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"There's no way that this place can live up to the expectations" was the common consensus amongst our group of six that dined here last night.
Before we get there though, flashback to 2008. One year ago, I heard of this place. After hearing about the unbelievable wait and unwilling to invest 3+ hours of time regardless of the deliciousness of the pizza, I placed Pizzeria Bianco in a spot in my mind reserved for the unattainable such as owning my own private island or being with Megan Fox.
Then one day, somebody informed me that Bianco accepts reservations for groups of 6+. Hallelujah! I immediately made a reservation only to find that the first available was about a month later. Undeterred, I booked it.
When the day came, I was not disappointed with appearances! There's something about the decor of both the Pizzeria and the little bar next door that makes it very inviting. It almost felt like I was showing up at a party that somebody invited me to.
The food itself was good, almost great, but again, with the expectations and the wait, it was difficult to fulfill. The sampler appetizer platters showcased some wonderful cheeses and olives and cured meats. The salads were crisp and flavorful. The pizza itself was a little thin and crispy-crusted for my personal liking, but the ingredients were fresh as can be and delicious.
One thing that I missed was more of an emphasis on tomato-based pizzas, which amongst our group, was the first pizza to be quickly snatched up and eaten.
Overall, a wonderful experience, but I don't know if I'd come back again simply due to the logistical coordination required and the high price blowing my expectations beyond what could be satiated.
Pizzeria Bianco: The Aftermath
A (very) short screenplay
Setting: A darkened hotel room in Glendale. Moonlight streams through the window; the air is thick with the stench of deception. A text message conversation takes place...
Girl: Would you be terribly upset if I left you for a pizza?
Guy: I'm honored I'm still in the running.
Girl: The salami on the Sonny Boy almost had my heart... almost.
Guy: So Sonny is his name?
-thunder clap followed by dramatic music-
End Scene
I ate here years ago and then Cibo opened.
Less of a wait, better desserts, affordable wines on the menu, and pizza that was just as good...sorry Bianco. Haven't been back since.....
Darn Food Network!! Too much people here, waited 3hours for just 2 people for whatever seats - bar seats. 4stars because of the wait, but 5stars for the food though.
Was it worth it? Not for 3hours, that just pushes you over the top with patience and so much more. Good thing for them I was with a close friend so it was definitely a fun wait time to catch up in, but we were hungry soooo hungry. Walked around all over.... CHASE Stadium picked up hot dogs off food vendor, overlooked at monster rally going on, walked around museum areas and etc..
The wait is so insane they have another house by them just for people to wait at, drink & snack there =/ Its really like a house inside, kinda weird but koo at the same time. Dim lights in there. Pizzeria Bianco already has a couple patio wood tables outside around it for people to chill at too. Its just a waiting frenzy!
Pizza: Oven brick baked. Seriously was good though. Good enough for 1hour wait for 2 people, maybe 1 1/2 - 2hour wait for table of 4. Thin Pizza, fresh & oOOo so yummy. Better than my Under the Brooklyn Bridge Pizza, almost.... but hey freaking good for a place like Arizona right?
Salad - not really worth it. Drinks are mostly bottled, so dont get it if you're super thirsty.
Take Out: No take out unless you're seated. If seated, you need to order it the same time you put in your order.
Service: You'll be surprised. If you sit at the bar, its wonderful service. The time wait apology, drink order, food order chat, appitz comes, food comes & a nice check on how we like it etc....
Groups: Better to come by yourself, two people or 4 at max. If you come with 3, lets just hope it doesn't take an hour longer because of the 3rd person haha
Parking: Difficult to find.
Tip: It opens around 5:30pm I think. Come no later than 4pm! And you might find parking.
I'm somewhat new to Arizona, so when relatives from out of town said they had heard of this place on the Food Network and knew what they needed to do to get in, I figured why not?
We get off work and head over to meet them at 5:00, when the place opens. There is a small valet lot (full) and a public parking garage ($12.00) which the restaurant will validate (only $9.00, though, you still have to cough up $3.00). Our dinner companions already had a table inside which was great because there was a huge crowd outside. Inside, the restaurant is teeny-tiny, with maybe six tables that seat four or more, a few tables that seat two, and a bar area where people can eat. The bathrooms are one-at-a-time only and the ladies' toilet did not flush properly.
I scanned the menu and quickly realized that they serve pizza and some salads - that's it. So if you have any dietary restrictions you're pretty much f*cked. While we are waiting for our food to arrive my dining companions inform me that they showed up at 3:00 to secure a table. THREE?!??! and they WEREN'T the first in line either! WHAT?
Bread comes and it is homemade and delicious, with a crispy-outside, spongy-inside thing going on, and the inside was the best - soft and delicious with huge swiss-cheese-like bubbles (don't know how else to so eloquently put it). Then drink refills come. No one else is being served (so they fire up these orders TO order, not bad, okay). I didn't have salad but they looked pretty good - buffalo mozarella and fresh basil, huge slices of tomato for the caprese. Kalamatas on the baby greens salad.
Pizza comes out, finally! $12 each for personal-sized pizzas with thin crust. The four-cheese was great; you can really taste the separate flavors of the cheeses. Arugula on top. A couple of the pizzas had salami or sausage on them. Too salty (and I LOVE salt so yeah, that's saying a lot if even I am critical on that point). One pizza's crust was not burned but charred black on half of it. But it's food so it can't be perfect every time now can it.
