The Pizza Bistro.
12001 Burnet Road @ Mopac
832-5550
30.40762°N, 97.713615°W
WiFi: Yes.
Pepper grinder rating: 1.
Men’s room: 2.5.
Dwight’s comments:
I won’t recap the history of how the Mangia on Gracy Farms and the one on Lake Austin turned into “The Pizza Bistro” (which I still think is a silly name): if you’re interested, that history is here. We debated whether we should do The Pizza Bistro this soon, but we figured they’ve been running a restaurant for a while now, even it was under a different name; surely, in this case, a month is sufficient.
How was it? Well, I liked it. It did seem that “The Pizza Bistro” was trying to be maybe a little more upscale than Mangia; the interior furnishings looked just a bit classier, and it seems they tried to class up the menu as well, with things like truffle fries. I was glad to see an expanded menu; not just sandwiches, but more appetizers, and you can even get a bowl of French Onion soup with your pizza.
And the pizza? It looks very much like Mangia’s, and tastes close to the same. I do think the crust and sauce are slightly sweeter, and the sauce is smoother than I remember Mangia’s being. I like it that way, but tastes may differ.
Will they make a run of it? Beats me, but if they don’t, I doubt it will be because of the quality of food; everything I had was quite good, and I’d be happy to go back. I’m curious about the brisket pizza…