Inside: Lamppost Pizza

A pizza and beer sampler at Lamppost Pizza (Credit: Metromix)

There's something about Lamppost Pizza that reminds me of my freshman year of college.  I'm not sure if it's the cafeteria-style seating when you walk first walk in, the overabundance of pizza, more beer than any man should ever be near, or the sudden realization that self-service is absolutely necessary.

Before I get too ahead of myself, I should mention that along with being a pizzeria, this is also home to Backstreet Brewery, which is a microbrewery chain that is inside of Lamppost locations across California. 

So, here's the drill - when I first walked in the door, my senses were assaulted by the smell of fresh pizza, the sight of giant televisions broadcasting any imaginable sport, and the display of huge fermenters for beer brewing.  When I approached the counter, I could see the menu posted high on the back wall, and an adjacent wall that was just out of view.  So, I grabbed a menu from the counter and started looking.  There's nothing too fancy going on here; it's your standard pizza fare.  I could either build my own pizza or choose one of the multi-topping specialties.  I chose to go with a 12-inch pie, half Canadian bacon, half cheese, and eight wings as an appetizer. 

The beverage choice would be a bit tougher.  Being inside an actual brewery, there was no way I could possibly choose one, so I went with the beer sampler - a six beer selection meant to show off the diverse range of brews available.

Service:  We were handed a number and told that the bartender would take care of the beer.  I'm still not sure if how I went about ordering and finding a seat was what I was really supposed to do, but I'll explain more on that later. 

The bartender got right to work on the sampler and wrote out the six beers she had just poured so we would know what we were drinking.  I requested two glasses of water for myself and my girlfriend and we quickly selected a table near the bar.

Soon, the wings came.  Kind of greasy, but they're chicken wings, not sprouts.  They were nice and spicy, with two dipping sauces, buffalo and ranch, and the standard celery and carrots to help clear the palate.  Right around the time we were halfway done with the wings, our glasses were empty and our mouths were on fire.  The staff, however, was nowhere to be found, so after minutes of waiting I took the matter into my own hands, walked up to a soda dispensary station and filled up. 

Soon our precious stash of H2O was gone but I knew that the pizza was still on the way, and awaited its delivery so I could ask for a refill.  When the pie finally arrived, we were denied more water by an employee who instructed us that our server would take care of it.  Of course, we had no server.  You see, along with the lack of refills, we had no silverware or plates for the pizza. Relying on a server clearly wasn't working out.  Frustrated, my girlfriend walked over to the wait staff station and angrily grabbed us two plates.  Fun stuff, huh?

Food:  It seems that the process of making good chicken wings is an art form, and many have failed to learn the insider secrets.  The people at Lamppost Pizza have clearly learned the tricks of the trade, and perform them to tasty perfection.  As for the pie, it has a really appetizing crust, and perfectly seasoned sauce.  The toppings are spread evenly, causing each bite to be equally flavorful.

Bottom line:  The thing that sucks is that the pizza was really good, and the beer was amazing (see my review of Backstreet Brewery to learn more), but they totally blow it with a confusing open policy for seating and annoying, unhelpful servers.  So what did I learn?  If I want some decent pie, I'll probably order it to go, and if I crave the beer, I should skip the grub.

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