Pizza Metro II [Meeting #37]

Pizza Metro II
925 N. Ashland Ave. (Google Maps)
(773) 772-3267

CPC invaded Pizza Metro II on 12/7/06

Is there anything better on an arctic-cold evening than nice hot pizza with friends? I sure as hell don't think so, and I'm sure the members of the Chicago Pizza Club who braved the cold weather last night will agree with me.

Pizza Metro II is (as the name implies) the second location of the popular East Village pizzeria, Pizza Metro. Their 2nd location boasts an expanded seating area and a larger menu with more pasta items. But dammit, we were there for the pizza and we wasted no time in ordering up three hot pies to warm our chilled innards. After careful study of the menu—which boasts several unusual ingredients as corn, peas, and potatoes—we made our choices. Pizza Metro serves rectangular thin crusts pizza which are quite large and hover somewhere in the realm of 'not quite a thin crust' and 'not quite a pan pizza.' Our selections were as follows:

• Pepperoni & Garlic
  
  
• Italian Sausage & Basil
  
  
• Potato & Rosemary

Since Pizza Metro II offers you the option of ordering by the whole pizza, by the half pizza, or by the slice we ordered two whole pizzas and a half pizza of the Potato & Rosemary. Our pizzas came about 20 minutes after we ordered. And yes, they were all quite tasty. They all hide a nice crispy crust that wasn't too dry, and I remember enjoying the cheese quite a bit too. The Pepperoni & Garlic seemed to be the favorite of the group, with them using what we all agreed was just the perfect amount of garlic. The Sausage & Basil was also pretty satisfying as well. And I remember being initially impressed by the unusual flavor of the Potato & Rosemary pizza, but after a few more slices it soon lost it's lustre. We made the right decision in ordering that pizza as a half.

Take note Pizza Clubbers, these pizzas are BIG! The five of us who did manage to make it out last night found ourselves intimidated by the amount of pizza we ordered, but on the whole, too much pizza is never considered a problem. Overall, these pizzas didn't disappoint, but they didn't exactly blow minds either. I'd refer to this place as that "ole' dependable" kind of neighborhood joint that you'd support if you lived nearby, but not the kind of place you'd exactly go out of your way for. Rock-solid, but not outstanding.

Pizza Metro II is BYOB and also has a small cooler of sodas in bottles, cans and 2-liters. The seating area is fairly small (I'm curious to see the original Pizza Metro's seating area if this place is considered "expanded"), and last night it was a bit chilly in their restaurant, but we were soon warmed up with our pizzas. The prices were fairly average, with beverages and a LOT of leftover pizza to take home it came to about $14 a Pizza-Clubber. Since we probably had enough pizza left for another 4 members, it would have been less than $10 had more people shown up. The staff were all very helpful and friendly as well.

Petey gives Pizza Metro II a 6.75/10.


Italian Sausage & Basil to warm us up...


Potatoes on a pizza?! Yes, it's true


The crowd-pleasing Pepperoni & Garlic


Where it went down