Address: 600-B NW23rd
Phone: (405) 601-6161
Hours: Mon-Thu 11 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 12 pm - 9 pm
Development: 600 NW 23rd
Status: Opened December 2012
Links:
Official Website (http://pizza23okc.com/)
Menu (http://pizza23okc.com/?menu_cat=menu)
Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/Pizza23OKC?fref=ts)
Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pizza-23-oklahoma-city)
Urban Spoon (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/46/1720377/restaurant/Uptown/Pizza-23-Oklahoma-City)
Eat Around OKC (https://www.eataroundokc.com/restaurant/pizza-23/)


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I'm excited as well. I'm a huge fan of pizza as well as most of the Coop beers. As long as they can keep it homemade, using high quality ingredients I'm sure it will be a success, even if it is a bit on the pricey side. It looks like they have a good amount of seating inside as well as a nice patio. Its also walking distance from my house which is even better, to offset the calories.

The only other close "competitor" in the area is Sauced which is good, but not that great. On the parking thing, good luck. It is already bad around lunch/dinner time with big truck tacos, and now Orange leaf. Once Pizza23 opens, assuming it is popular, get ready to walk those calories off and park a good couple blocks away. This is probably a good thing since you are eating pizza and drinking beer.

Justin Price (the owner of Pizza23) ran the Jo's Pizza location near Hefner and Rockwell before it closed a few months ago. In my opinion the crust was very good/unique (flaky, buttery), it was similar to the crust you get at Humble Pie in Edmond. The toppings/Sauce were pretty plain vanilla. It seemed the toppings were "too thick" (https://deals.eataroundokc.com/offer/jos-famous-pizza-okc/) and not enough cheese or sauce (https://www.eataroundokc.com/jos-famous-pizza-from-small-town-to-the-big-city/), just my opinion. I felt it was too expensive for what it was especially in that part of town which is very saturated with both Chain and Locally Owned Pizza Joints such as Italia Express, Pizinnis, Great American, All American, etc, all within a few miles.

Either way, I plan on stopping by as soon as they open. I keep checking the social networks anxiously awaiting for a "we are open" update since the Gazette ran the article in early October (stating they would open in late October).

Pics from their facebook:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/302815_530834416945145_1010579684_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/488183_484655928229661_188047831_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/388097_478745112154076_800764776_n.jpg

Hopefully this will not be another pizza joint with crust that feels like a ton of bricks in your tummy, ladled with a half gallon of sauce. If I wanted that, I'd go to Godfather's.

I miss Godfather's :(

The Pizza23 looks great! I am hungry for some pizza now! Where is it located and when does it open?

I miss Godfather's :(

Ditto. Second best pizza, and pizza group, I worked for in my younger days. Very close to being the best on both fronts.

Ditto. Second best pizza, and pizza group, I worked for in my younger days. Very close to being the best on both fronts.

Who's best? (IYHO)
and have you tried that place in Norman just south of the University that claimes to be good Chicago pizza?

Best pizza I have eaten to date that I dinna prepare was out of JJ's in Norman, or at least it used to be. They stopped delivering a while back, or perhaps simply stopped delivering where I am located. I discovered really liking it and being willing to get out and navigate to campus and back were just not the same thing.

on edit: as far as places where I worked in younger days, Pizza Hut edged out Godfather's, but just barely. Preferred the sauce, and while I worked with some great folks at Godfather's, with the Hut I also worked with even better folk. Or maybe I was just happier overall being in the smaller communities than I was when I lived in T-town during the GF days.

I can see the Jo's influence; it looks a LOT like it.

Was that Jo's affiliated with the Jo's Pizza in Purcell?

Was that Jo's affiliated with the Jo's Pizza in Purcell?

Yes. That one and the one that's still open at 9th and Kelly in Edmond are affiliated with the original Purcell location.

I can see the Jo's influence; it looks a LOT like it.

I ate at the Jo's in Edmond and thought it was atrocious. Awful.

I ate at the Jo's in Edmond and thought it was atrocious. Awful.

Maybe Pizza23 will be better?

Why did the jo's at hefner and rockwell close?
And i have to put in my vote for Shotgun Sams for some of the best pizza ive ever had in the metro.

