The Pizza Sola Blog

Pizza Sola is starting NEW BEER SPECIALS!  For the coming weeks we will be hosting nightly happy hours from 5-7pm.  This week’s feature is Full Pint’s White Lightning.  One of my personal favorites, this 5.5% ABV whitber is an awesome beer for summer.  Nice and light, the White Lightning is perfectly refreshing on one of these hot summer days.

In addition to the new happy hours, $1 CANS are here to stay for the time being.  While we can’t guarantee exactly what will be in the cooler, our manager Ben has been doing a great job of keeping the coolers stocked to the brim.  We dare you to find a better special in Oakland being offered all day every day.  If you can, I bet they don’t sell the city’s best pizza!

Stop on by and try the WHITE LIGHTNING. It’s cheap, it’s great, it’s MADE HERE IN PITTSBURGH and you can eat some fantastic pizza while you’re enjoying it!

-Nick Nientimp

*Must be 21 or older to order.  No exceptions.

-Nick Nientimp

Many of you have been asking about it for a long time… And it’s finally here! Pizza Sola is proud to announce that delivery service is now available at our Cranberry location.

For all of you pizza connoisseurs who might be too busy to pick up a pizza yourself, we’re bringing it to you! That’s right; you don’t even have to leave your house for a slice of Pittsburgh’s Best Pizza! Our Pizza Makers in Cranberry are now sending pizza out the door and straight to wherever you might be!

This service is for you, our customer, so take advantage of it! The temperature is rising so don’t let your temper get even hotter in all of the traffic out there! Just call in, order from us, and we’ll bring the pizza right to your door!

You say you’re trying to get in shape for beach season? No problem! Order one of our Margarita Pizzas, or maybe an Herbivore for a light or health conscious option. Why not order a Hawaiian Pizza to put you in the mood for summer? Even better, why not create your own style, and let us know how it is! We would love to hear what types of Pizza you think are the best in the summer time.

Most importantly, the Buccos are finally back in town which means it’s baseball season so sit back, give us a call, and enjoy the game while we bring the pizza to you!

-Nick Nientimp

We know pizza is one of the most popular foods. We’ve done a blog on its history. And we serve it up – fresh and yummy - every day. So, we know our pizza….but even we were surprised by some of these fun pizza facts!

So, here’s sharing some awesome trivia facts. Category? Pizza!

The Margherita Pizza was named after a Queen.

Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States…and that may be a low-ball estimate!

Popular international toppings include, but are not limited to: pickled ginger, minced mutton, and tofu in India, squid and Mayou Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon) in Japan, curry in Pakistan, and green peas in Brazil. In Russia, they serve pizza covered with mockba, which is a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. Red herring is also popular in Russia. In France, a popular combo is called the Flambee, with bacon, onion and fresh cream. Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple on their pizzas; while Costa Ricans favor coconut. Yup — coconut on pizza!

America’s first known pizza served was in New York in the year 1905.

Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day!

93% of Americans eat at least one pizza per month.

The number one day for U.S. pizza consumption is Super Bowl Sunday, and second is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving — which is also one of the biggest drinking nights of the year!

Pepperoni is the favorite topping in the U.S.

Pizza is one of the “most-craved” foods in America. Also on the list? Cheese, chocolate, and ice cream.

For more fun pizza facts, check out this infographic!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

College students know that there’s nothing like a good slice of pizza after a night of drinking. There’s also nothing like an ice cold beer to go with your favorite pizza while watching the big game. And who doesn’t love an office party complete with one or the other?

Needless to say, the age-old pizza-and-beer combo is a perfect pairing for partiers and professionals alike. Bold flavors and unique varieties of  both will have even the most discerning gourmand on board if paired correctly.

So, how can you enhance your pizza-and-beer experience beyond that of the typical late-night run?

For starters, you can branch out beyond your usual pizza choice and try some of our more unique pizza selections to enhance your palate.

Want to know how to make the experience even better or which types of beer go best with each kind of pizza? Here are some tips:

This may sound counterintuitive, but to offset the acidic nature of the tomato sauce, a lightly acidic beer would work best.  A good Pilsner is nearly always the beer of choice for pizza and sauce lovers. So try this with one of our classic red pizzas!

A pale ale would go best if your pizza is loaded up with meat toppings.

With lighter pizza types, such as our white pizza varieties, and other gourmet pies that do not use tomatoes in the sauce, the lightness is best countered with a heavier beer, like an Irish malt (think Guinness) or a Belgian beer.

And….in all honesty, you can’t go wrong! Though these aforementioned pairings are recommended, you can have fun trying which combo works best for you. Since pizza is a more bread-based food, just about any beer will work, and, at the end of the day, it’s all about finding a taste that you prefer.

So, enjoy! And don’t forget about Pizza Sola for all of your awesome pizza needs! Check out our current specials, here.

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

Pizza. We accept it as a staple of our culture, but did you ever wonder where it all began?

The history of pizza is an interesting one.

Pizza. You’d think it’s been around forever….and you’d be correct. Historically speaking, pizza is a type dish that has existed since time immemorial in both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. By the year 997, the term had appeared in Medieval Latin, and in 16th century Naples, flatbread was referred to as a pizza.

Back then, it was a dish of poor people, sold in the streets and not really considered a standard recipe for a long time thereafter. Before the 17th century pizza was covered with red sauce and then eventually replaced by oil, tomatoes or fish.

In June 1889, to honor the Queen consort ofItaly, Margherita of Savoy, the Neapolitan chef RaffaeleEsposito created the now-popular ”Pizza Margherita,” a pizzamade with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, to represent the colors of the Italian flag. A fun fact? He was the first guy to add cheese. (THANK YOU for that!)

However, the sequence of events through which the earlyflavored flatbreads of ancient and medieval Mediterranean became the typical pizza dish popularized in the 20th century is not really fully understood.

One thing’s for sure – everyone from college students to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, from suburbanites to cultured foodies, can appreciate a good slice of pizza. Whether traditional or gourmet, pizza is here to stay. So stop by Pizza Sola for the best slice in the ‘Burgh!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

 

We all enjoy a good slice of pizza now and then. But, did you know that there is some science behind the reason why?

Other than the obvious fact that it is amazingly yummy and totally delights our tastebuds (especially when it comes from Pizza Sola!) recent studies have found that comfort foods like pizza actually cause a positive chemical reaction in our body! According to Psychology Today and CNN, studies have confirmed what we already know — that comfort food – specifically pizza – not only makes us feel better, but also shows that that these kinds of foods change us even on a biological level.

Just think – now you can satisfy those late-night cravings without guilt — after all, you now know that it’s just that simple — we’re hard-wired to enjoy pizza!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

Pizza Sola in Oakland and MANIAC Magazine had a pizza party happy hour!! The Oakland location now offers beer and specialty soda’s making it a great after work destination. More »

I tried Pizza Sola for the first time and was given the opportunity to write a blog about my experience.  I have great news...it was as good as they say it is! More »

Every year the Dirty Ball seems to get bigger, better and a true part of Pittsburgh lore. The event raises money for the contemporary dance company Attack Theatre and promises a memorable night that includes "salacious soirée of grog, grub, and gyration". More »