A table of two finished/paid/left. They were the first people to finish from the first wave of customers and it was after 6:00 pm when this happened, and there was still a shitload of people outside. Meaning that if you don't line up at 3:00 to get in at 5:00, the soonest you can be seated is after 6:00 (and that's likely if you showed up between 3:30 and 4:00 for a table).
Here's where it gets tricky - we paid, but were finishing our drinks. We were NOT the only ones there taking up a first-wave table who hadn't left yet. And after paying $150 for PIZZA (give me a break, please) the hostess came over and asked us to clear out because "people waiting outside are getting upset." Hey, I can see how that sucks for them but we're customers too and so is everyone else around us who have been lounging around for this long. When we exited the restaurant the people waiting outside were giving us (and everyone else who was leaving) DIRTY looks. Bitch please - it was YOUR decision to come here and wait in this ridiculous line, for one. For two - the food isn't that great anyway. Would I ever come here again? Hell no would I ever wait in a line that long for ANYTHING, not even if they sprinkled diamonds on the overly-salty meats. Oh, and I woke up twice in the middle of the night feeling like my face was caving in on itself and had to get up to go drink water.
OK I am from upstate NY and have partaken of a few really good artisan pie's in my time! We (my wife and I) were big fans of Mr. Bianco's pies when he was at his original location at the Town and Country and are big fan's of the present.
I like drinking wine, so waiting next door...added bonus! Is the pie worth the wait.... unequivocally yes! The parmigiana, pistachio and onion pizza is one of the best pizza's I have ever eaten. The best possible ingredients make for the best pizza's and Chef Bianco is good! Hence it's pricey, but great ingredients cost money.
I haven't been in awhile, because I just don't have the time to invest in a long wait and I have had to cut back on the wine :(.....but if you have time and you appreciate pizza as good as it gets...enjoy the wine for me!
Seriously?
You made us spend $120 on wine while we were waiting for pizza?
Seriously?
And we were stupid enough to spend $120 on wine while we waited three hours for pizza?
Seriously?
And the pizza was average at best. Even in my drunken, munchie-induced state (wink wink), the pizza didn't live up to the hype or make up for the three hours of life I'll never get back. Let alone the $120 I could have spent on 12 bottles on wine at Costco and been happier.
Seriously?
The Background:
* on a nippy and overcast afternoon 4 of my restaurant colleagues and I patiently waited 2 hours and 45 min. for a table.
* My first exposure to Pizzeria Bianco (PB) was while reading Peter Reinhart's book "American Pie" in 2004.
* I am a research Chef - my job entails depth of research on various food items. I've done extensive research on Pie's around the US and have dined at some of the most reputed pizzerias throughout the country.
The Story:
* After reading several of the reviews here I've concluded that PB is not for everyone. I won't go into details about how incredible this place is or how every inch of PB can be summed by a quote from Chris Bianco in the book "American Pie" - "Pizza is my metaphor, and I believe my mission in life is to make the best pizza in the world. I really do." I won't fill this review gleaming about the spiedini appetizer that my group of 5 professional foodies actually wanted to play "paper, rock, scissors" over for the last piece. If you've done your research you already know that Bianco's "metaphor within the metaphor" of his pizza's is the Rosa. And you should already know that the Rosa experience is the experience of all experiences in the world of pizza's while maybe actually being the best pizza in the world! But you don't have to hear that from me. What I want to talk about is the actual experience of PB - because if you are going to PB for the best pizza in the world then your expectations will fall far short of that goal - In summation you go to Pizzeria Bianco for everything - the wait, the conversation before the seating, the excitement of actually getting into the place and then finishing with the bragging rights to say you've been there, done that, and hopefully got a copy of the menu or at least a t-shirt (like I did).
What to expect:
* a wait - all of the rumors are true. You will wait to get on the wait list and then the cuties who take the names will give you an estimate of the time you will wait to get a table - that wait is pretty accurate so don't think that the Pizza Gods will part the clouds and drop pies from heaven any minute sooner than your first estimate. If you have a difficult time holding a conversation for more than 30 minutes - stay home and order the new butter crust pizza from Domino's. Trust me, you'll be better off.
* Adverse weather during your wait. Let's face it, Scottsdale is not known for it's cool temps and rainy days. You see where I'm going with this?
* Great conversations, no distractions, anticipation. All of these components make for a great meal at any place in the world. PB provides you with slightly more opportunity to indulge in bonding. I found out that I actually enjoy spending some down time with my co-workers. We had a great time waiting, drinking, texting, eating olives, nibbling on cheese (offered at Bar Bianco next door) and chatting.
* Artisan Pizza - No this is not your average Wolfgang Puck pizza, nor is it a deep dish Chicago, and don't even compare this to a "thin crust" NY pizza. This is classic Neapolitan style pizza at it's finest.
* great Ingredients - Pistachio's, prosciutto, red onions, etc, etc... All of it is quality and great.
* Professional waitstaff - some peeps may be turned off by a waiter who does not stumble over words and descriptors. some peeps also don't like to get recommendations from a waiter nor do they like to have said professional waiter in a t-shirt. You see where I'm going here?
