Indie Pizzas

Niki's Pizza

Dobie Mall, 2025 Guadalupe #228, 474-1876
Tech Ridge Center, 1100 Center Ridge Dr. #320, 989-6868
www.nikipizza.com
Daily, 11am-10pm

Brooklynite Niki Neziri has been cooking New York-style pie in Austin for 30 years, so no way can he be called a newbie. But he does have a new location out at the Tech Ridge Center strip mall, near the Freebirds. When you walk in, the layout is exactly like the typical New York neighborhood pizzeria: a long service counter, pizza ovens in the back, a few tables on the right. The only things missing are the mountain of supplies stacked in every available space and crowds of goombahs.

We loved this pie! The thin crust has perfect rich flavor without being yeasty: a light and airy texture, foldable with an ideal end droop, and just the right amount of charring. The sauce is a thin coating of crushed tomato, with subtle garlic and the slightest hint of herbs (oregano and garlic are on the counter if you want more). The cheese is 100% whole-milk mozzarella, applied at a rate that leaves a translucent reddish sheen of sauce peeking through. The sausage is sliced, with a medium-coarse texture and a kiss of heat and fennel; this is real-deal Italian sausage.

We got a medium/one topping (14 inches, $9.25, or 6 cents per square inch; four sizes available). Niki offers all of the basic toppings, as well as a full menu of homemade pastas at very reasonable prices; think of the classic checkered tablecloth Italian menu. He even does an 18-inch-square deep-dish Sicilian pie: $13.50, loaded. Niki has a two-slice special and keeps four to six cooked pizzas under glass for instant warming.

Niki's is as close as you can get to genuine NYC thin-crust pie in Austin. Prices are fantastic, service is warm and welcoming, and our pie hit the table about eight minutes after it was ordered. What more could you want?