Best pizza I have eaten to date that I dinna prepare was out of JJ's in Norman, or at least it used to be. They stopped delivering a while back, or perhaps simply stopped delivering where I am located. I discovered really liking it and being willing to get out and navigate to campus and back were just not the same thing.

on edit: as far as places where I worked in younger days, Pizza Hut edged out Godfather's, but just barely. Preferred the sauce, and while I worked with some great folks at Godfather's, with the Hut I also worked with even better folk. Or maybe I was just happier overall being in the smaller communities than I was when I lived in T-town during the GF days.

:eek: Pizza Hut is terrible!

:eek: Pizza Hut is terrible!

Back in the 70s and even somewhat the 80s when Pizza Hut was more dine in then all carry out and delivery they actually had pretty good pizza. Along the way somewhere pepsico and/or yum foods bought them out{among others}and their quality of product and ingrediants went downhill.

Back in the 70s and even somewhat the 80s when Pizza Hut was more dine in then all carry out and delivery they actually had pretty good pizza. Along the way somewhere pepsico and/or yum foods bought them out{among others}and their quality of product and ingrediants went downhill.

No wonder it tastes terrible since I ate Pizza Hut when Yum Foods bought them out, I did not eat Pizza Hut before Yum Foods bought them out, oh well

Back in the 70s and even somewhat the 80s when Pizza Hut was more dine in then all carry out and delivery they actually had pretty good pizza. ...

Yeppers. 76-80 for me, part of a PH franchise outfit for me. A&M was based in Tulsa, but P-Huts for me were our units located in SE OK and SW AR. We were often the only pie in town back then, unless there was a mom/pop operation. We were dedicated to never taking that status for granted. We dinna have buffets. Everything made to order, and not every order was on an approved menu. Great times, on duty and off.

Yeppers. 76-80 for me, part of a PH franchise outfit for me. A&M was based in Tulsa, but P-Huts for me were our units located in SE OK and SW AR. We were often the only pie in town back then, unless there was a mom/pop operation. We were dedicated to never taking that status for granted. We dinna have buffets. Everything made to order, and not every order was on an approved menu. Great times, on duty and off.

They also had a red and white tablecloth on every table as well as a candle if memory serves correct.

Yep. Sliding back to topic (Sorry for the walk down memory lane Pizza 23) the oh so very neutral brown interior wouldn't be my first choice, but from what I can see in the photo it's not horrid or anything close to it. And if the product tastes as good as their product images, it'll be worth popping over to give a try when I am in OKC.

Yep. Sliding back to topic (Sorry for the walk down memory lane Pizza 23) the oh so very neutral brown interior wouldn't be my first choice, but from what I can see in the photo it's not horrid or anything close to it. And if the product tastes as good as their product images, it'll be worth popping over to give a try when I am in OKC.

It is better than pink

Achilleslastand,
Actually, Pepsi owned them and KFC, Long John Silver, Taco Bell, and A&W when they decided to get out of the fast food business and they formed a new company (YUM) and spun the restaurants off to them. Just a technical detail, they were probably managed by the same executives. I haven't eaten Pizza Hut since the seventies so I don't know what they are like now.
C. T.

pepsico and/or yum foods bought them out{among others}and their quality of product and ingrediants went downhill.

My experience has been that Yum foods has completely ruined the resaurants they took over. Long John Silvers has recovered somewhat and is not too bad but Taco Bell isn't fit for that little dog that used to be their mascot and Pizza Hut pizza tastes like cardboard.

I just started eating at a Pizza Inn buffet on SW 59th and it's actually still very good...just like it was back in the 70's and 80's.

Achilleslastand,
Actually, Pepsi owned them and KFC, Long John Silver, Taco Bell, and A&W when they decided to get out of the fast food business and they formed a new company (YUM) and spun the restaurants off to them. Just a technical detail, they were probably managed by the same executives. I haven't eaten Pizza Hut since the seventies so I don't know what they are like now.
C. T.


pepsi didn't buy pizza hut until 1977

That pepperoni looks pretty damn good.

That pepperoni looks pretty damn good.

Yes it does....
Kinda remind me of a Jo's pepperoni pizza.

Btw.....does anyone know why Jo's at Hefner and Rockwell closed down?

Yes it does....
Kinda remind me of a Jo's pepperoni pizza.

Btw.....does anyone know why Jo's at Hefner and Rockwell closed down?

Pizza23 is owned and opporated by the same guy. See SSEiYah's post on the first page. Pizza23 did their soft open today so it shouldn't be long before I can try out Justin's new twist on a familiar quality product. There is great parking directly behind the store and I'm pretty sure it's going to have a good TV setup for watching ballgames. I love seeing this area of town become reborn but I hope someone is going to address the parking issues needed to support the new business.

