Slices

In a city like Phoenix, full of transplants from everywhere else in the country, pizza discussions often get heated. Residents originally from New York or Chicago often cling to the regional styles they grew up with and maintain those loyalties as vigorously as they cheer for their favorite sports teams. Even people who have lived here for decades often express some degree of chauvinism in favor of their "hometown" style of pizza. At first glance, Slices looks like a typical New York pizza place. It’s cramped and casual. There are a few high-top tables and two counters, all of them adorned with shaker jars of crushed red pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. The front counter usually has over a dozen types of pizza on display for sale by the slice. Most are Neapolitan, but there are always a few Sicilian pies in the mix.

Look a little closer, though, and Slices appears a little less New Yorky. The walls are covered with Boston sports memorabilia: posters, newspaper front pages, and even a few Wheaties boxes, all of them celebrating the Celtics, the Patriots, the Red Sox, and the heroes associated with those teams over the years. The pizzas themselves have a slightly crisper crust, speckled with cornmeal, than the easily foldable slices associated with pizza in New York. They’re also less greasy than some Big Apple pizza. Is this Boston-style pizza, then? It’s hard to say. Many discussions on various foodie message boards are inconclusive about what Boston pizza really is. Let’s just say that Slices is an East Coast-style pizzeria, all the way down to the accents of its front counter staff, but with some California-style innovation in the way of atypical toppings. The result is an East-West amalgam that works well as a place for either a quick slice or a whole pizza or calzone to go.

The Slices location in Downtown Tempe, located on the Sixth Street cul-de-sac just three blocks south of the Mill Avenue / Third Street Station, is one of three branches of this small local chain. The other two sites are in the decidedly more sprawlish environs of Desert Ridge and Tempe Marketplace. This location caters to the ASU student crowd by maintaining late hours until 3 AM every day except Sunday and Tuesday.

At lunch time each day, Slices displays the day’s pizza bounty. There are always a few classic pies, but much of the rotating selection explores more interesting territory. Some of the pies have a Greek influence with feta and Kalamata olives. Others add toppings like chicken or eggplant. A few of the more inventive pies are salad pizzas, in which some sort of cold, crisp greenery is placed on top of the pizza after baking. The same pattern applies to the Sicilian pizzas. Slices of plain and pepperoni are almost always on display, but there’s usually a less conventional Sicilian pie available as well. One imaginative variety is a pizza topped with sliced potatoes, bacon, freshly grated cheddar cheese, and scallions (center photo below). The slices are generously sized for both the Neapolitan and Sicilian pies. One slice will do for moderate eaters; two will satisfy a hearty appetite.

As with any pizza-by-the-slice situation, the pies are made in advance with the slices reheated for a few minutes before being served. For the most part, this systems works well due to the high volume of pizza being produced and served. Freshness is not compromised because everything moves so quickly. Nevertheless, if ever the pizza on display fails to impress, it’s a good idea to look into the open kitchen and see what the staff are working on. Sometimes, a fresh pie is being sliced up right at that moment, and the lucky customer who first expresses interest can enjoy the inaugural piece. Of course, Slices makes whole pizzas and calzones (right photo below) to order, with just about every combination of toppings imaginable. The pizzas are available in both 16-inch and 19-inch varieties. These pies are clearly meant for sharing, in contrast to the individual pizzas around the corner at La Bocca. The calzones are also big. In fact, a single calzone can easily feed two people. When these delicious monsters come straight out of the oven, steam billows out the moment they’re cut open.

Slices isn’t the cheapest option for pizza by the slice. The best bargain in that department might very well belong to Mamma Mia in Central Phoenix. Nevertheless, there is an ASU student special available, and given the hearty portions, a little food goes a long way. There are no desserts on the menu, and drinks are limited to fountain sodas, iced teas, and a few bottled juices and energy drinks. No alcohol is served, and that’s probably for the best since a lot of the late night clientele has already imbibed somewhere else nearby. Given its small size and tall tables, Slices is not a good place for very young children who need strollers and high chairs. Kids a little older, though, would be fine at Slices – just as long as they’re not kept up until 3 AM to enjoy the experience.

11 E. 6th St., Tempe, AZ, 85281 | Map
(480) 966-4681
http://slicespizzajoint.com/