Pizza Thief

Pizza Thief
The pizzeria's exterior in 2022
Map
Restaurant information
Established2021 (2021)
Owner(s)
  • Darby Aldaco
  • Tony Pasquale
ChefDarby Aldaco
Food typePizza
Street address2610 Northwest Vaughn Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97210
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°32′12″N 122°42′19″W / 45.5367°N 122.7053°W / 45.5367; -122.7053
Websitepizzathief.com

Pizza Thief is a pizzeria in Portland, Oregon, in the United States.[1] The restaurant has a "sibling" adjacent bar called Bandit Bar. Chef and co-owner Darby Aldaco opened Pizza Thief with partner Tony Pasquale in 2021.

Description

The restaurant's interior, 2022

Pizza Thief is a pizzeria in northwest Portland's Northwest District. The restaurant has been described as "an open space, brightly painted to create a vibrant atmosphere".[2] Willamette Week's Campy Draper said Pizza Thief is "bright and family-friendly with big windows, a pair of arcade cabinets, and tall walls covered with simple, colorful illustrations of flowers and raccoons. The service is walk-up, but should you bring the kiddos, you can easily keep them in sight."[3] The business' logo depicts a raccoon eating a slice of pizza.[4] Adjacent to the pizzeria is Bandit Bar, operated by the same owners in the same building.[2]

The restaurant serves pizza, sometimes described as New York–style pizza.[5] Pizza Thief's chef and co-owner has disputed the description and said, "People have been describing us as New York style. New York is big floppy pizza. Us having a slice shop is part of that. But I don't see New York making naturally leavened pizza crust.”[6] Gluten-free pizzas are available.[7] The Hot Tony has cheese, cured meats, and peppers.[8] Pizza Thief has also served cookies.[9]

History

Chef and co-owner Darby Aldaco opened Pizza Thief with partner Tony Pasquale in May–June 2021.[6] Great Notion Brewing Northwest began serving food by Pizza Thief in 2024.[10][11][12]

Reception

Karen Brooks of Portland Monthly wrote, "You could mistake this for a New York pie, but don't. The crust is unmistakably Portland, tasting more like delicious sourdough bread than pizza crust—rugged and chewy, alive, tinged with local rye and spelt." She included the restaurant in a list of the city's best restaurants of 2021, and said Pizza Thief was one of three "newcomers [that] bolster the case that Portland is America's best pizza city".[7]

In 2021, Brooke Jackson-Glidden included the pizzeria in Eater Portland's overview of "where to find exceptional pizzas in Portland", and wrote: "Pizza Thief still stands out for its take on a New York–style pizza, which retains the unfussy joy of a pepperoni slice with the signature tang of a sourdough pie. The shop's pepperoni has a nice char-dotted base with a serious dose of stretchy cheese, and the Hot Tony is absolutely piled with cured meats and peppers."[13]

Emily Wilson included Pizza Thief in Bon Appétit's 2023 list of the eight best pizza establishments for a New York–style slice outside New York.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pizza Thief Is the Place to Be on Mondays, When You Can Find Brewer-Made Pies as Part of a New Collaboration Series". Willamette Week. 2022-06-07. Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  2. ^ a b MacEvoy, Maya (2021-06-10). "At Slabtown's New Pizza Thief, Sourdough Pizzas Arrive Alongside Rye Hand-Pies". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  3. ^ Draper, Campy (2021-12-04). "Pizza Thief Has the Makings of an Instantly Beloved Neighborhood Spot". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  4. ^ Gallivan, Joseph (February 2, 2023). "Pizza Thief grabs a slice — and the accolades". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Where to Eat in Portland This Week". Willamette Week. 2022-01-06. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  6. ^ a b Brooks, Karen (2021-07-19). "At Slabtown's New Pizza Thief, Chewy Sourdough Crust Steals the Show". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  7. ^ a b Brooks, Karen (2021-11-19). "3 New Pizza Restaurants That Represent the Best of Portland | 2021". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  8. ^ Frane, Alex (2019-11-21). "The Quintessential Restaurants and Bars in Northwest Portland's Slabtown Neighborhood". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  9. ^ "Taste Test: The Best Chocolate Chip-ish Cookies in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  10. ^ Russell, Michael (2024-04-04). "Pizza Thief to bring Sicilian pan pizzas to Great Notion Brewing Northwest". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  11. ^ "Great Notion Brewing teams with Pizza Thief at Northwest Portland taproom". KGW. 2024-04-02. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  12. ^ Meunier, Andre (2024-05-10). "Trying Pizza Thief's pie at Great Notion Brewing NW". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  13. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2016-08-05). "Where to Find Exceptional Pizzas in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  14. ^ Wilson, Emily (2023-05-26). "The 8 Best Pizza Shops for a NY-Style Slice Outside New York". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pizza Thief and Bandit Bar.