Do They Blow At: High Dough Pizza (73 Ave/Gateway Blvd)
Back in October, the Pizzamonsters made it over to what was High Dough Pizza's second location in South Strathcona, which now at time of writing is the sole High Dough as the original on 109st has since closed it's doors.
Offering a different type of pizza from most Edmonton parlours, we felt we had to pay visit to see what we thought of Detroit style pizza.
So, to the question of the day, do they blow at High Dough?
Chances are you've passed by High Dough, even if you may not have realized it at the time. Located on Calgary Trail south at 73 ave, across from Rollie Mills, High Dough is in an unassuming looking building next to Edmonton's oddly landlocked lighthouse. There's a couple of parking spots out front, but if it was busy here, you might find it tricky to find a spot.
It felt like a lot of High Dough's business is take-out, with only a few tables available on the inside. Partially because of this, it really lacks an atmosphere inside the plainly decorated restaurant.
Besides the somewhat lack of atmosphere, the seating wasn't much better with wooden benches straight out of a Victorian church or school.
But we got to it and took a look over the menu which consists of the signature pizzas with wacky names such as the 'They Call Me Bruce', a fancy-ish Hawaiian complete with smoked ham, pineapple, bacon, grana padano, mozza, & tomato sauce or the 'Baba Was A Hippie, Gido Was A Rolling Stone' which comes topped with potato, onion, roast garlic, green onion, mozza, & cheddar, on a vegan white sauce base.
We decided on a build-your-own with Italian Sausage, Pineapple, and Red Onion, with extra sauce of course, along with a couple of sodas while we waited. One down side to the pies here is that there is one size only, kicking off at $24 each and ranging up to $33 for come of the signature versions, so with 8 pieces per pie, can cost upwards of $4 per slice, which is on the higher end for YEG.
This brings us to Detroit style pizza however, which is a thick and hearty pizza meaning you don't need many slices to fill yourself and which does counter the higher pricing somewhat. Baked in a rectangular pan with that thick and often chewy crust, you do end up with a nice crisp edge on the 'za which contrasts nicely with the crust chew.
The Grub
1x Custom Detroit Style Pan Pizza (Italian Sausage, Pineapple, Red Onion, Mozzarella, & Extra Tomato Sauce)
1x Sprite
1x Dr. Pepper
The Damage
$34.65 (-tax & tip)
Kingston
The Place: 4 - There was no pictures on the walls but the benches were kind of nice.
The Crust: 3.5 - It was thick crispy and then the chew in your mouth.
The Sauce: 3 - Not a lot of sauce but needed more flavor.
The Cheese: 4 - The cheese was good and stringy.
The Toppings: 4.5 - Lots of toppings and a big range of toppings too.
PizzaMonsters Verdict: 3.5 The pizza was good and I might want to go back and have it again soon.
3.5/5 PizzaMonsters
Steve
The Place: 2.5 - Would benefit from better seating and atmosphere.
The Crust: 3.5 - While not usually a thick crust kinda guy, this one was done quite well. Crunch & Chew both present.
The Sauce: 3 - It was pizza sauce, but even with the extra, there wasn't a ton.
The Cheese: 4 - It's hard to rate cheese a low score, isn't it? Good coverage and stretch.
The Toppings: 3.5 - Plenty of toppings per slice, which combined with that thick crust makes for a hearty meal. Good variety of toppings available too.
PizzaMonsters Verdict: 3 Well, they don't blow at High Dough, but they also didn't blow me away either. Good for something different from time to time, but won't be a go-to for me.
3/5 PizzaMonsters
As the weeks & months go on, the PizzaMonsters explore YEG's pizza places and munch our way through their best pizzas to try and find the Magic Golden Super Best Pizza in Edmonton!
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