* A small 40 seats (or so) restaurant with a very small menu.
* An older crowd. I mention this because it's relevant for two reasons. 1. Disposable income 2. A general need for simple cuisine done really well 3. quite a bit more patience than your average 23 year old and 4. usually well versed the finer things in life. (I know I said 2 things...)
* Some of the best Neopoliton pizza you can have without traveling to Italy.
What not to Expect:
* Instant gratification.
* An American dining experience.
* The best pizza in the world or even the best pizza in the U.S. That designation is very personal and very subjective.
The Slice:
* I think I could have had the best pizza in the world had I had dinner with Miriam Leone and drove off in a black Ferrari F430 to a suite at the Phoenician - but I digress.... For me - Pizzeria Mozza is the best pizza in the country, I've had some great Neopoliton pizza consistently at Il Ritrovo in Sheboygan (of all places), and I love Grimaldi's coal fired pizza in NY but really every single one of those places is distinctly different. If I could give PB another star I would - primarily because the EXPERIENCE was one of the best food trips I've ever made. The Pizza is great as was everything we had at PB. I highly recommend the place only if you can maintain an open mind (if you look at some of the worst reviews here you will have a difficult time understanding what was actually bad about the food).
* Pizzeria Bianco FTW!
I've read that brevity is the soul of wit...
Brevity is also a wonderful thing when it comes to the waiting time for your dinner of Italian peasant food...pizza:)
Brevity is not Pizzeria Bianco's strong suit...(nor mine, in writing reviews, but we're not talking about me:)
After my second visit in 4 years (and 4th visit overall), I'm trying to figure out what PB's strong suit is:(...public relations and marketing, perhaps?
Creating the "Pizza Placebo Effect"?
I generally try not to knowingly go anyplace that aggravates me, whether it's for dining, for drinking, for entertainment, for using the restroom...really for pretty much anything:)
So why were we back at PB after a good solid 4 year run of avoiding this particular aggravation?
Other people, that's why:)
Other people wanted to go to PB...other people wanted to try the Wiseguy and the Marghareta and see Chris's oven and have mozzarella cheese and what not... and so the Beautiful Carin (who has the patience of a saint) and I took them out to PB the other evening...well, it was evening when we started:(
We went...we waited...we had some pizza...and it was pretty average artisan pizza...
Was it the worst pizza I've ever eaten?...oh no...'sup, Totino's?
Was it the best pizza that I can remember eating?...oh no...How you doin' Flying Pie in Portland and Di Fara in Brooklyn?
Is PB worth the aggravation?...Sadly, not for me:(
For me, it's hard to overlook the attitude at the door, and the "you're barely worthy of eating here" attitudes of the servers (both in Bar Bianco and Pizzeria Bianco), as I try to enjoy my evening.
I understand that all the kids "assisting Chris" at PB think they're pretty special to be working at PB and all...but...it's a pizza joint...would it hurt them to at least try to be personable and pleasant?
It's also hard for me to overlook the multi-hour wait to dine at PB (and, truth be told, we've been here before...we did come expecting a wait...we were prepared to have wine and relax...I even had my flask, so I had a scotch and tried to relax)...still 3 1/2 hours...for pizza?
I can fly 1/2 way to NYC in the time it takes to get a table (and the flight attendants on Continental are sweet and pleasant to me...feed me drinks in 1st class...you know...they make me feel appreciated:)
And speaking of "appreciated"...it's hard for me to overlook the lack of appreciation we've encountered at PB:(
The few times we've been to PB, the staff hasn't seemed to be in a pleasant mood...very quick to tell us "the rules of PB" and eager to let us know that if we weren't good little customers, there were 50 more people in line that would happy to take our places:(
You know what... they are right...there were 50 more people that would have loved to see us leave and they would have moved up in the queue.
But it's obnoxious of the folks at PB to make that the overriding theme of the evening and it belies any pretense that they might try to concoct about "customer service" and being the "the best possible pizza experience for each customer"...the attitude of "we're PB and you're not" is pervasive and unpleasant:(
And frankly, when I spend well over $200 for pizza, wine and cheese for 4 in the course of a 3+hour wait, get a rush job on the very late dinner and a lamentable lack of service from the waiter (who's busy chatting with friends or "regulars" at the counter)...well, it causes me aggravation.
But the good news is that I won't be back for another 4 years...less aggravation for me and more spaces in the line at the door:)
This place has definitely taken a nose-dive for the worse.
I haven't been here in nearly two years now and I remember when they first moved to their new location, all the time I've defended the "long wait" (it used to be worth it!) and everything, but I can't anymore.
It's always sad to see a good thing die. I don't understand the 5-star recent reviews at all, but I assume all of you were drunk at the (ingenious marketing plan) bar next door before eating. If you're a regular or come in with a large group, you might get a decent pie. Otherwise, there are numerous local pizzerias left that are still worth the effort. Just try to keep the word amongst yourselves, because Phoenix pizzerias tend to give up on quality or giving-a-damn once they achieve any sort of acclaim. You aren't New York City. You're Central Phoenix. You can't afford all of the eye-rolling unless you produce better than hit-or-miss pizzas after hours of waiting.
