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Old Town Pizza came to town about three years ago, and during those few years, has garnered quite a reputation for making "the best pizza in Roseville." I refuse to nominate who makes the "best" pizza in town, as there are many worthy contenders, and nearly ALL pizza is "the best." But I CAN say that Old Town Pizza makes an amazing pie, and I wonder why it took me nearly three years to pay a visit to this fine restaurant? As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: Old Town Pizza is located in downtown Roseville, on the west side of the railroad track. Downtown Roseville is interesting, as the railroad tracks split it into two sections: East and West. The "east" side is more business, and the "west" side is more food and entertainment, yet both "sides" of downtown Roseville feature a good mix of food, business and entertainment. Old Town Pizza is a small chain of three restaurants located in entirely in West Placer County, in the towns of Auburn, Lincoln and Roseville. Talk about "home grown" atmosphere!
Photo: It's early in the afternoon on Sunday, July 08, 2018, and I'm ready to enjoy another fantastic lunch at Old Town Pizza. As you continue in this article, you'll notice it was only four days ago when I visited this outstanding restaurant in downtown Roseville. The main dining room is like a sports bar, and baseball is on the television monitors - Oakland A's vs. Cleveland Indians - which the A's handily won 6-0.
Photo: The "Boxcar Starters" page of the menu. During the month of July, 2018, "Happy Hour" specials apply every Sunday, so on this early Sunday afternoon, I decided to order the "House Salad" and the "Sampler," at "happy hour" prices.
Photo: If you're sneaky, like I am, you can get a peek into the kitchen through a window, near the restrooms in the back of the restaurant. The kitchen looks ultra clean and very modern.
Photo: Meet Bryan, my friendly bartender, who delivered a "flight" of beer to me. Since today was Sunday, I decided to splurge, and order a "flight" of beer. It's interesting to note the beer cost more than the meal that I ordered today, but that goes with the territory when you develop a taste for "niche" beer.
Photo: After my "flight" was poured, my "House Salad" arrived. Basically, the salad is romaine and iceberg lettuce, cucumber, olive, tomato, cabbage and cheese. You get many choices of dressing, but I chose jalapeno ranch, which is perhaps the best "ranch" dressing that I've ever enjoyed. Between the small "kick" of the dressing and the super-fresh veggies, this was a great salad. At the "happy hour" price of $3.00, it was a real bargain. My "flight" of beer. There are 24 beers on tap, so your "flight" can be any combination of beers, as there is no set format. You are charged per beer, a the price of a 5-oz pour; each beer has a different price. I wanted to keep things simple, so I asked Bryan to make my "fight" of beers 1-4, which to me, seems like a good place to start. It's not cheap - my "flight" cost me $16.00 - but if you want to "fly," you must pay the price of admission. Fasten your seatbelt, as here's a breakdown of my "flight" in living color... #1 "Bare Bottle Any Beans Necessary - Nitro" - Brewed in San Francisco, it's a golden ale. I found it pleasant, but slightly on the bitter taste, but that happens with many micro-brew ales. I must be honest with you as I prefer tap #23, good ol' Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and at $4.00 for a 16-oz pour, is more appreciated not only by my taste buds, but by my pocket book as well. No worries, as I got to "fly" high on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, and Bryan was a great cabin attendant...
Photo: My friendly server, Bryan, grins as he brings my "Sample" lunch to me with a smile. Note that I've been slowly working on my "flight" before my lunch appeared. The salad arrived after the "fight" had begun.
Photo: Thanks, Bryan, for snapping my photo, with my "Sampler," "House Salad," and my "flight" of four varieties of beer on tap.
Photo: My "flight" of beer, "House Salad," along with my main course, "Sampler." During the month of July, 2018, Old Town Pizza offers "happy hour" specials all day Sunday, which amounts to a substantial discount on the price of selected items on the menu, including the "House Salad" and the "Sampler."
Photo: My "Sampler" lunch, with the "House Salad" to the left of the photo. "Sampler" is normally $14.00, but during Sundays in July, 2018, the price drops to $10.00, so I just had to check it out. Am I ever glad I did... You get six chicken wings, three chicken strips, an order of garlic bread and red sauce, and ranch dressing for dipping. This dish is meant to be shared, and meant to be an appetizer, but for me, it was my main meal. The chicken wings and strips are deep fried, but the strips are battered, and both are "finger-lickin' good" bar food. In addition to garlic, the bread is topped with cheese, which makes it sublime! This lunch was delicious! Four days ago on Wednesday, July 04, 2018, I paid a visit to Old Town Pizza for the first time...
Photo: It's 11:30 in the morning - the restaurant opens at 11:00 - Wednesday, July 04, 2018, and I'm ready to enjoy some fine pizza. Note the sign in front of the restaurant that notes Sunday in July is all-day happy hour, which means deep discounts on selected pizza and appetizers, and discounts on beer. This is the front entrance to the restaurant. Ample parking is located on either side of the building. I was glad to see the restaurant open on the 4th of July, as it was time for pizza, after enjoying the City of Roseville annual 4th of July parade, in downtown Roseville, on the east side of the railroad tracks.
