Pizzeria Bianco

06/06/08

If you don't mind being herded around like cattle, visit Biancos

by expectingclass at Citysearch

We showed up at 5:30 for pizza at what was supposed to be a great experience at the renouned Bianco's. Renouned...? NOT. More like infamous. We gave our name to the name-taker guarding the restaurant entrance. She suggested we catch a movie, shop, whatever, as it would be 2 1/2 - 3 hours to wait. But, we could call to see if there were any openings. We called as our movie was ending and hurried over to the restaurant on the receptionist's encouragement. Got there and there are empty tables, but we are told we must wait another 20 - 30 minutes. I left. .. Not without complaining. The receptionist will tell you that you can get a drink, walk around, go to a movie, but that is a lie. You must remain at the site, panting in over 100 degree heat, until you are given the nod to enter. Not worth it under any circumstances. I can get good food a lot of places. Service still counts to me. Besides that place is so tiny, it is is uncomfortable.

• Pros: Cute little houses in the area to look at if you want to see a few old buildings.
• Cons: Not worth the wait or the rude service.

05/21/08

Great pizza very questionable service??

by kattynca at Citysearch

I have heard this was the best pizza in town. I believe it might be but I couldn't tell you. The wait was over three hours when I stopped in. It 's very small and very busy I manged to see some of the pizzas they looked amazing. But three hours was just too long of a wait. I can understand it's popular. I can't recollect how the service was but judging from many of the reviews I have read the customer service sounds horrible well, at least not many people had very nice things to say about the hostess. How can she be so snotty?? Get over yourself!!! And how can she still be employed? If that many people have had bad experiences with her than she must really be horrible. Things that make a good restaurant in my opinion are good food, and good customer service. I am willing to wait for a good experience but bad service? That can break any good restaurant!! I am no longer intrigued. Maybe they should start taking reservations and some internal cleaning?

• Pros: Supposed to be amazing food
• Cons: Very rude hostess???

05/01/08

Great pizza, but is it really worth it?

by bobnlaurie at Citysearch

There's no question that the pizza hype is accurate. Fresh ingredients, herbs clipped right on the property, authentic wood fired oven, and the passion of the owner/cook. But to be completely honest, this experience isn't for the feint hearted. The waiting process is unreasonable unless you know the routine and use it to spend time with friends and drink wine for hours before eating. Also, there is some truth to the comments about the receptionist's attitude. I'm sure she's had to put up with a lot from unknowing customers, but that is pretty much self-imposed by the restaurant. They need to either change the process to put her in a better position, or they need to find someone with thick skin, patience, and super-human service orientation. Back to the food. As mentioned, the pizza is praise worthy, but the choices are limited, the wine selection at the restaurant is very limited (and the wine is warm), and not much else on the menu. I realize the point is to get your pizza and move out so they can get more customers in. There is only room for 44 customers at a time. My suggestion is to get your wine from the wine bar next door and bring it into the restaurant. They allow that and the selection, and temperature of the wine, is much better. My bottom line, yes the pizza and the experience is worth it, but know what you're getting into. If you want almost as good of pizza, much better wine selection, more consistent pleasant service, and ability to make reservations or get seated within a reasonable time, go to Gracie's.

• Pros: Pizza is unsurpassed - but realize it's Neopolitan style
• Cons: Seating process is horrible, receptionist can cop an attitude

04/28/08

4 hour + wait

by PKMJ at Citysearch

We were visiting Phoenix for the spring baseball games and I read about this place online. Got there at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday to hear that there was a 4 HOUR+ wait. Eating dinner at midnight?! No thanks. No food is worth waiting that long for. When we were leaving, the very nice parking lot attendant said the wait had been FIVE hours long earlier. Unbelievable. He did say that we could have drinks and appetizers at the place next door, but after eating and drinking for hours, who would want pizza?

04/08/08

You'll either love it--or you won't

by haywood11 at Citysearch

I don't normally submit such reviews. However, I feel compelled to counter some negative and (by now, at least) inaccurate statements.

The maitresse d' was incredibly genial. Waiters and bartenders were all cheery and efficient. Yes, the wait was long. The first night, we showed up at 8:30 and were seated at 9:45. The second night, we put in our names when they opened at 5. They said we'd be seated between 9:30 and 9:50. Checking back by phone every hour, we were finally seated at 8:30.

This pizza is not like your corner pizza joint. The Neopolitan influence means a very thin and tender crust. It would not travel well in a delivery box. The first night, my wife ordered a pizza Margherita. Exceptional. An incredibly bright tomato sauce. The homemade mozzerella was perfect. For mine, I opted for Chris Bianco to do as he pleased. An idea I recommend. It came as a white pizza with roasted red onions and pancetta. Exquisite. We accompanied that with a Titus Zinfandel that was truly enjoyable. The second night, we had the Sonny Boy (tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, olives) and the Wiseguy (roasted onion, smoked mozzarella, fennel sausage). Both were excellent, and possibly even better than the previous night. (One can infer that earlier in the evening may be even better, before both the chef and the oven have begun to slow down.)

Believe the hype or don't. Love it or hate it. Invariably, when anyplace has been given as much hype as Pizzeria Bianco (The #1 pizza in America?), there are going to be detractors waiting to revel in trashing the joint. One woman herein gave it a one-star review, decrying the "paper thin" crust. Hey, that's how a Neopolitan pizza is made.