If it's any consolidation, though, Bianco's sandwich shop on Central is still rather great.
Cute restaurant, superb NY Pizza and very good service. Worth the 1 1/2 hour wait for one person on a Monday night? NO. I believe the hype of the joint and when I go back to PHX next month I will go back, but with friends. To painful of a wait for one person. Oh and BTW that was waiting for a seat at the bar.
First some background for context.
One of the two of us who contributed to this review is of 100% Italian heritage and grew up in an Italian neighborhood in NY. Pizzeria Bianco was recommended to us by another couple who are long time friends, who used to live in Paradise Valley and who ate at Bianco frequently. They are "foodies" whose judgement in food we trust and the husband is also a native New Yorker with 100% Italian heritage. So, when they highly recommended Bianco, we were looking forward to great pizza. And since great pizza is among the world's most perfect food, we didn't even mind the long wait we knew would be a part of eating at Bianco.
BUT...well, we felt completely duped by this experience.
The pizza just was not that good. And it certainly wasn't good enough to justify the nearly two hour wait for a table. Even if that wait was made easier by being able to sit outside on a lovely Arizona evening while enjoying a good glass of wine from the wine bar next door and getting to meet a nice family of New Yorkers, also with Italian heritage, who had come all the way from Queens to try Pizzeria Bianco.
We went in for our table ahead of them. On our way out, as they were eating their pizzas and we had finished ours, the father gestured with a big "thumbs down" and we said we agreed.
I guess it made us feel better because we felt very much like the little boy in the story of the Emperor who has no clothes who, while all others are admiring the Emperor's finery, cries out "But he's nude!"
The good news is the salad that started off the meal was delightfully fresh and dressed just right with a lovely vinaigrette. The pizza itself was just not "all that"...the crust was OK but burned on the outside edges. Not burned as in nicely charred, burned as in incinerated. We've had lots of good wood fired pizzas and this is not a "requirement". Toppings were minimal, which is a good thing to let the crust shine when the crust is great, but in this case there was just too little topping. And the poor, harried waitstaff acted as if they were doing diners a favor to let us eat there.
All in all, we're glad we tried this one time to simply experience first hand a place that was getting so much hype. But with so many really great dining options, including pizza, in the greater Phoenix area we won't be back here during our upcoming visit. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice...
I guess I just forgot about this place since I haven't been back for a while.
Great pizza! Definitely try the Biancoverde and the Sonny Boy, they are my fav! Also so the mozzarella, tomato and basil salad! Yummy for the freshly homemade mozzarella! I ordered this every single time. And try dip the bread into the extra virgin olive oil? hmm!! :)
I had to take off a star (since we don't have a half star) for the waiting time. Normally it's 1.5 - 2.5 hours for me in the past, unless you go around 9pm. Oh, forget to mention, they only open on Tue - Sat, dinner only and dine-in only! Reservations have to be made a month in advance.
It's worth the wait.
Seriously!
This pizza was perfection. Since I had already waited two hours (thankfully a $5 cream ale held me over), I figured I'd get two pizzas to take some home. Both were lip-smackingly delicious. The crust was thin and chewy and the ingredients were so much better than what you find at just any pizzeria.
I would gladly wait two or three hours again for this pie.
Seriously!
So....I'm a wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza freak. Like Aaron's review states, there is no place like Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples and once you've had it, you become compelled to find a place stateside that is as good (or even close?). So when I saw that Bianco was rated #1 in America I knew it would only be a matter of time before I booked a ticket to Phoenix....
I expected to wait in line and, despite the 90+ degree weather, resolved to enjoy it as part of the process. Once our names were on the list, we scored a seat in the wine bar next door (brilliant set-up when you have a captive audience) and enjoyed a couple of glasses of chianti while we waited.
It wasn't long before our names came up and we were in. More wine was ordered and we started with appetizers of spiadini (grilled, prosciutto-wrapped slices of fontina on rosemary skewers). Killer.
We tried three of the pizzas- and they were all excellent. Given the popularity, I thought the prices were totally reasonable.
Not sure what other negative reviewers expected. Maybe the wait and hype builds too much expectation or maybe they'd be just as happy with a Dominos pie. C'mon people, it's pizza- there's only so much oral pleasure you're gonna get....
Bottom line, eating at Bianco is as much about the experience and celebrating a guy who's reached the pinnacle of success doing something he loves. Even if I can only experience that vicariously, I will do so happily.
I came here on a recommendation of a friend from NYC that this was quite possibly one of the best pizza places in the United States. Of course, I'm pretty biased towards loving my New York style thin-crust pizzas but I decided to give it a try.
My friend Rachael and I arrived at around 5:30 pm hoping to catch the Suns game (about 5 blocks away!) at 8 pm. My friend from New York had warned me about the wait time, but when we arrived, we saw no line and found that it wasn't terribly crowded inside. However, once we got in and put our name down, we found out the wait was 2.5 hours! The hostess kindly suggested we go to the bar next door while Rachael and I debated back and forth whether or not to wait that long for pizza.
Anyways, we ended up going to Bar Bianco right next door (brilliant idea to have this place open next door) and waited for our turn. We were called about 7:45 pm (2 hour and 15 minute wait). We ordered the Margherita pizza - $11 (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil) and Biancoverde -$14 (Fresh Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta, Arugula - aka lots of cheese). The Margherita was perfect with the right amount of tomato sauce/basil taste and the Biancoverde was good up to the second slice where it might have just been a tad bit more cheese than I can take in all in one night.
