Kennedy’s Chicago Pizza

Kennedy’s Chicago Pizza offers some of the most authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizzas in San Antonio. Kennedy’s was founded by Clint Kennedy, a Chicago, Illinois native. The restaurant has remained family owned since the first location at Potranco and HWY 151 opened in 2009. Since then another location on San Pedro has been established, broadening the deep-dish reach.

Kennedy’s does pizza a little differently. Traditionally, pizza is layered in a consistent fashion: dough, sauce, cheese and then toppings. Kennedy’s starts with the dough, adds the cheese and toppings directly to the crust and then pours the sauce on last. The sauce becomes trapped on top of the pizza without flooding the plate thanks to the deep dish crust, and, since the sauce does not soak into the crust, the pizza stays firm and the toppings don’t slide off the slice.

Aside from their deep dish specialty, Kennedy’s offers thin crust pizzas, calzones, wings, pasta, salad and even Chicago-style hot dogs. They serve beer and wine as well.

Try the deep dish Meat Head topped with pork sausage, bacon, hamburger, ham, pepperoni and Canadian bacon. Or, if you are hungry and feeling brave, try the Monster of the Midway topped with pork sausage, pepperoni, bacon, hamburger, ham, Canadian bacon, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives; the Monster comes in various sizes, but if you can finish the 14-inch deep dish in less than 45 minutes, it’s free.

Goomba’s Pizzeria

Goomba’s Pizzeria brings traditional New York-style pizza right to the plates of the people of San Antonio. Located at the Collonade (9825 IH 10), Goomba’s Pizzeria bakes “real pizza” brought to you by a “real paisan” and offers a great atmosphere reminiscent of a pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York.

The pizza at Goomba’s is well-crafted with only the freshest ingredients, and they make their own sauces and dough in-house. The crust isn’t crunchy or dry, but isn’t necessarily chewy; the consistency is spot on. The pizza can be a little greasy, though, and it is not baked in a brick-oven.

Goomba’s is a fairly priced restaurant. They offer lunch and dinner specials, they sell by the slice (a rarity at most pizza places) and 20-inch pizzas start at $14.75. Goomba’s menu consists of only one crust style for pizzas, but includes submarine sandwiches, calzones, Stromboli, pastas, pizza rolls and desserts, including cannoli, tiramisu, cakes and cheesecake. They do not serve alcohol.

Try the margherita pizza, topped with olive oil, garlic, fresh tomato, basil and parmesan and mozzarella cheese, or the Goomba’s supreme, topped with pepperoni, sausage, onion, mushrooms, bell peppers and black olives.

Big Lou’s Pizza

Big Lou’s Pizza (2048 S. WW White Rd) has become a popular destination for tourists in San Antonio. Big Lou’s signature 42-inch pizza, which weighs in at almost 70 pounds, has been the restaurant’s alluring feature and was even featured on the Travel Channel’s show “Man vs. Food.”

The taste of a Big Lou’s pizza lives up to the giant sizes they choose to make their pizzas. The crust is doughy, the pizza tends to sag and toppings tend to fall off while you’re eating, but the flavor of the rich, wheat dough brings the entire pizza together. The sweet red sauce and the fresh toppings make the pizza more than a novelty.

The menu at Big Lou’s is reasonably priced and boasts calzones, wings, salads, wraps, pastas and desserts. Big Lou’s does not serve alcohol. Try the BBQ brisket pizza, topped with two kinds of cheeses, brisket and a homemade BBQ sauce.

Hollywood Pizza

Hollywood Pizza, located at 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy, is a fantastic restaurant that brings Hollywood to San Antonio. The pizza, combined with the restaurant’s atmosphere ,is what makes this spot worth trying.

The pizza itself is basic. It isn’t baked in a classic brick-oven; the crust is neither chewy nor crunchy; and the ingredients, while undeniably fresh, aren’t anything to gaff about. Yet, the pizza as a finished product is good.

The menu is based around famous icons, actors and films — the specialty pizzas and calzones boast names like “James Dean,” “Sid Delicious Meatza” and the “Al Capone Calzone” — and, aside from pizza, the menu offers wings, salads, desserts and burgers. Hollywood Pizza also offers three pizzas worth mentioning; the “Godzilla 25 x 50-inch,” the “King Kong 50 x 50-inch” and the “Joan Jett 100 x 100 inch.” These three pizzas require a 24-hour advance order and cost $38, $98 and $395 respectively.

Try the “Elvis Hawaiian,” which is topped with pineapple, bacon, ham, red peppers and parmesan cheese, or the “Frankie Goes to Hollywood,” topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage and fresh mushrooms.

Maria’s Pizza

Maria’s Pizza (3529 Oakgate Dr.) is family owned and operated and located off Wurzbach and Vance Jackson. From the outside, the building resembles that ofa dry cleaner, but what is being crafted inside is far more interesting.

The pizza served at Maria’s is magnificent. Fresh dough is made every day as is the sauce. The pizzas aren’t baked in a brick-oven, but the flavor is very similar. The crust is chewy without being flimsy and isn’t soaked in grease like other pizza places. The toppings are also diced by hand.

Maria’s Pizza is the quintessential neighborhood pizza place. The restaurant does not have a website, nor do they have a menu available online. The menu is simple: pizza in small, medium and large sizes, sub sandwiches and calzones. They do not sell alcohol nor do they have fountain drinks available, just sodas in cans.

Try a pepperoni pizza. The simplicity speaks for itself.