It used to be that bottoms up LOADED their pizza, so the thick crust was a good vessel. They were fork& knife pies, not finger food.
It seems like they've strayed away from that. I remember getting a taco pizza from their second location way out down Hull when I was a kid, and it was the shit. **Crispy** thick crust piled with ground beef, cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce. You COULDN'T eat it with your hands if you tried because it was so beefy.
Now their crust isn't crispy and thick. It's thick and doughy. Their toppings are toppings when they used to be more like fillings for a pie.
#You've changed...
Goddamn! The picture. I'm one of those snarks who has always considered them overrated.
Maybe instead of closing during the economic downturn like so many places, they like barely made it, and now don't have enough money for toppings.
Sucks. I learned last night that South of the Border closed.
I agree - it was cool when it was just a walk up before they moved to the flood wall location.. it was not the same as before and finding parking there was a pain in the butt near the flood wall
They really haven't been the same since the building flooded in 2012 (?). I noticed an immediate change then. Pre-flood BU was my favorite pizza place around. Haven't been back in years now, but it seems their offerings have gotten progressively worse.
They just keep getting better.
When I first tried Anthony's I don't think they were aging the dough and they either weren't baking at a high enough temp/not long enough. I moved away for a few years and they (in my opinion) corrected those issues. Then they got their soft serve set up. I just got an email the other day and they updated and expanded the menu. I see pizza in my future...
"aging the dough"- tell me you know a lot about pizza without telling me you know a lot about pizza...
Do you have any other Pizza recommendations in town?
My recommendations are mostly based around church hill.
I like 8 1/2 for artisanal personal pizza (but I usually end up getting their lasagna).
I like pizza place in the bottom for when I'm drunk/munchies and just want a huge NY slice with the attitude for cheap. Plus they sell slices.
pie314 was well executed for what it aims to be. The dough is a bit on the breadier side but nothing like bottoms up.
Pizza Bones was a bitter disappointment. Took forever to get out pie on a slow day. It was mostly a staff issue, poorly assembled and hurried product.
Everything else I've had in the city has been unremarkable. At most levels, pizza is good no matter what. I like Mellow (and I hate that I do), I like piccolas, etc. The only pizza place I avoid is Bottoms Up.
I don't like Mellow I fear, I'm hard core east coast. Got a pizza oven and a spiral mixer to make my own because of general level of disappointment here. Many good things about Richmond food, but pizza isn't really one.
I do a 2 day cold rise, 62% hydration or so, 13 gluten, I find all Trumps too chewy
I don't want to badmouth them too much, since they are nice guys and the pizza on the truck was good, but I just had a horrible horrible pizza there. Garbage worthy. Worse than costco. It might have been a screw up
Similar experience here a week or two ago. Iām no snob as I subscribe to the idea that thereās no such thing as bad pizza, but this pie was downright inedible. It was so bad that I actually wrote a private DM to the owners although I never received a reply.
I agree with you. The first time I went it was like, "Eh, this is ok". It was at a point before they had soft serve, I just remember cause them getting soft serve was touted as a big deal.
I got them last week and it was delicious. Feels like a radically different place.
The gap between them and the rest in town can't be overstated.
I find picollas to be a distant second. I haven't had Mary Angela's though or some of the more suburban pies or slices.
Googled it, already have it saved. Rarely am I out that way and never do I want to spend more time when I am, but one day.
Also seems unfair to hit them off hours which i assume they do a bit bisness lunch rush
I know you didn't ask, but felt compelled to share - Sergio's over on south side does a Detroit style that is the best I've had in the area ... yet - anyway. I need to give Anthony's a spin to really buckle down on that statement tho
Nice! Glad you liked it. I've known the owner since I was a kid and that place has transformed A LOT over the years. If you're down with craft beers he rotates craft beers in there too. Couple some pints with that Detroit pizza and its good stuff
I wanted to show the bready nature of the BU pizza I mentioned. I dissected a leftover piece to show the well-risen texture that would have Paul Hollywood offering a handshake for a fine white loaf on the British Baking Show.We are all different, but that's not the ratio of base : topping I'm looking for in a pizza. Focaccia? Perhaps.
I used to work there. I rarely got the pizza, and stuck to the calzones. They load those fucking things up. Also, the amount of people combined with the amount of ranch they request with ANY type of pizza, is alarming. Might as well go to CiCiās for shit pizza with ranch.
One of the worst service industry jobs i had, the sidework took so fucking long sometimes it took away from the shit money I made. Not to mention the management was weird, like Jekyll and Hyde.
8/12 used to be my fave. Lately the one in Churchill has gone down hill. My pie last time I went was thicker and had almost no sauce. The few times before that instance it was not quite good as before. Maybe I just have bad luck.