Opening tonight (Friday 12/14) at 5PM.

The last time I was in that area Pizza23's rear parking lot was full of Big Truck Taco customers....

On Facebook, the people at Big Truck Tacos referred to the pizza as "pretty darn good." Is that a neighborly way of saying, "it pretty much sucks?" Hope not.

On Facebook, the people at Big Truck Tacos referred to the pizza as "pretty darn good." Is that a neighborly way of saying, "it pretty much sucks?" Hope not.

Nah, sounds earnest to me.
Lots of places are pretty darn good. If someone wanted to be neighborly but still say something ain't quite right, I'd be more inclined to expect something like referring to having hopes for them to become successful in time or note how they seem to be trying some rather different approaches as they start out.

On Facebook, the people at Big Truck Tacos referred to the pizza as "pretty darn good." Is that a neighborly way of saying, "it pretty much sucks?" Hope not.

If it was just "pretty good" then maybe but the "darn" makes me think it's good. I'd imagine that the people at Big Truck are foodies and reserve "amazing" "super duper" etc. for the truly totally amazing. :Smiley122

We ate there tonight, right after it opened. It was busy. There were a couple open tables however they were still making us wait, (lack of wait staff?).

So the menu is pretty basic. They have 3 appetizers. We ordered the "Rumble Bread" ($4). It was hard to eat. It was heavily saturated with garlic and Parmesan and seemed way too salty. We ordered a Coop IPA and Mustang Wa****a Wheat. Both were $6.00 for normal pint glass. Mustang seemed a bit pricey at $6, as it is usually fairly cheap at other places. Coop is normally in the $5-$6 range which is fine with me, its good beer.

We ordered the meat lovers version of their pizza in large. Cost: $22. After seeing the price, I was hoping for something amazing. It was just "good", but not great. It was on a thin crust, crispy on the outside. Positive points for the crust, it is unique, you just have to try it. The toppings were very good as well. The sausage tasted great, quality and the other meats were good. It was greasy with grease dripping off as you are eating it. The topping to cheese to crust ratio is good. Still, I felt $22 was too much, $16 would be more like it.

Service was very good, waitress was a pro considering it was her first real day on the job.

Some other things to note. They have 3 or 4 50" TVs in the place. They were running analog signals to them "stretched" to widescreen so everything looks "fat". Come on now. It is 2012, almost 2013 and you are running analog TV signals in an "upscale" pizza joint. All that would be needed to make it high def is to dish out the extra $40 a month and invest in a cheap amplified HDMI splitter to run a 720P signal to each tv. Not really worth watching sports on them in the current state.

Acoustics are bad, we had to raise our voices to hear each other. It seems as if the low open ceilings amplify the noise around us.

So overall, our tab was $50 for one large pizza, Rumble Bread, three draft beers and a soft drink. If they reduced the food prices by about 20-30% all the way around it would be a regular spot for us. Beer prices are acceptable, well at least for the Coop Beers. They lacked Boulevard Wheat and Hoegaarden which was rather disappointing. They also only had 2 coop beers. If they added the Native Amber or the Zeppelin wheat that would be nice.

Does this place offer by the slice or is it a whole pie or no pie kind of place?

I went last night too. It was pretty good, and I will go back, but it wasn't amazing. Try it, but give them time. Maybe they'll make some updates/adjustments.

Went yesterday for Lunch. It was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but I liked it as much as I've liked the Wedge at any point, though I think Upper Crust is still probably a better deal.

Main things they need to work on: Atmosphere. Certainly nothing wrong with the place, but it needs more decor. I didn't notice the acoustics thing mentioned earlier, but 1. we went at lunch and 2. we sat at the bar. Some Decor would help that, and maybe 2 or 3 booths.

If they can drop their price point $1/$2/$3 per pizza (with corresponding sizes), then I think it would be more inviting...I think that would be a good move to make in about 3 to 6 months when newness wears off and they want to boost numbers a bit. By then, they should have a better concept of how their food cost is going to run as well. Overall, I don't think it's a bad deal at all, and maybe rather than dropping menu prices, they run features and deals that bring bodies in the door.

Some of the good notes: The toppings are fresh and the crust is good. We had the wings, and the sauces don't really do it for me, but they are incredibly tender. That Patio is going to be AWESOME when it's nice outside, especially with the quality beer selections they have.

