The Golden Pony / 181 North Main Street
Average cost for an 11” pizzas: $9.50
The pub blends rugged and artistic energies with its exposed brick and brightly colored murals on the buttercup-yellow walls. Come for the bands that frequent the stage downstairs, and stay for the variety of classic American dishes to pair with your drink.
Their personal pizzas are memorable with names like “Veganlicious” (topped with red peppers, mushrooms, and their very own tofu ricotta ‘cheese’), “Frida Kale-o” (a black bean, red onion and chipotle crema topped pizza nods to the mexican painter, the pun completed with the addition of fried kale), and “The Big Bukowski” (a classic for meat lovers, with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and mozzarella).
Their downstairs happy hours span from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. where you can get any of their quirky personal pizzas for half the price.
Ruby’s Arcade / 100B 165 South Main Street
Average cost for a 12” pizza: $8.00
Not to be confused with the Ruby’s in Clementine Cafe’s lower level, Ruby’s Arcade is an arcade for grownups, where a $5 cover charge (and a valid ID proving you’re over 21) will allow you access to their multitude of games, including bowling and pool, Thursday through Saturday between 9 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
If you’re still not sick of punny pizza names, you’re bound to appreciate their pies named after pop culture characters: “The Beast Boy” for veggie and anime lovers alike (topped with spinach, mushrooms, green peppers, red onion, and black olives), the “Frank Reynolds” for a spin on a philly classic (the shaved roast beef, onions and peppers with nacho cheese will satisfy the most voracious “Always Sunny” fans), and “The Swanson” (a simple meat lovers pizza named for a simple meat loving character, topped with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, and beef). If you come for the games you’ll be delighted by the pizza, which is beyond exceptional, especially as far as arcade food is concerned. Not to mention, pizzas are 25 percent off from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Benny’s / 64 South Mason Street
Average cost for a slice: $4.83
Nestled beside Shenandoah Joe’s is a downtown favorite, Benny Sorrentino’s. Peek over their sticker covered counter, and you can see where the dough is made fresh in the little pizzeria’s stand mixer, which is nearly as tall as the mustached pizzaiolo who tosses that dough into the 28” pies that Benny’s is known and loved for. A slice is the size of your head and rarely over $5, extra toppings aside. The specials change often; it’s garlic mushroom and the pub burger for now ($5 for a single slice and $38 for a whole pie), but cheese, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and spicy sriracha sausage are always on the menu. They serve soda, tea, and domestic and craft beers which you can grab on your way to the counter between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and as late as 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Bella Luna / 80 West Water Street
Average cost for a 10” pizza: $11.83
A woodfire oven burns silently behind the bar, drowned out by the laughter and conversation that characterizes Bella Luna. Their 10’ pies are pricier than most pizzas their size, but the locally sourced ingredients and clever combination of classic flavors make it worth a trip:
The “Pesto Verde” (made with mustard green pesto, castelvetrano olives, pickled onion, salty pecorino and feta cheese) offers a bold twist on traditional Neapolitan pesto, the “Bella Bianca” incorporates Afton, Va.-grown mushrooms for the freshest organic fungi (roasted and tied together neatly with mozzarella, parmesan, and roasted garlic puree), and the “Ring of Fire” is an especially savory option (topped with roasted mushrooms, parmesan, mozzarella, and red onion) with fennel sausage and house hot sauce spicing this fiery pie. Their happy hour prices keep students coming with $5 specialty pizza from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day.