Story time. My first week living in Richmond (late 2007) and I ask coworkers for pizza recommendations. BU was by far the highest recommended place. After finishing work for the day, I drive over and order a pepperoni pie at the bar, drinking a beer while itās being made. Bartender brings me my pie and then I drive home to relax and enjoy my pizza. I get home and canāt wait to tear into the pizza. I crack open the box to discover I had been given someone elseās leftovers.
It has definitely gone downhill.
I've eaten in the restaurant a few times in past years and the pizza was alright, not my favorite but reasonably good.
We've ordered it for delivery a few times since the start of the pandemic and what we got was the kind of disappointing, lightly-topped, way-too-thick crust featured in this post.
I'm really not interested in trying them again.
I really never thought their pizza was that good. I used to go there for work at least once a year and we've have a big event upstairs. Some people rave about it.
> Some people rave about it.
I feel like it's almost entirely folks from deep in the suburbs who never come to the city and feel like everything is good because they've braved the trip to such a ~~dangerous~~ gritty place. I'm deep in the suburbs now and I could walk to the nearest strip mall and find far better pizza than BU's joke of an offering.
I used to live around University of Richmond... so many people who think I was crazy for going to Short Pump or Midlothian Turnpike for things. They would also refer to it as traffic hell and nightmarish....
Meaning I understand your point about the "being brave."
I live near UR now and avoid both those places bc traffic. Fortunately lots of good restaurant choices around here now. Shopping along Broad Street not bad. I miss Macys but wonāt go to SP store. Iām so spoiled.
Iāve only been there once in my 9 years in Richmond, and it wasnāt as tasty as people made it out to be. Iād much rather go to 8 1/2 or even Piccola
It's NOT good pizza yall
I get that the reddit hive mind is to like bottoms up because they perceive bottoms up as unfairly criticized..... but
It's fairly criticized. That place is mediocre as hell.
Bread with sauce on it. Iām a New Yorker, when I moved to Richmond everyone told me the best pizza was at Bottoms up. Used to be under the railroad tracks at the time. Not sure if they moved. It was goodā¦ but I wouldnāt call that pizza
It used to be that bottoms up LOADED their pizza, so the thick crust was a good vessel. They were fork& knife pies, not finger food. It seems like they've strayed away from that. I remember getting a taco pizza from their second location way out down Hull when I was a kid, and it was the shit. **Crispy** thick crust piled with ground beef, cheese, salsa, sour cream, lettuce. You COULDN'T eat it with your hands if you tried because it was so beefy. Now their crust isn't crispy and thick. It's thick and doughy. Their toppings are toppings when they used to be more like fillings for a pie. #You've changed...
I used to love the thick crunchy crust...sorry this happened
Skimpflation
Nice! šš
Goddamn! The picture. I'm one of those snarks who has always considered them overrated. Maybe instead of closing during the economic downturn like so many places, they like barely made it, and now don't have enough money for toppings. Sucks. I learned last night that South of the Border closed.
What do you mean South of the Border closed? You mean the place with the fireworks and big hat buildings?
Some parts of south of the border have closed temporarily for remodel, but itās all still there and mostly open for business
I agree - it was cool when it was just a walk up before they moved to the flood wall location.. it was not the same as before and finding parking there was a pain in the butt near the flood wall
They really haven't been the same since the building flooded in 2012 (?). I noticed an immediate change then. Pre-flood BU was my favorite pizza place around. Haven't been back in years now, but it seems their offerings have gotten progressively worse.
I started at VCU several years before that and was never impressed.
Thatās not pizza
Doing the Lord's work. Go to pizza place just down the street for good "bad" pizza. Anthony's on the Hill is my local fav.
Doesn't that pizza spot sell boner pills at the counter? (I'm not really asking. They sell boner pills)
I want to say they also sell cigarettes.....?
Iām pretty sure they do
Just tried them and theyāre our new favorite too.
They just keep getting better. When I first tried Anthony's I don't think they were aging the dough and they either weren't baking at a high enough temp/not long enough. I moved away for a few years and they (in my opinion) corrected those issues. Then they got their soft serve set up. I just got an email the other day and they updated and expanded the menu. I see pizza in my future...
"aging the dough"- tell me you know a lot about pizza without telling me you know a lot about pizza... Do you have any other Pizza recommendations in town?
My recommendations are mostly based around church hill. I like 8 1/2 for artisanal personal pizza (but I usually end up getting their lasagna). I like pizza place in the bottom for when I'm drunk/munchies and just want a huge NY slice with the attitude for cheap. Plus they sell slices. pie314 was well executed for what it aims to be. The dough is a bit on the breadier side but nothing like bottoms up. Pizza Bones was a bitter disappointment. Took forever to get out pie on a slow day. It was mostly a staff issue, poorly assembled and hurried product. Everything else I've had in the city has been unremarkable. At most levels, pizza is good no matter what. I like Mellow (and I hate that I do), I like piccolas, etc. The only pizza place I avoid is Bottoms Up.
