had @pizzaman_420 and before I started making pizza, I met a random guy on a boat to the San Juan islands in 2015. That guy was Scottie Rivera, owner of Scotties Pizza Parlor on 24th and SE Division. Scottie tapped me on the shoulder to say “nice shirt” (it was a Frank Pepe pizza shirt, and if you don't know about Pepe’s, you should). We started chatting pizza and in many ways that small exchange set me on a never ending journey into the incredible world of pizza.
When I got back from the San Juan Islands I added Scottie as a friend on FB. A few weeks later I drove down to Portland specifically for his pizza. That day in 2015 put Portland pizza on my radar in a big way. Scottie’s naturally leavened slices, were incredible! The pizza as well as the man himself set the bar very high. As a NY’er I was conflicted. I’m supposed to be ride or die NY pizza. How could this be possible on the west coast!? Everyone says it’s the water in NY. He’s gotta be shipping water, right? Here’s the truth guys - Portland has some of the best pizza in the country and it’s not the water or any other BS that a passionate but unfortunately misguided NY’er might have you believe.
Between my first visit to Scotties and this past “4/20” pizza became my obsession and I had to find the best spots. My quest began in Seattle (where I lived from 2014 - 2016). I tried all the best places there: Big Mario’s, Ballard Pizza Co, Delancey, Masonry, Humble Pie, and yes even Pagliacci’s. Solid stuff for sure. Then I moved to the bay area and started the search all over again. Nick’s Pizza and Emilia’s in the East Bay, PizzaHacker, Delfina, Casey’s, Del Popolo, Tony’s Slice House and GoldenBoy in SF. There are truly awesome pizza places on the west coast, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
If you live out west and are struggling to find good Za, let me be your guide. There’s a pizza world out there that most people can't really comprehend, and it lives on instagram. My pizza questing, and the chance run-in with Scottie in 2015 inspired me to make pizza, work in pizza restaurants, and eventually in April of 2017 (#420) create a dedicated pizza instagram account @pizzaman_420 (holla at me). Through this treasure trove of tasty pics it became apparent to me that there were at least 10-15 MUST eat pizza spots in Portland. Seeing as 4/20 is my high holiday (it’s in my freakin handle, part of my schtick) I booked a flight to Portland to check out and stuff my face with some good friends and legal cannabis.
I landed in PDX with eyes much bigger than my stomach. Over a three day period my goal was to get to eleven different pizza places. Some carts and trucks with wood ovens, some Pizzeria’s using deck ovens, some sit-down restaurants with James Beard nominated chefs, and a place that’s normally a bakery during the day and pizza joint at night. Each representing the unique offerings available in Portland from it’s eclectic community of pizzaiolo’s. Thankfully, weed is legal in Portland because I was going to need all the munchies I could muster.
Here was my hit list:
- Apizza Scholls
- Lovely’s Fifty Fifty
- Scottie’s
- Handsome pizza
- East Gilsan
- Pizza Jerk
- Checkerboard pizza
- Red Sauce
- Ken's
- Pyro Pizza
- Ash Wood Fired
Here’s how many I actually made it to (Like I said eyes bigger than stomach):
- Apizza Scholls
- Lovely’s Fifty Fifty
- Scottie’s
- Handsome pizza
The verdicts:
Apizza Scholls
Light crispy crust. Whole Pies, single bake, nails most flavors, some of the flavor combos on the white pies were weird/just didn’t go very well in my opinion. Overall, a great place with a friendly comfortable atmosphere. Apizza Scholls easily stands shoulder to shoulder with anything back east.
Lovely’s Fifty Fifty
Unique isn’t even the right word to describe Lovely’s. Inventive, ahead of it’s time, taking the bar and chucking it out the window. Naturally leavened whole grain flour mix, huge airy crust, great flavor sourdough, hyper local hyper seasonal toppings, and home made ice cream. Despite the nuance and precision in flavors it’s not pretentious at all and still maintains a neighborhood vibe, which I loved. I want to go back and try everything on the menu.
Scottie’s
I love the dichotomy of Scottie’s. The classic pizzeria styling and approachable nature of Scottie’s could dupe you into thinking it’s a run of the mill pizza place. Scottie is humble and that’s sorta what he’s going for. On the other side of the red and white checkered tablecloths though is a guy making the best pizza he can muster while blending into the neighborhood, supporting his staff, the community, the city, and the underrepresented. This spot is blowing up and it’s a great example of a person/place putting out positivity and getting it back. The pizza is world class. You can't go wrong with ANY slice or pie on the menu and his punny seasonal specials are magic. I might be biased cause he’s my friend and I got to cook pizza there for 420 (SO COOL!) but this is my favorite pizza place in the country.
Handsome Pizza
Probably the most “Portland” place I visited (if you’re mental image of Portland comes from the show Portlandia). I hope that doesn’t come off as a slight or something, I just can't think of any-other places I’ve been to that are both an awesome bakery ,an awesome Pizzeria and a shrine to strange imaginative monster/dinosaur sculptures. My friends in SF will say, but Marc what about Arizmendi bakery, yeah that place is just a bakery that serves ok pizza. Handsome bakes up pizza that’s somewhere between lovely’s and Scottie’s. It’s wood fired, but comes in large sizes. The dough is some % natural starter + commercial yeast, and the flour is heavily whole grain. The pizza has a nice brown color and great smoky flavor from the huge wood oven. I loved the low key vibe the friendly staff and easy walk up counter service.
Portland offers a unique pizza experience on many different levels. If you want a new take on pizza you haven’t experienced before from a true innovator - Lovely’s. If you want the finest ingredients on a sourdough crust with a big smile and the best square slice you’ve ever had - Scottie’s. If you want a unique wood fired pizza with a huge cookie and funky art - Handsome. If you want the tried and true classics with a good vibe and Pac Man - Scholls. What do they all have in common? Each one is in Portland. While it may never have the notoriety of NY for pizza lore, it certainly deserves a place close to the top. For those of us that know and love pizza, if you haven't been to PDX GO NOW and tell PDXdoughboy that @pizzaman_420 sent ya!
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