Thumbs Up: price (relatively cheap - we spent about $30 for both of us with two pizzas including tip!), quality, staff was very friendly, and lastly - probably the best pizza i have ever had in my life.
Thumbs Down: the wait (was horrible - but drinking does help), uber small space (why can't they just add an extension and make the wait shorter for everyone?)
So looks like someone at that craphole called Bianco's can't handle criticism and is send private messages. Further proof place is bogus
People of Phoenix,
Are there no other pizza joints in your city to continue supporting mediocre food…
Read more »
In short: Waited 2 1/2 hours for the best pizza I've ever had. The wine bar next door has $4 Hop Knots: highly recommended.
For the Value: 5 Big Fat Stars (my boyfriend & I spent $45 together for our whole meal)
Plan for next time: someone gets us on the list and we all hang out at my house (10 minutes away) having wine and appetizers, playing Apples to Apples while we wait. 'Twil be good times. =)
There is no place like Antica Pizzeria da Michele, but you need to be in Naples Italy to eat there. Most pizza in Italy is really not great like they make you believe. It is almost as hard to find great pizza in Italy as it is in the USA.
Bianco is good but not worth the 2+ hr wait much of the time. I think Patsy Grimaldi's Pizzeria is almost as good but less pricey (still not cheap) and no wait. If Bianco was closer to me in Chandler I'd go more often but Patsy Grimaldi's Pizzeria is a mile away and 90% as good.
Wow! OK, we had heard about it and I never thought I could get my husband to wait for 4 hours -- but we both agreed...totally worth it! Actually the wait was fun in the lively wine bar next door, the service was great and the conversation with other patrons interesting. What were we thinking only ordering one pizza? A master piece! Another 'best' for AZ -- I am already planning our return!
BEST PIZZA i have ever tasted. Couple things you must understand about this place. DO NOT COME HERE HUNGRY. Why. You will be waiting a couple hours. Me recommendation is to arrive 2.5 hours before they open and make sure you make the first cut off, if not you will be waiting for another 3 hours. They also have my favorite drink you cant find anywhere these days. Bubble Up.
My recommendations:
Capresse
sonny boy
margarita
Pizzeria Bianco was voted #1 pizza in America. Being NY pizza die-hards, a few of my friends and I decided to check it out while visiting a friend in Arizona.
We had expected a wait but never expected it to be 3+ hours! We waited about an hour to put our name on the list and they said it was going to be a couple of hours. Rather than hanging around, we decided to make use of the time shopping nearby. We called back after an hour and they said to check in again an hour later. We checked in again and they said we should come back to the Pizzeria. After we got back, we hung out at the quaint wine bar next door and waited some more.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally got seated. We shared 3 pies -- the wiseguy fennel sausage, margherita and biancoverde. It may be because we were famished beyond hunger by then but the pizza was very good. The ingredients were fresh and the pies were piping hot.
We decided to get 2 more pies to go...to justify the long wait. :)
I've never waited so long for food and doubt I will do it again even though it was good.
For me, DI FARA in Brooklyn NY [http://www.yelp.com/bi...] is still my FAVORITE ANYWHERE...and the wait is not as long.
Great Pizza! Great food! Great service! Still, this place isn't perfect....
BE PREPARED TO WAIT! Alright, most people seem to know this going in (we did too). However, when you arrive at 7:00pm, and they say you won't be seated until 11:30pm, that doesn't mean you can put your name in and show up at 11...which we almost found out the hard way: **At 10:00pm they will do one last head count. If you're not in the vicinity, soooorrrrry!** Luckily we were calling in every hour for updates (which they recommend, btw). At 9:40pm we called and got the news that we better be there for the last head count (information we probably could have used earlier), and had to hurry on back from our meanderings downtown. At 10:00pm we were deemed worthy to stay on the list and wait another 45 minutes or so.
Service: the hostess knows she holds all the cards--sort of like the lady at the cash register for the Soup Nazi. However, a smile was all it took to get one back from her for me. Still, I can see how others might misconstrue her attitude as something less than cordial. Our server was great though! Very helpful and fun. He was as excited to serve us as we were to eat there. Good stuff!
The pizza is indeed great! But after waiting 4 hours, I was expecting the heavens to part and birds to sing and the ground to shake. Nope. Just made-from-scratch, meticulously-thought-out, high-quality pizza. A light and airy, smoky crust, a decent sauce and fresh mozzarella formed the basis of the Sonny Boy and Wise Guy pizzas that we tried. The quality and tastiness of the toppings were also apparent. We were impressed. This was absolutely great pizza--one of the best we've ever had. ...I just don't know if I'll hurry back to Pizzeria Bianco to wait that long again.
I've been meaning to try this place for the past several years, but have been put off by the wait time. Last night (Friday), my friend (a former Phx resident) was back in town for a quick visit and wanted for us to finally try out Pizzeria Bianco. We put our name down around 8:30pm and were surprised to hear the wait was only about 1hr 15mins -1hr 30. We went next door to the bar (which was super cute, btw!) and chatted over a bottle of wine. Right when we started to get really hungry, we were notified that our table was ready. Yay.. time to find out what all the hype is about!