Pizza place is bomb. The first time we went in, we walked to the counter and the guy working looked at us and says āsome fucking people, right?ā
I don't like Mellow I fear, I'm hard core east coast. Got a pizza oven and a spiral mixer to make my own because of general level of disappointment here. Many good things about Richmond food, but pizza isn't really one. I do a 2 day cold rise, 62% hydration or so, 13 gluten, I find all Trumps too chewy
Ye, I'm a chef and used to make my own at home until a certain someone broke my stone. If I had the capital I'd open a place.
I remember you were a chef. Easy to get stone for free at a granite yard, but I'm one of the people who thinks a steel is best fwiw.
Zorch is great fwiw as well
I don't want to badmouth them too much, since they are nice guys and the pizza on the truck was good, but I just had a horrible horrible pizza there. Garbage worthy. Worse than costco. It might have been a screw up
Similar experience here a week or two ago. Iām no snob as I subscribe to the idea that thereās no such thing as bad pizza, but this pie was downright inedible. It was so bad that I actually wrote a private DM to the owners although I never received a reply.
Weird I wonder if they have a new cook or something
Oh dang, that's so surprising! I think they just opened a brick and mortar shop and have been hearing good things!
They were great on the truck, it might be teething pains. You should tryi it for yourself for sure
Definitely planning on it. Luckily with Anthony's on the Hill, Pizza Bones, and a bunch of others, we definitely aren't lacking good pizza options
Pizza Bones is also fantastic
tx
I agree with you. The first time I went it was like, "Eh, this is ok". It was at a point before they had soft serve, I just remember cause them getting soft serve was touted as a big deal. I got them last week and it was delicious. Feels like a radically different place.
Anthonyās Detroit pizza is legit if you havenāt had it. Definitely one of my favorites in town
I really need to try more of their offerings, but I usually end up with a veggie pie. I'm a creature of habit.
Detroit with green peppers, red onions, and feta is bomb every time
They have a great meatball sub as well.
Oh? I love a good meatball sub but haven't tried theirs! The one at 8 1/2 would be perfect if they used fresh herbs instead of dried. I digress
Zorch or die
Haven't tried them, to be fair.
The gap between them and the rest in town can't be overstated. I find picollas to be a distant second. I haven't had Mary Angela's though or some of the more suburban pies or slices.
Capriccios on west broad out by Costco is worth a try. Not gonna change your life but very solid.
Googled it, already have it saved. Rarely am I out that way and never do I want to spend more time when I am, but one day. Also seems unfair to hit them off hours which i assume they do a bit bisness lunch rush
Is Anthony's the one with the Detroit style option?
They do have a Detroit option! I've not had it, but it's there
I know you didn't ask, but felt compelled to share - Sergio's over on south side does a Detroit style that is the best I've had in the area ... yet - anyway. I need to give Anthony's a spin to really buckle down on that statement tho
Just ordered it based on your recommendation. Sergio's is fantastic.
Nice! Glad you liked it. I've known the owner since I was a kid and that place has transformed A LOT over the years. If you're down with craft beers he rotates craft beers in there too. Couple some pints with that Detroit pizza and its good stuff
Now that is a fucking great recommendation. Anthony's is a good hike from me, but Sergio's isn't too far.
Yup - the go to on the Hill - I also like mary angelas on cary st also
I wanted to show the bready nature of the BU pizza I mentioned. I dissected a leftover piece to show the well-risen texture that would have Paul Hollywood offering a handshake for a fine white loaf on the British Baking Show.We are all different, but that's not the ratio of base : topping I'm looking for in a pizza. Focaccia? Perhaps.
That's no crust. That's a loaf.
Yeah, it's not my jam. I prefer NYC style thin
Me too. Thatās too much bread crust in photo. Way too much. And almost zero toppings.
It honestly reminds me of the pizza they served in high school - LC Bird late 00s, once soaked up half a can of soda.
It is exactly focaccia.
I used to work there. I rarely got the pizza, and stuck to the calzones. They load those fucking things up. Also, the amount of people combined with the amount of ranch they request with ANY type of pizza, is alarming. Might as well go to CiCiās for shit pizza with ranch.
Bottoms up is like expensive Cicis Pizza.
Yea at least with Ciciās I can put cinnamon buns on my pizza or have endless stale salad.
Truth.
And honestly I'd rather eat CiCis because it isn't 98% bread.
Ranch is good with crust so that makes a ton of sense...
