Pizza Happy:  Local Pizza Stops

Need a place to bring the family and friends this holiday season when all the formalities have come and gone? Try one of our favorite pizza stops. 

Pizza has long been the go-to cuisine for those in need of a meal to satisfy any palate (hey, the kids are hardest to please), but the limitations on pizza pie defined by traditional red sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni have been lifted.

Today, no matter which way you slice it (pun intended), pizza has the unique ability to be what you make it. How about garlic sauce? Asparagus and pineapple as toppings? We’ve transitioned into full meals, knife-and-fork pizzas that will satisfy the food pyramid in every cut.

While San Joaquin doesn’t lend itself to a signature cuisine such as New England’s clam chowder or Southern barbecue, this freedom has opened the door to take a good amount of artistic expression with our pizzas. We went looking for the best pizza places in the 209, and we found just that—who tosses it, tops it, and takes their pies to the next level.

Michael’s Pizza
The Pie: New York-style
Location: 2300 W. Alpine Ave., Stockton
Contact: (209) 462-6668,
www.michaelspizzacafe.com
Delivery: Yes

If you leave Michael’s hungry, something went wrong, because there’s more than enough great pizza to go around here. In Stockton for thirty years, Michael’s Pizza is as much a staple of Stockton pizzerias as nearby University of the Pacific is for higher education. While Pacific students located only four blocks away account for much of this place’s business, it’s Michael’s gigantic pizzas that have driven the pizzeria for three decades.

Upon recommendation from owner Gina Calder, we gave the Michael’s Special a try—in essence the fixings of an Italian butcher shop, piled high atop a pizza crust. Pepperoni, sausage, salami, ham, mushrooms, linguisa, bell pepper, cheese, and onions are all included to make one of the boldest pizzas we’ve ever seen. You don’t just pick up a slice of the Michael’s Special; you need at least a fork, maybe even a knife, and determination that you can finish it. Two slices of this and you’ll be begging for a salad to balance it all out. Don’t worry, you’re in luck—those are great here as well.

Michael’s is a notable pizza joint for all the reasons up to and including their pizza. Customers wanted a healthier pizza, so Calder introduced wheat crusts. Customers wanted more options, so she created coffee, bakery, and deli elements to accompany the pizzeria. San Joaquin wanted pizza delivery—you got it. Next thing you know, we’ll want our pizza delivered to our tables earlier because of football season. We’re sure it’s in the works.

Dante’s Pizza
The Pie: California-style
Location: 9305 Thornton Rd., Stockton
Contact: (209) 474-0221
Delivery: Yes

If you happen to be taken on a first date at Dante’s, your initial thought may be that your romantic outlook isn’t too good, because pizza joint doesn’t really say, “I’m into you.” That is, in fact, until you step into this Northern Stockton location and realize that maybe you’ve made the cut, because this pizza place sure does (and yes, this is an actual first date account from one of our editors). By referring to Dante’s as a ‘pizza place’, we’re stretching the limitations of the term because this eatery is much more. Their deep-dish pizzas are far, far more than a thin slice of pepperoni, and their tastefully decorated restaurant is far from your typical pizza joint.

On our visit, we tried the Big Sur, a combination of mozzarella, feta, provolone, tomatoes, and basil that proved to be a shining example of how far we’ve come from the days of cheese pizza. Another menu selection that satisfied is the Valley Special, a vegetarian pizza with a host of veggies ranging from fresh, crisp tomatoes added after the pizza cooks, to warm artichoke hearts and mushrooms. We had a hard time not gobbling our pizza down on-the-spot and powered through two pieces without even pausing, until we finally slowed down to happily enjoy the next two.

Dante’s does everything a little bit bigger and a little bit more elaborate than any other pizzeria. The décor here is framed portraits of jazz musicians in place of the usual team pennants, and Dante’s pizza toppings aren’t just garnish—they define the pizza. Disclaimer: Dante’s large pizza doesn’t just mean big, it means you need two hands to hold the box.

Eric’s Pizza
The Pie: New York-style
Location: 4118 N. El Dorado St., Stockton
Contact: (209) 463-6339,
www.ericspizza.com
Delivery: Yes

To clarify for those not in the know, New York-style pizza is defined by the way the crust is made. Typically rolled and kneaded by hand and then tossed in the air for the perfect circle-shaped crust, no one embraces this tradition quite like Eric’s. The shop is a pizza joint in the most traditional sense, where you can see the pizza chefs preparing mounds of dough and storing them in heated wooden drawers next to the oven. Once properly risen, the chefs begin the transformation to delicious hand-tossed pies.

From the 49ers/Raiders pennants on the walls to the big screen TV in the corner, this central Stockton location is the place for a great pie and to cheer on a great game. A community favorite since 1980, Eric’s does ‘pizza joint’ like you see in the movies. There’s nothing overly fancy about the place, and you get the feeling that’s just what the customers want. After all, it’s all about stopping in and getting a good slice. On a recent visit, we opted for the $23.75 Family Special—a large two-topping pizza, soda, and salad. There were only two of us dining that evening, but this could have fed four easily. The People’s Choice pizza gets the most love here, as well it should. Pepperoni, ham, sausage, and olives make for one perfect pizza.

David’s Pizza
The Pie: New York-style
Locations: 900 W. Benjamin Holt Dr. (Lincoln Center), Stockton
1744 W. Hammer Lane, Stockton
Contact: (209) 957-2850
Delivery: No

The only of Stockton’s non-chain pizzerias with double-duty locations, David’s Pizza opened in 1993 off Hammer Lane, and owner David Calder jumped at the chance to expand to an additional Lincoln Center location this past year. With great pizza, a Lincoln Center address, a sports-themed interior, and a flat screen TV outside on a great patio setup, it’s no wonder that David’s has become a Stockton hotspot.

A first-timer at David’s, we took note of their pizza-by-the-slice special until 5 p.m., and decided to go traditional and order a slice of pepperoni. Just looking at the freshly-cut pie spinning on the counter, it’s as if they made the pizza with San Joaquinmagazine’s photo shoot in mind—the pie looks perfect, right down to the thick crust and just the right amount of cheese and pepperoni. What about the sauce? Here, there are five sauces to choose from, but the traditional red sauce is just the right blend of salty and a welcome hint of sweet that we didn’t expect.

Rick’s Pizza
The Pie: New York-style
Location: 1320 Lakewood Mall, Lodi
Contact: (209) 339-9411
Delivery: Yes, starting after 4 p.m.

Make a list of the things you want in a pizza place—central location, good crowd, hard workers, and friendly servers—Rick’s in Lodi has them all. Now, the most important part, the things you want your pizza to have—a thin buttery crust is where it’s at, because pizza’s all about the sauce, cheese, and toppings, right? Add in a pizzeria owner with a knack for which combinations taste good and what the people like, and you’ve got a winner.

Within shouting distance of Lodi High off of Ham Avenue, Rick’s is always bustling. In the short fifteen minutes we waited for our pie, we witnessed at least a dozen people stopping by for pick-up orders. Combine this with a half-dozen guys churning out pizzas, not to mention the owner up to his elbows in flour himself, and you know Rick’s will be a quality pizza far before you even get served.

The man himself recommended the Rick’s Deluxe Combo, topped with pepperoni, linguisa, salami, ham, sausage, bell peppers, and onions, as well as one of the most popular pizzas, the Garlic Pesto Chicken Combo. We were sold. A cream garlic sauce, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, mushrooms, and tiny onions make for one fantastic pizza. We may never go back to traditional pepperoni and red sauce after this, and judging by the way the word-on-the-streets gets around, we’re not the only ones. SJM