Famoso pizzeria serves a great medley of pizzas with unique twists, priding themselves on the authenticity of their ingredients.
A group of friends and I ventured to this pizzeria during Dine Around & Stay in Town week. They had special menus for the event: $20 for a listed starter, 11” pizza, and dessert. This would also explain why the place was packed with patrons.
Famoso, located near Market Square on Johnson Street, operates almost like a bistro: choose what you like, go up to the counter and order, pay, and it will be brought to your table once ready. After using the regular menu as a Rosetta stone to translate the special menu (many names were Italian without any sort of explanation as to what it was) we went up and placed our orders.
The atmosphere was very energetic, no doubt due to how much busier it must have been that weekend. The pizzeria itself was brick-laden with warm earth tones, and you could see the Pizzaiolos (pizza-makers) in the back spinning pizza dough and popping them in to the oven. I talked to the girl at the front for a bit, and apparently they only cook the pizzas for about 90 seconds, but the oven is kept at an unbelievable 900 degrees!
Our appetizers were brought over, at which point I realized nearly all of us got the meatballs. They were covered in good, thick tomato sauce and ricotta cheese, and were perfectly cooked, albeit a bit small and with only three in the bowl.
Later came our pizzas, which, based on their somewhat lopsidedness, were indeed handmade as advertised. I actually like it when I see lopsided things in food, as it usually means it was made by a person as opposed to being made by a machine. Each pizza was about 11” in diameter, which isn’t gigantic but should handily feed one person.
I had the Sweet BBQ Chicken pizza, which sported a nice assortment of vegetables along with the chicken. Across the table my friends had a Romano, Marinara, Spicy Thai, and a few other choice pizzas. We were all delighted with what we received, with each pizza being properly cooked, seasoned, and sporting a healthy supply of toppings.
Also, pro tip: the girl at the front informed me that the pizzas are meant to be folded like a taco when eaten; otherwise, you end up with a sloppy mess. She did not lie. The crust was fantastic, with their method of cooking the pizza leaving just the right amount of chewiness.
Final verdict? I would definitely go again. It is a bit on the pricey side at $13 to $16 per pizza, with most being too small to share. Although I managed to score the Dine Around & Stay in Town deal, what I ordered would have normally been $30.50 before tax and without drinks for a small starter, pizza, and dessert (tiramisu).
Still, it was great non-greasy pizza, and definitely worth a try.