Hype aside, one fact remains: This place is obviously a labor of love for Chris Bianco, who's there every night making the pizza himself. That is the one simple fact that will seperate pizzaeria Bianco from just about every place else with aspirations of greatness.

03/18/08

Wonderful Experience

by aurory13 at Citysearch

I'm shocked that others have expressed views to Avoid this restaurant. I have been to Pizzeria Bianco on numerous occasions and have never had problems finding a parking spot. There is an entire public parking garage within a very short block. This is a very quaint restaurant that uses fresh ingredients. If you are looking to create your own menu or need little things to be changed or certain ingredients in your food this is probably not the place for you, nor is any restaurant in Italy for that matter. The pizza is definitely the best I've ever tasted! I was bummed when I saw it in Oprah because I knew the wait times would just get worse. Can't keep something so great a secret for too long. You can order bread on the side for $2 if you want, I've never had a problem doing that. It is true that they don't like you to sit around and drink a few cups of coffee after dinner, but that is only because there are always people waiting to be sat, whether they are standing outside or next door in the cute wine bar. The restaurant is very small so turnover is important, although I've never felt rushed there before. Overall this little Pizza House and the Wine Bar next door are absolutely wonderful. Enjoy the experience, and definitely do not avoid it!

• Pros: Excellent Food, great Wine Bar next door while you wait
• Cons: Waiting can be a long time, but worth it!

03/02/08

Always perfect

by atomicgirl07 at Citysearch

After reading some of the negative reviews I decided to stand up for one of our most favorite spots on earth. My husband and I have been going to PB for years and the service and quality have always been no less than perfect. It's our decompression chamber. We actually look forward to the wait...grab a bottle of wine, sit on the porch and let our stress float away. Granted, there's a wait so you have to plan to make an evening of it. It's so worth it. I find some of the reviews regarding the hostess unbalievable as I've never seen her be anything but polite. She will stand her ground if someone becomes belligerent with her but has always treated us and everyone we know with friendliness and respect. Our food has always arrived very quckly and is perfectly consistent. Dave (our server) knows our favorites by heart and we always get a floury wave and smile from Chris...It just feels like coming home. If you want some big, greasy, overly cheesy thing with shaker cheese and a 32oz. diet pepsi,go elsewhere. Pizzaria Bianco is about the wine and very special food. The whiners ruin the whole experience of a great place for themselves. VIVA BIANCO!!!

• Pros: every little bit of it
• Cons: nothing really, don't go if you don't want to actually dine

02/18/08

Avoid

by gretchend at Citysearch

Please don't waste your time going to this restaurant , you will be dissappointed ! My husband and I were watching Oprah and they had rated the number one pizza in phoenix so since we were going to be in phoenix I called to make a reservation I should have known how the service was going to be when i called I couldn't understand the hostess , I asked if I could make a reservation at 7:00 for 10 people she said they had nothing , so I hung up when I called back and asked if they had anything that week at 7 she said they didn't take reservations at 7 they only take at 5 ,6:30 and 8 , so I said okay 8 she said we will put you down for 8 but you probably won't get seated until 8:30 ...... should have said 6:30 and then seated me at 7!

So we get there , there is no parking , they have a lot for about 10 cars I am sure it was all employees !

So we finally get seated at 9:00 , I wanted diet pepsi they only have coke and ice tea wine and beer ! So i had ice tea ( no splenda ) if you are diabetic forget it . So we thought maybe the pizza will make up for it , forget it , paper thin , then we see a basket with bread we asked to buy a loaf or maybe 5 to take home they said no if was for people with salads , okay they close at 10 and you know they weren't going to use that night the basket was full . So we finish the pizza and we all get coffee ,when we asked for a second cup they said we could have but we had to take outside because they had people waiting to be seated , there wasn't anyone waiting outside ! Very rude ! Being an oner of two business's one being pizza , I wouldn't recommend this place if you want to taste the best pizza you will have to come to Steubenville Ohio and try Original DiCarlo's Pizza on Adam Street !

• Pros: none
• Cons: everything

10/24/07

Is a rude hostess part of the ambience? 6:30 Tuesday Oct 23

by rasp57 at Citysearch

With a friend from out of town we made the trip to Pizzeria Bianco. 6:30 October 23 We asked for a table for two and were told it was a 2 and 1/2 hour wait. I said "with a James beard award it must be worth a two hour wait." I thought this was a complement. The hostess in the most rude and snide tone said "if your going to be insulting, get your facts right, the award was four years ago." I said "I guess we'll try this another night" . Her response was "I didn't think you would wait." The pizza may be good but this place should be avoided.

I went to La Grande L'orange had a great pizza with an apple and pecan salad with amazing service. The Sonoran Mandarin heiffenwizer beer was to die for. LGO, Oreganos or Uno's are the places for Pizza depending on what you have a taste for.

• Cons: Rude hostess and long wait

10/18/07

Poor customer service. Don't bother waiting.

by dracheotes at Citysearch

We arrived 15 min after the restaraunt opened and were informed there was an hour and a half to two hour wait. So, we reluctantly waited in the bar area. After an hour and a half, we asked the bar waitress to check on our status, she refused. She stated "she's usually right on when she quotes a time." Well, after two hours of giving our name, we asked ourselves, and were told it would be another 40 min. No way! NO pizza is worth that wait. I am from Boston, and have eaten wonderful pizza in the North End with no wait at all. This place is overrated, over priced and the staff are extremely rude.

Needless to say, we left without ordering anything except overpriced drinks and average foccacia "grilled cheese" appetizer.