Since there were 6 of us, we decided we'd order 1 of each pizza so we could try it all. However, once the waiter came to take our orders, we all changed up our orders. After about 10-15mins or so, out came our pizzas. Well, 5ish of the 6. I say, "5ish," because the 6th one was really really burnt (whereas ours were just "really burnt") and the waiter said another one would be made and ready in 2 mins.
We all hungrily waited for the last pizza to come out and when it finally did, we dug in. I dont know if it's bc we waited a few mins or what, but all of our pizzas were soggy. That combined w/ the burntness made for a very bleh pizza. While it wasn't horrible, I dont see how it could get all the hype and 5 stars that it does.
Since the ingredients were really fresh, the wait wasn't as bad as anticipated, PB (and the bar) have a cute cozy atmosphere and the service was good, I'd be willing to give it another try.. but definitely not if the wait is any more than 1.5hrs.
My parents and I visited this place early in December and I completely forgot to check it out on Yelp for a review. But the Gods were with me and the timing was right (lucky), and we got in first seating at 5 p.m. I had seen the place years ago during a Monday Night Football game between the Bears and Cardinals. You know, the Dennis Green meltdown game. ABC showed video of the dining room as a bumper for commercials, saying it was named best pizza in America, and I imagined it to be a much larger place.
We arrived around 4pm on a Friday and found 20 people lingering outside. By 4:30 the line was down to the Bar Bianco building, which is about another 30 or so people deep. I'm sure everyone is familiar with this issue, so I'll skip to the part where we were the last table seated. Super lucky again.
I've had the Neapolitan pizza before at a place called Spacca Napoli in my hometown, Chicago. While they are very similar, Bianco's has an edge in the toppings department. The Margherita had great tomato flavor and the cheese was certainly one-of-a-kind. Basil was fresh, green and spicy. Some people find the classic pizza to be not to their liking, or generic, but to sell this pizza chefs have to adhere to certain traditions, including using imported flour, oil and an internship in Naples. It's like a flat-bread on steroids. It's not perfect and generally the middle is a little floppy. If you know this going in, it helps.
Probably wouldn't repeat because I can get it at home way easier, although Spacca Napoli gets real busy in the summer. Overall the experience was awesome, and a handshake from the owner/chef, Chris Bianco, on the way out sealed the deal. You just can't discount that kind of personal attention.
As usual I jump on the bandwagon about a year after a place is considered cool. And wouldn't you know it...
I love this place! The prices are very affordable, which is surprising considering it is widely known as the best pizza in the country. Only 12 bucks for a pizza? I'm sold.
Show up early if you can, and put your name on the list for a table. You can go to Bar Bianco for a glass of wine or Rose and Crown for a pint while you wait for your table. It is a wonderful place to sit and relax, Heritage Square has great atmosphere.
A very smart gentleman ordered his food for pickup, which is another option for those of you who don't want the hassle of waiting for your table.
Their food is delicious, from the antipasto to the pizza you cannot go wrong.
My husband and I heard about this place on the food channel and made it a goal to visit while we were in Phoenix. We heard from the locals about the long line and decided to set aside time to just experience it. An experience it is. We arrived about an hour before it opened, just to get on the waiting list. Our wait was 2 1/2 hours of which we spent sitting outside having a couple drinks and appetizers from the bar. Everyone else waiting seemed to be in good spirits and made for good company. No one seemed upset at the wait as all of us were there for the same thing. A taste of what ever was creating the wonderful smell drifting from the pizzeria. Periodically a greater would come by just to verify that those on the waiting list were still waiting.
Once inside the incredibly quaint pizzeria, we were greeted by friendly staff and waiter. We never felt rushed and simply enjoyed some of the best pizza we ever had. The atmosphere is enjoyable and relaxing. We spent around $100 because we wanted to, not because we had to. The pizza is around $11-15 each which is very reasonable.
Should you decide to visit, be prepared to spend time waiting. Be prepared to enjoy yourself and relax. Be prepared to have a conversation with other people around you. Most of all, be prepared to have to endure smelling the incredible pizza for 2 hours before you can eat any. This restaurant is about the experience, and it is an enjoyable one. We will return the next time we have the opportunity to visit Phoenix.
It truly pains me to have to write this review of what I would otherwise consider an excellent establishment, but recent events prevent me from recommending this restaurant to anyone.
Yes, this may be a bit of a rant, so in an attempt to be balanced, let me offer a little perspective.
Pizzeria Bianco was one of the first places that I ate at when I moved to Phoenix earlier this year. The food is very good. The service is good, but I was immediately aware that the business model is very flawed, in that I have never waited for less than 90 minutes for a table. It is true that you can pass the time quickly in the adjacent wine bar, and I have done so on many occasions. The wine selection is above average, and the environment is pleasant.
However, the business manager (owner Chris Bianco's ex-wife) is a truly miserable human being (ask any of her employees), and her imprint on the approach to customer service at the restaurant is unmistakable. The management believes that there is absolutely no incentive to provide anything resembling an enjoyable experience for their patrons because there are unlimited numbers of people who will wait upwards of 4 hours for their signature wood-fired pizzas.
