Alberta's Pizzeria Lit the World with Its Golden Glow
Alberta's Pizzeria is open on the North Side after operating as a mobile pizza truck for years.
Alberta’s Pizzeria has left behind their food truck like a growing hermit crab and found a larger home on the North Side, specifically in Allegheny-West on Western Ave.
We’ve previously enjoyed Alberta’s Pizza at Dancing Gnome on various Fridays as they setup shop alongside Blue Sparrow. Having another pizza to compare to Alberta’s is useful because you notice the weight to their pizza. The thing about their pizza is that it’s hefty. It thunks on the table like a leather bound book crashing to the ground. It has tremendous depth, you pull slices out like grabbing ends of a quilt. One of their pizzas requires teamwork to properly manage and contort.
In reality the pizza is a classic Neapolitan-esque pizza, about twelve inches in diameter. But it has a larger-than-life aura to it.
Each aspect of the pizza is properly measured and placed to create a delightful product that is good looking and incredibly crushable. If you’re not careful you will suck down a pizza. It’s as easy as drinking a glass of water. Especially if you’re feeling peckish or used all of your mental energy making sure you haven’t lost track of your child at an over capacity children’s museum.
For me, I approach Alberta’s with simplicity in mind. Their menu builds atop of their fundamental pizza, but as the toppings grow I lose sight of what makes the pizza spectacular. Their margherita is pizza perfection. Cheese that isn’t too overwhelming, just beautiful buoyant lilipads spread across a still pond of tomato sauce. A sturdy crust that crackles vibrantly as it folds. This is a perfect execution of the fundamentals and exactly what Alberta’s has delivered, even in their foodtruck era.
Alongside the classic margherita on our first visit we ordered The Speckman. This pizza has speck, mushrooms, mozzarella, red onion, pecorino, special sauce and oregano. I lust for their tomato sauce so missing out on that was tough. Unfortunately for me The Speckman is merely a mushroom and red onion delivery system. Even the appeal, brightness and vibrancy is missing from The Speckman. I had high hopes since the rest of the food at Alberta’s is so fun, but The Speckman was not hitting.
I left that first visit feeling like I had unfinished business with the menu. The Speckman sat with me and really disrupted my vibe. I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Our Second Trip to Alberta’s
The following week I put together an exciting family afternoon. We would hit up the Children’s Museum then pop into Alberta’s. Alberta’s proximity to the Children’s Museum will be life changing for my family. We can play on the water tables all morning, then once we are all at peak exhaustion travel a half mile down the street to Alberta’s before the dinner rush. Hoping that Alberta’s enters into some sort of partnership with the Children’s Museum to feed and reinvigorate beleaguered parents.
We returned to Alberta’s and was sat at the very same table we sat at last time. Kismet? Perhaps so.
We immediately ordered a margherita to start. The vibes were high. Everyone was happy. Charlie was playing with a new toy. Christa did not hesitate to order the one draft beer listed on their menu: the Olde Pitz. I hesitated, letting her do the honors of being the canary in the ice-cold beer mine.
The drink came in a tall, slender, glass. Maybe you’ve seen a Peroni poured into it at other Italian establishments. But it’s elegant with slight curves. Christa took a sip and offered me a chance to try. This beer hit like the meteor that triggered the extinction of dinosaurs. A collaboration with their neighbor, Four Points brewery, this beer is the perfect accompaniment to pizza. Cold, fizzy, a little malty, but drinkable and refreshing. It’s a beer that could be ubiquitous in your life if you let it. I immediately ordered one, then ordered one more, hoping my golden time would last forever.
There’s a lot of pressure for the beer to perform. It’s the only listed option and then there’s a rotating tap as well as a large bottle you could split. At Alberta’s they have the confidence to offer up a bespoke menu that is perfectly tailored to please. There’s something for everyone and everything is close to the quintessential version of what it should be.
On this second visit instead of ordering The Speckman we stuck to the basics. We put in an ordered of a margherita with arugula and prosciutto. This is one of our favorite pizza combinations. Outside of a plain pizza I’m ordering this combination (inside of a plain pizza you’ll get trapped in the gluten network).
The prosciutto and arugula were piled on in the center of the pizza like a paper weight holding the pizza steady. These are light pizzas so I suppose there’s a slight danger they could blow away.
The two entities formed a volcano on the pizza. The pile of arugula supported the slabs of prosciutto and the prosciutto protected the arugula from the elements. We dissected the mountain and distributed the rubble to our liking. A little perplexing, but I guess you can tailor distribution to your preference.
Once we bulldozed the mountain of toppings the pizza nearly vanished. We grabbed for slices and ate them down, the arugula and prosciutto mixing together with the core pizza to deliver a spectacular pizza product.
Maybe the presentation of this pizza will change over time, but every aspect of Alberta’s is curated to be just so. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for why the pizza is prepared and sent out that way. This is a heightened and mindful restaurant, nothing is left to chance or an after thought. The single draft beer on their menu is perfectly brewed, you can only choose select toppings on select pizza, the mozzarella is made fresh in-house. It’s extremely optimized. That includes the art.
Each touchpoint is curated and has a story behind it. The rabbit painting behind the bar is nod to the owner’s mom and namesake of the restaurant, Alberta Gail.
The bridge art nestled inside the booth is done by local artist Silas Beals. Silas Beals approached the owner, Beau, prior to the opening about making some art for the space. They settled on the theme of bridges.
Silas Beals writes on their website about the art:
Whether over a table or a bridge, the creation of a positive experience is perhaps the most significant element to a patron’s enjoyment and willingness to return, so I have hopes that my contributions can positively impact visitors by adding some intrigue to the familiar. In all, I’m pleased as I can be to have this small involvement in the early stages of a beautiful restaurant that happens to dish out the best pizza in Pittsburgh.
Since our visit, family group chats have been blowing up with texts of Alberta’s pizza, sides and more being sent back and forth. Alberta’s has really inspired us to build stronger connections with our family and share this with others. Immediately Christa and I thought this would be the perfect venue for our family’s Festivus celebration. Possibly the highest honor we can bestow upon a restaurant.
Alberta’s is the latest pizza shop to successfully transition from mobile operations to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. A promising new chapter in the world of pizza that will no doubt inspire and build a bridge to the next generation of mobile pizza shops working their way into something bigger.
Well, Alberta’s Pizzeria is a banger of a pizza shop. I’d highly recommend you pop on down there, grab an Olde Pitz and have a great time. If it’s a Saturday afternoon it’s a good chance you’ll see us there!
Pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist
Agreed. Post Gazette review this week mentioned they are still learning their new oven. I noticed in your pic of the margharita that it looks more well done crustwise, which our pies were definitely not. As delicious as they were I feel like our pies needed another 30-60 seconds in oven. Oh, also they had an Oktoberfest beer on tap last night, it was excellent.
Went last night as a party of 4. We shared 3 pies and 3 apps. For me, the Speckman was fantastic, as was the Jabroni. The White Boy, though very good, underwhelmed me but I think it was because it was a more subtly flavored pie than the other two mentioned, which I had first. I should have started with the White Boy. The zucchini frites and broccolini were excellent. Salad greens were very fresh and crunchy but too vinegary for my taste. Mozzarella board was okay. Wine pours seemed a bit stingy. Service was excellent.