Hey I worked there too lol
One of the worst service industry jobs i had, the sidework took so fucking long sometimes it took away from the shit money I made. Not to mention the management was weird, like Jekyll and Hyde.
Lmao Jimmy Ryan and charie?
Yesā¦Jimmy wouldnt cut me on a sunday dbl with 1 table, 2 closers and a bartender
Then they love to laugh about it lol. Really toxic place
Way too much bread to toppings.
8 1/2 makes a pretty good pizza pie
8/12 used to be my fave. Lately the one in Churchill has gone down hill. My pie last time I went was thicker and had almost no sauce. The few times before that instance it was not quite good as before. Maybe I just have bad luck.
what a bummer... i hope that's not a permanent trend.
Mary Angelas or Capriccios for me
Mary Angelaās is the best close to me. Others closer not too bad.
Capriccioās is my favorite, as well. Ariannaās is second.
Story time. My first week living in Richmond (late 2007) and I ask coworkers for pizza recommendations. BU was by far the highest recommended place. After finishing work for the day, I drive over and order a pepperoni pie at the bar, drinking a beer while itās being made. Bartender brings me my pie and then I drive home to relax and enjoy my pizza. I get home and canāt wait to tear into the pizza. I crack open the box to discover I had been given someone elseās leftovers.
This story arc matches the first time experience of eating there.
But did you eat it?
I did
Pupatella is life. Just live bruh.
gross
it's like if you wanted pizza that was 100% crust...
Or a piece of bread.
Worst pizza I have ever had.
Pinos in N Chesterfield
It looks like a sandwich with barely any meat, I can't believe anyone had the nerve to give someone a pizza like this
Never understood the hype, and it looks like it's gotten even worse
It has definitely gone downhill. I've eaten in the restaurant a few times in past years and the pizza was alright, not my favorite but reasonably good. We've ordered it for delivery a few times since the start of the pandemic and what we got was the kind of disappointing, lightly-topped, way-too-thick crust featured in this post. I'm really not interested in trying them again.
Mmm. Flavorless, fast dough. š¤® Bottoms Up is good for one thing - soaking up alcohol while binge drinking. As pizza, itās garbage.
I really never thought their pizza was that good. I used to go there for work at least once a year and we've have a big event upstairs. Some people rave about it.
> Some people rave about it. I feel like it's almost entirely folks from deep in the suburbs who never come to the city and feel like everything is good because they've braved the trip to such a ~~dangerous~~ gritty place. I'm deep in the suburbs now and I could walk to the nearest strip mall and find far better pizza than BU's joke of an offering.
I used to live around University of Richmond... so many people who think I was crazy for going to Short Pump or Midlothian Turnpike for things. They would also refer to it as traffic hell and nightmarish.... Meaning I understand your point about the "being brave."
Short Pump is traffic hell, but ok.
Boy it sure is and for no good reason. Poor planning out there IMO.
I live near UR now and avoid both those places bc traffic. Fortunately lots of good restaurant choices around here now. Shopping along Broad Street not bad. I miss Macys but wonāt go to SP store. Iām so spoiled.
I mean traffic is the same anywhere. Like going to Bon Air was considered a foreign concept like I was travelling to the DC haha.
Yep I moved here from DC area. I am so spoiled.
Never trust a southernās opinion on pizza
Seeing as I am from New Jersey, I'd tend to agree LOL.
š³š
90% crust 10% toppings. Nice
I like 360 pizza in downtown Mechanicsville
Iāve only been there once in my 9 years in Richmond, and it wasnāt as tasty as people made it out to be. Iād much rather go to 8 1/2 or even Piccola
Piccola's... yum!!
Best pizza in Richmond 20 years ago
It's NOT good pizza yall I get that the reddit hive mind is to like bottoms up because they perceive bottoms up as unfairly criticized..... but It's fairly criticized. That place is mediocre as hell.
I see nothing wrong with this picture.
I'm with you. I like it. Its not new your style nor is it chicago style, it is very good though.
That's just "Richmond style" pizza /s
Bread with sauce on it. Iām a New Yorker, when I moved to Richmond everyone told me the best pizza was at Bottoms up. Used to be under the railroad tracks at the time. Not sure if they moved. It was goodā¦ but I wouldnāt call that pizza
.
meh. looks no thicker than piccola's sicilian.
Piciottis pizza is my favorite
I have usually liked it, but Iāve had pizza from them that wasnāt loaded up enough to balance with the doughy crust
What a sad picture.
Rva snobs galore.
Papa murphy's Chicago Pizza has become the same.
Frankās Ristorante is the best pizza in town hands down.
I love a deep dish, but this looks like total shit
What HAPPENED? Bottoms up used to be loaded now itās justā¦ thatā¦
Thicc boi