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

Went yesterday for Lunch. It was good. Nothing mind-blowing, but I liked it as much as I've liked the Wedge at any point, though I think Upper Crust is still probably a better deal.

Main things they need to work on: Atmosphere. Certainly nothing wrong with the place, but it needs more decor. I didn't notice the acoustics thing mentioned earlier, but 1. we went at lunch and 2. we sat at the bar. Some Decor would help that, and maybe 2 or 3 booths.

If they can drop their price point $1/$2/$3 per pizza (with corresponding sizes), then I think it would be more inviting...I think that would be a good move to make in about 3 to 6 months when newness wears off and they want to boost numbers a bit. By then, they should have a better concept of how their food cost is going to run as well. Overall, I don't think it's a bad deal at all, and maybe rather than dropping menu prices, they run features and deals that bring bodies in the door.

Some of the good notes: The toppings are fresh and the crust is good. We had the wings, and the sauces don't really do it for me, but they are incredibly tender. That Patio is going to be AWESOME when it's nice outside, especially with the quality beer selections they have.

thanks for the review i look forward to trying it

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

That being said (in both of our reviews)...I don't necessarily think they made a mistake opening the way they did. I think finding out who their clientele is and tailoring what they do atmospherically has the chance to be a really good thing.

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.


I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

I was there last night, too!

We had the rumble bread and the chicken alfredo pizza. The rumble bread was pretty good...my boyfriend and I did not care for the pizza. The chicken on it seemed to be the low-quality strips of chicken that you can get in a deli section of a grocery store. However, I'd be willing to try again...the crust seemed good, and I love salads, so I'll take Steve's recommendation and try one next time. We'll just try a pepperoni pizza or something else.

For the record, for one soda, one water, a large pizza, and rumble bread, our tab was $26.

Blangtang, I don't think they do pizza by the slice.

I went there last night. I'd rate it slightly better than Wedge. Price? Well, it's more expensive than Little Caesars. And if you're looking for cheap, tasteless pizza, than yeah, Pizza 23 isn't for you. I agree on the decor - they might want to cozy it up some more...
By the way - the salads are incredible.

come on steve ... i don't think anyone was comparing it to little ceasars ...

i went last night and it was very good pizza and the chop salad was also tasty ... however it is clearly a bit overpriced .. 22 bucks for an Italian pizza is about 4 bucks to much Large chop salad is 8 it should be 6 or 7 Upper crust is very much the same quality and size for less money

now if they add rotating specials the prices might be ok .. but if choosing on a monday or tuesday night between Upper Crust (25 dollars for pizza and a bottle of wine) or Pizza 23 I would choose UpperCrust every time ..

last night was a Pizza a large salad and 2 beers for 2 people our total with tip was over 50 dollars with a keep it local card .. the same order at UpperCrust would have been 7-10 dollars less

For that kind of coin I would expect artisan wood-fired pizza with delicate and delectable toppings. Oh well.

For that kind of coin I would expect artisan wood-fired pizza with delicate and delectable toppings. Oh well.

That's what I love about food and especially pizza places. Nobody agrees..lol

For that kind of coin I'd expect a pizza that would be hearty enough and made of good enough ingredients that I could eat it cold for breakfast the next day and lunch too. That's what I like about Pizza23 and the other more hearty pizza places. Nobody is wrong on the great pizza debate.

I love Pizza 23... been there 5 times now, will be back on Thursday. It is better than Upper Crust is now, Upper Crust was pretty awesome when the opened. But the same with Pizza 23, I put it up there with Joey's as my fav 2 in OKC. The crust is awesome, like a pie. So good! IMHO

ATMOSPHERE: 3 OUT OF 5 STARS. Bland, but it didn't really bother me that much. I appreciated the retro photos on the east wall. TV placement is just stupid, especially not having one at the bar area of all places. I hope they don't soften the place up too much and make it cheesy.

PRICE: 2 STARS As others posted, I think it's too much for what it is, I'd drop price by $4-$5 to stay competitive long-term. They also need a pizza buy the slice option for lunch.

FOOD: 3.5 STARS. While good and better than take out/ to-go options, compared to Wedge/Upper Crust it is not near as good. I will give them props on creativeness for some of the custom pies, however taste is just not there for the money IMO. Still good pie, but for this style of pie, you can get better options cheaper, and this isn't a place you're paying extra for the "ambiance". Management needs to figure out a value proposition, as nothing about this place is unique to the market.