As a fan of excellent food, I do appreciate their attention to detail and excellent craft. But the consistent manner in which I see loyal customers disrespected and outright abused is completely unacceptable.
While I do love their pizza and antipasto (which is not, irreplaceable I might add), after many months of consistent patronage, I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone.
So I had been hearing alot about this place for a while and told my biz partner we need to go do some R&D and check this place out ..Being a Chef and restaurant owner it takes alot to impress me and thats exactly what happened I was very impressed by the whole set up.. The wine bar next door is a nice touch(money maker) to grab a glass while you wait for the restaurant to open...The historic building fits the rustic pizza vibe here to a tee...We started with the spiedini and the housemade mozzarella and tomato apps, the homemade cheese especially the fontina is great...Then we ordered one of each pizza the biancoverde and the wiseguy took the crown for me but they where all delicious on that great wood charred crust..c'mon where can you find pizza these days that are put together with such pride from the in house made cheeses to the top quality ingredients the fennel sausage is awsome....this place is a must try..Did i mention we flew in from L.A just to try it and flew home the same night and it was worth it!
I'm going to keep this short and sweet. The pizza is delicious and the wait is ridiculously long. However, I look back now and I do think it was worth the wait. Would I do it again? Maybe once a year.
We got there at 5:20 p.m. (20 minutes after opening) and there was already a 3.5 hour wait. Well, we stuck it out and three hours later we were stuffing our faces with five different kinds of pizza. My favorite, although they were all delicious, was Biancoverde and the close second was Rosa.
The wait time they give you is not an exaggeration, so come prepared with friends to talk to, parched to drink wine, or with a book to read.
So this is what happened...
Everyone that I meet is telling me about this goo goo gaga pizza restaurant down in Phoenix called, Pizzeria Bianco. So I finally decided (after living in Phoenix for 2 years and some time) to go check out this crib out.
My first impression walking into this house was wow it's nice and cozy. The hostess was very attentive and gave me a smiling greeting (that doesn't make sense but deal with it). She said it would be a 20 min wait and I was in shock. People were telling me that the waiting list was usually 1-2 hours, sometimes 3. But let me tell you a little secret. People are dumb and they go eat out on a Thurs-Sat nights. Guess what people do on those nights? They go eat out... SOOO to give you some advice, go eat out on a mon, tues, or wed and stop complaining about the wait time.
Well I ordered a margarita pizza and some sparkling water. The pizza came out and I didn't go wooo lala or WOW amazing or 0_0. It's only a pizza. I took the first bite and it tasted like good pizza. That's the only thing it tastes like... good pizza. So I don't understand why people go crazy over this place. It's only pizza.. But ya my meal was great and I left happy..
THE END
There probably isn't much I can say that previous reviews haven't already! But I can assure you that it's worth the wait. Of course if you don't want to wait you could just take five of your closest friends and make a reservation. Reservations for parties of 6 or more are welcome. However, if any member of your party is late consider your reservation null and void. Don't blame them - there are others outside that have been waiting hours for a table.
But seriously worth the wait. Chris Bianco tosses all the crusts himself! The ingredients are always fresh! It's best to go with a group so that you can order multiple pies and try them all. I'm also a very big fan of their grilled veggie appetizer - it's marinated to perfection!
Don't let the wait scare you off! The adjacent wine bar has great prices and it's a nice wait splitting a bottle of wine on a picnic table outside!
Good pizza - yes! The best pizza I've ever had - no. This place was more about the experience and ambiance than the actual pizza for me. Just like everyone tells you, you're going to wait 2.5 to 3 hours for a table for two. Sounds ridiculous, but just be prepared to make an evening out of it (and do not come starving). We sat at the bar next door during our wait which is a fabulously cozy, home. They have small shared plates and a nice selection of beer and wine to choose from while you wait. When it came to the actual pizza - yes, it was good but I think you can find better - or at least comparable elsewhere. Overall, great expereience but not worth the hype.
Scale of 1-10 (single visit):
9 Food
7 Service
9 Atmosphere
7 Value
Because of the unGODly waits, I just can't recommend this place. And there's nothing (major) I think they should change besides some gruff service created by their desire to turn tables in the wake of such pressing demand, it's just that why would you wait 2-3 hours for this pizza when you can get equally as good stuff with no wait over at Cibo? If Cibo had showed up on TV instead of Bianco, the roles would be reversed, but it didn't, ironically making Cibo the best pizza place in Phoenix.
This is one of our favorite restaurants- be prepared to make a day of it!
How we get seated: We go to the Arizona Science Center (right next door), look around, and then at 3 go get in line at Bianco's. We're natives, so the heat is no biggie. The lines are much shorter in the summer! We bring a deck of cards and hang out at the picnic tables, taking in the scents of the adjacent herb garden. Everyone has always been pretty respectful of others' position in line. If we don't make the first seating (only about 40 people), we put our name on the list and go next door to Bar Bianco.
What we eat at the bar: The menu changes to include seasonal additions, but some of our favorites have been the grilled foccacia with fontina (deliciously salty and melty) and the olive sampler (they're real olives with real pits, so watch your dental fillings!).
