Highly Awarded Southwest Minneapolis Pizza

I am so pleased I asked my husband, Kevin, at the last minute on an early Saturday evening to go out for pizza at Pizzeria Lola. It exceeded my expectations. As we walked in the door, I was so grateful we were early for dinner since there was already a wait at 5:00. The hostesses were very friendly, took our name, and informed us that while we waited a server would come around and take our drink order. Then, they would just add it to our dinner bill so there was no need to mess with two different payments and tracking him down quickly to pay a bill before being seated. What a great way to handle the long lines of guests waiting! We were quickly greeted while standing by the bar and our drink order was placed. Just as we received our drinks, our table was ready and the transition was smooth. They have no buzzers so the hostesses had to keep track of everyone and they did a fine job of finding us and showing us to our table.

The superb service continued as our server Leah, introduced herself, greeted us by name and told us we were sitting at the highest prime number table in the restaurant! It was a great start to a wonderful meal.

I was truly hoping they would have Brussels sprouts as their seasonal vegetable and they did not disappoint! It was served with bite-size pieces of butternut squash, pearl onions and a generous amount of freshly shaved cheese on top. I loved all the burnt, crisp pieces of Brussels sprouts leaves along with the larger parts of the sprouts.

I opted for the The Iowan pizza. It consisted of ricotta, mozzarella, garlic confit, La Quercia prosciutto and arugula. The smooth and creamy texture of the ricotta was nicely balanced by the slight peppery taste of the arugula. The prosciutto gave just the right amount of saltiness which rounded out the entire pie. This is a great choice, especially if you prefer white pizzas but without a heavy cream sauce added.

Kevin opted for the special pizza of the evening which had the base of a Margherita pizza but they added 'Nduja salami and Peppdew peppers. Kevin thought it had the right amount of heat, delicious flavor, but could be too spicy for some. The crust was cooked wonderfully and had the right consistency to balance the flavors as well as tone down the spice. Again, it definitely had some kick to it!

We had to have dessert so we were deciding between their house made soft serve ice cream and trying to decide how to order it. Leah guided us perfectly by suggesting we order two of the DIY ice cream sandwiches, one with the vanilla with olive oil and fleur de sel and the other with mint topped with chocolate covered cocoa nibs. The ice cream came in the old fashioned tulip cups and the warm chocolate chip cookies were served on the side. We both preferred the vanilla with the olive oil and fleur de sel. It was a perfect blend between the creaminess of the ice cream and the smooth flavors of the olive oil. It was almost more savory than sweet. This was nothing like a Dairy Queen soft serve!

I highly recommend you try Pizzeria Lola as your next pizza outing. It will spoil you for what it means to have a high quality pizza for a reasonable price. And, if you are with friends or family, it is worth sharing a dessert! The service was outstanding and made the entire experience completely enjoyable despite the large crowds growing by the minute as we were dining.

And, for a little fun, they have a photo booth in the back you can check out and they post the pictures all along the wall by the bar. This is easily a place to take the entire family with choices for everyone. Just be prepared to wait...for a table but also for the deliciousness that will not leave your mind any time soon!

Pizzeria Lola