Photo: As you walk in the front door, you're greeted with a "Please Wait to be Seated" sign, and in my case, a greater/seater staff member arrived within 5 seconds to seat me. I asked to be seated at the bar, so she said to sit anywhere I chose, as the bar was totally empty when I arrived. Later, the restaurant really filled up as many of the patrons had attended the annual 4th of July parade, sponsored by the City of Roseville. The parade is on Vernon Street, across the railroad tracks from Old Town Pizza, and attracts thousands of Rosevillians.
Photo: Looking at the bar, with friendly Taylor, the bartendress/wait staff person, who took great care of me, along with many other diners. As you can see, Old Town Pizza has a "sports bar" atmosphere, and a very comfortable decor. There are television monitors on every wall, and a couple above the bar. During my visit, I was treated to watching the New York Yankees play the Atlanta Braves in Major League baseball, which the Yankees ultimately won 6-2.
Photo: After I was seated at the bar, Taylor presented me with the menu of beers on tap. If none of these suit your taste, there is a cooler with more "conventional beers," but I'm always interested in going on a new "adventure" when it comes to beer, and I love to try new brews. Note number 23, Pabst Blue Ribbon, which seems a bit out of place, considering most of the beers on the menu are California micro brews. But Pabst is three dollars less expensive! I really wanted to try something new, so I splurged and ordered a number 17, "El Segundo The Independent," an I.P.A., which turned out to be a great choice, as I love the taste of hops.
Photo: Friendly Taylor rings up a bar customer at the high-tech, touchscreen register, located behind the bar. Note the 24 taps, which correspond to the 24 beer on the menu. If you don't like a printed menu, look above the taps, and that's the beer menu, on a projection screen, which lists 12 beers at a time, and alternates between screen 1 and 2. That's a new one for me...
Photo: One page of the pizza menu, the menu of "Specialty Pizzas." Besides pizza, the complete menu offers many other choices, including salads, sliders, sandwiches and appetizers. Note that the pizzas are "railroad-themed," as Roseville was, and still is a "railroad" town, where the railroad remains a huge employer.
Photo: The restaurant is divided into two main sections, and as you enter, you'll immediately notice the bar, along with the main dining room, although a much larger dining room is located just around the corner, as shown in the next photo. Note the round table at the near end of the bar. How does the bartender serve drinks to those sitting at the round table, as it's around six feet in diameter, and nobody can reach that far? Old Town Pizza has come up with a unique solution, as they have a trolley on wheels that can hold several beers, and the bartender sits it on the table, attaches a stick, and pushes it toward the patrons. I saw this in action and I regretted that I didn't have my camera ready to record the action.
Photo: If the "main dining room" is crowded, just head around to the bar and enjoy the HUGE dining room in the back of the restaurant. During my July 04, 2018 visit, the restaurant was lightly seated, since it had just opened, but I suspect this dining room gets a lot of use on busy weekend evenings.
Photo: From the "Specialty Pizza" menu, I ordered a "Caboose," as I can't resist a pizza that has everything on it. Meet Ricky, my friendly server, who brought my "Caboose" to me in only about 10 minutes after I placed my order. That's FAST service!
Photo: Thanks Ricky, for sapping my photo, as I pose with my excellent "Independent" I.P.A. and my "Caboose" pizza. Check out my beer glass, as I'd only taken a few sips before my pizza arrived. I was surprised by the super-fast service.
Photo: Today's lunch: "El Segundo The Independent" I.P.A. beer, and from the "Specialty Pizza" menu, a "Caboose" pizza. The beer was great, especially if you like an I.P.A., and the taste of hops. At 7.2% alcohol, I'm glad that I had a 1-1/2 mile walk to my truck so there would be no worries about the drive home. The beer was cold, refreshing, and very welcome to my taste buds on this late morning in early July. What about the "Caboose" pizza? As I mentioned, it arrived only about 10 minutes after placing my order, which amazed me. "Caboose" includes pepperoni, sausage, linguica, salami, mushroom, onion and black olive. Like all pizzas on the menu, it includes Old Town's three cheeses, sauce, and the delicious baked pizza dough. I think the thing I noticed first was the onion and olive were fresh, and NOT baked, as per the custom of most pizzas. The fresh "crunch" worked wonders, as it contrasted to the amazing, perfectly backed crust, cheese, meat and mushrooms to make a wonderful pizza. I ordered a "small," 10-inch pizza, and I left with a full stomach and a smile on my face. Such great pizza in downtown Roseville!
Photo: Close-up of one slice of my "Caboose" pizza to give you an idea of just how good this is. Just for the record, you get six slices with a "small" pizza which filled me up. My friendly server, Ricky, offered to bring a cup of ranch dressing, and I thanked him and accepted his kind offer. I like to dip the outer crust in the dressing after I've eaten the rest of the slice. Old Town Pizza has won many awards for their pizza, and I can see why, as it's some of the best pizza in Roseville. I love their pizza, the "cheers-like" decor, the beer on tap, and the friendly service. I can't say if they serve "the best" pizza in Roseville, but I CAN say the pizza is absolutely delicious! Old Town Pizza Copyright(c) 2018 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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