What we eat in the restaurant: You must try the tomato and mozzarella salad. A bit of added salt balances the flavors perfectly. The tomatoes are perfectly textured, and the mozzarella is so silky! I've tried some of the market salads; I've never been disappointed, but I can't stop ordering the tomato and mozzarella. The bread provided with the salad is great- super crusty and chewy! Love the local olive oil! My favorite is the margherita pizza. So simple, but unbeatable! I would recommend letting it sit for a few minutes before chowing down; the flavors really come out once it gets to less-than-brick-oven temperature.
About the service: We've never found a place with better service. We've been going there for several years, and have always been treated with a low-key friendly attitude. Lots of reviewers have said that the staff is snotty- my only guess as to why this would happen is that the customer turned up the snotty Scottsdale attitude. If you don't want to wait, don't go. Don't complain to the staff; it's not their fault.
We finally bit the bullet and decided to wait for dinner at Pizzeria Bianco. I was disappointed. No, I was angry at how bad an experience it was.
I won't be so naive as to complain about the wait, we went knowing it would be a long wait, and arriving at 4:45, we were told it would be 3.5 to 4 hours. No big surprise there. Luckily we were actually sat at 7:45, so that was nice.
The market salad was great, a super light vinaigrette, super fresh escarole greens and nicely shaved parmigiano reggiano. The Antipasto was amazing as well, with roasted vegetables and olives and sopressata. So far I was very pleased with my meal.
Then came the pizza. We ordered the Wiseguy, and added mushrooms and garlic.
Now I've had thin crust pizza cooked in a wood fired oven before, but I have NEVER had it be not only undercooked in the center but completely sopping wet. We're talking grab the crust and pull a slice to your place and only get 2 inches of actual pizza, with the rest of the mush still in the center of the plate. Ok, so its a little undercooked, big deal right?
Wrong. So wrong. The sausage must have been sitting next to the anchovies (which I like) because the sausage slices on half of the pizza tasted like bait chum smells. If you've ever been to a harbor, and smelled that rotting fish carcass smell, imagine how that would taste and you'll understand.
My wife apparently lucked out and didn't get any pieces with that taste because she said it was fine. I was not so lucky. When she had a leftover slice the next day though she got a taste of that and literally lost her lunch.
I'm a VERY forgiving type with restaurants, but I am not ok with waiting 3 hours to feast on undercooked rotted fish tasting pizza. I've never been angry about a dining experience before now, but that's the only way I can describe this debacle.
I may give it another chance, but only after I've simmered for a while.
Simply put, it's worth the wait. So many people complain that it's two or three hours for a table. Folks, at shopping malls across the country, people GLEEFULLY wait as long or longer to eat at Cheesecake Factory or PF Chang's. Bianco's pizza has been acclaimed by many to be the best in the country. I haven't had enough pizza around the country to verify those claims, but I know it is without a doubt the best pizza I have ever had.
The menu is simple enough. Two appetizers, three salads, and six pizzas. I've been there enough times that I've had everything on the menu, and there isn't a dud in the bunch. The antipasto platter is chock full of oven roasted vegetables so delicious that I joyfully devoured even the vegetables that I normally despise. Insalata caprese is wonderful. The first time I tried it was the dead of winter, and those tomatoes were INCREDIBLE. The handmade mozzarella was terrific, too. Of all of the pizzas, my favorite is the Margherita. It is the Platonic ideal of what a pizza should be- tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, and perfectly crafted pizza crust, everything in perfect balance.
Like I said, the wait is no problem. I'd avoid going on a First Friday or right after a ball game lets out. When you check in, just let the hostess know you're going to stroll around downtown. Come back an hour later, enjoy a bottle of wine in Bar Bianco while you wait for your table to come up, and rediscover the lost art of conversation. While you're eating, just remember the poor schmucks who waited three hours to dine in a shopping mall.
Pizzeria Bianco is kinda like the hot girl all the guys liked in high school. Everyone knew she was top cheerleader and would date the captain of the football team, at the same time you also had a sneaking suspicion that their family would resemble "Married with Children" in a few years. I know that all of Phoenix is a twitter with love for this establishment, but I say no. DON'T GO HERE.
The hostess acts with total disregard for the people waiting and the pizza reminds me of California Pizza Kitchen, but not quite so pleasant. With the four hours of your life you will spend wasted waiting for dinner here, either enjoy one of the many other amazing local pizzerias or visit a neighborhood place in any other city that will put this establishment to shame.
Yes it's the best in Phoenix and probably well beyond Arizona, too. The sausage "Wise Guy" pizza is a national treasure. We heard a rumor that they bring in the NY water. It starts with the home made materials and the chef does it right. Arrive by 4pm and you'll likely be in the first seating at 5. Hardest working pizza chef needs a statue built for him. Highly recommended.
I would give it 5 stars if it were not for the 3+ hr wait. If you're into masochism, then this is the place for you because you'll be rewarded with some amazing pizza after 3 hrs of pure torture.
Goto Grazie in Scottsdale instead for a pizza that's nearly as good and an ambiance that blows Bianco away!!
Phoenix, AZ
Category: Sandwiches
Phoenix, AZ
Category: Pizza
Phoenix, AZ
Category: Pizza
Phoenix, AZ
Category: Italian
Phoenix, AZ
Category: Sandwiches
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