MANAGEMENT: While I can't give a fair rating here, on opening night I found it rather odd the manager/owner would selectively pick who he talked to. Also I noticed the wait staff placed people in rather odd seating fashion. We had our toddler daughter with us, and they placed us in the corner at a small table near 2 other families with kids, and the tables and chairs were too close together and we kept bumping into each other, meanwhile half the restaurant was empty and they put another couple with kids in the middle of the restaurant. I get that sometimes you want families with kids in one section of the restaurant, but it was more inconvenient for the entire restaurant the way they sat people. Waitstaff hasn't been very knowledgeable or willing to help answer questions about the menu either. Based on my experience, I'd give management 1-2 STARS

LOCATION: 5 STARS, Cheers to the Uptown revival!

I will definitely be back, as I love supporting the local hip places, and the food is pretty good, but hope they work to fix price and management issues.

We went there a little after it opened and I agree with everyone pretty much. Way too expensive and the staff seem way to confused. They did not know how to take my keep it local discount off, so they accidentally took too much, buy an extra 3 bucks, and made it a big deal that they come back and get the difference.

Really? When you make a mistake because your staff can't properly run the register, that's your fault. Don't take that out on the customers right after you open. It was only 3 bucks, but it just seemed really awkward for them to come back and want the difference.

Ill probably go back at some point (especially when you can sit on the patio), but every other pizza joint makes just as good of a pizza if not better, with a better atmosphere, more intelligent staff and at a better price. Hopefully this place will grow over the next 6 months. They will have more competition with the pizza place going in plaza, so maybe that will get them to get their act together.

I love Pizza 23... been there 5 times now, will be back on Thursday. It is better than Upper Crust is now, Upper Crust was pretty awesome when the opened. But the same with Pizza 23, I put it up there with Joey's as my fav 2 in OKC. The crust is awesome, like a pie. So good! IMHO

You are going to get a heart attack if you keep going back :tongue:

I doubt it is better than Godfather's and Mazzio's Pizza but I will give it a shot this weekend

I ate there last night. Great pizza, and a great setting. One thing I didn't particularly like was the placement of the TV's. Sitting at the bar, you had to turn your head 90 degrees to see a TV. Or if you were in one end of the bar, you'd have to completely turn around.

It was fantastic though, I will be back for sure.

I'll be sure to try this place out, but...Papa Angelo's in Bethany has the pizza to beat. Best pizza I ever ate in Oklahoma...so far.

Pizza 23 is not worth the carbs or money. Heavy, Bisquiky crust is terrible. Ingredients were average to poor (witness crappy salad mushrooms). Mediocre at best. It is tough to find good pizza in OKC. And yet there are a lot pizza pretenders showing up.

We had two individual pizzas, a salad, and one middling glass of vino and our bill came out to 45 bucks. For crappy pizza?

Won't be back.

Really? I loved it. Will be back soon.

pizza ... almost as subjective as bbq. almost.

Pizza pretenders? Really? I thought this place was pretty good. Maybe your bar has been set too high for pizza I guess

In here on Friday at 10pm and just my party of 2, and one other table in here.

Maybe Fridays aren't their high point?

Again, their only value proposition is location.

Took a group of 8 on Sunday and it was awesome. Really, really good pizza and salads. It's priced a little high for pizza, but the food was very good and I loved it. Will definitely be back.

My wife and I like it. Different than the Wedge, but we like both. Decent little beer selection. Just the two of us, so it's basically the same price as it is eating out at most local places ($30ish). We live on 21st so the location is tough to beat. Eat local. Shop local.

Ate there before the Thunder game last Friday. Pretty good crowd. Had wings - pretty good - really messy. Then had a BBQ chicken pizza that was excellent and a Sausage and pepper pizza that was pretty good. Crust seems kind of unimaginative - it's just crust and a bit on the doughy side.

Overall, the food was pretty good. I'll go back.

How does Pizza 23 compare to . . . say, Papa Murphys' (take home and bake) . . . or RedBaron/DiGiorno/etc.?
Like, in terms of atmosphere/ambiance and so forth . . . ?
Do they have a good selection on the jukebox?
Do they have a coal-fired pizza oven?

My hope would be that if I decided to go somewhere to eat "Pizza" it would at least equal or approximate that served at "Elements".

btw: i agree with Jett about Angelo's. at the risk of being redundant in my praises regarding proper pizza.

(so . . . what d'ya call a large, segregated, multi-topping, pizza cut into 8 or 12 slices?: "Tapas".)