Pizzeria Gusto

[Teo9969]

I think if they leave the space open that is currently vacated, they could see themselves do very well late night should they choose to stay open.

[sooner88]

We went last night and I will echo what others have said... the pizza is great. The space itself is beautiful and larger than I expected. We had a 10 minute wait for 2, which was not bad at all and a good sign for them on a Monday. We got the calamari app (good, not great) and the margherita the queen pizza. The pizza was slightly smaller than we expected, but the benefit of having a 900 degree oven is they are able to get another one out quickly. One app and one pizza turned out to be plenty as I took most of the second pizza home. All in all very good experience and I will be going back.

[Dubya61]

I'd like to start with a disclaimer. I love ALL pizza (and BBQ ... and most Mexican / Tex-Mex) -- but that doesn't mean I don't know good (and great) when I see (taste) it.
We went Friday night. BLUF: Great service, Fantastic and AUTHENTIC food.
I was already prepared to like the space, since I've seen pictures here. It didn't disappoint.
I was already prepared to put up with bad service, since it's been said here that the current local demand for good servers is stressing the supply. I was wrong to expect it. Service was great. The servers and collateral personnel knew a lot about the product, the key staff, and what to expect. I'm pretty sure I met just about every key player (to include the owner and executive chef on the way out the door).
The calamari was unquestionably the best we've had in the states since returning from Europe about 9 years ago. The bruschetta was great. It wasn't classic bruschetta, but it was never billed as such and was a nice treatment that we both enjoyed. Besides, even I can recreate classic bruschetta and don't expect to go out and pay for it. The pies (I don't like calling them that, but ...) were phenomenal! They were very authentic. It was like comfort food for all my best memories of Naples. Even the cappuccino was spot on -- I know, that's not hard to recreate, either, but it was an important part of the dessert (Pannacotta and cinnamon doughnuts with Nutella, BTW -- maybe not authentic, but great).
Just two dounsides. I thought the crust was a tiny bit "off", but there are a multitude of factors that could prompt that -- an inexperienced or distracted preparer, there are lots of factors, and that's part of what makes Neapolitan pizza what it is.
The other downside was that it wasn't cheap. I spent more than I wanted to, but didn't feel like I got taken advantage of. I'm just saying that I won't be able to afford it often. All the same, for authenticity, it sure beat the cost and rigors of a flight to Napoli.

[Jessica N]

I agree with you, Dubya61. The atmosphere and service is impressive, but I was a little disappointed in the food. My expectations were set pretty high since Gusto has the same oven as my favorite pizza place in the States (Cane Rosso in Deep Ellum). Hubs and I only got salad and pizzas and we were a little saddened with the quality/size of salad and the crust (too thick) and cheese (bought, not made in-house?) on the pizza. We were so hopeful that Gusto would be our Cane Rosso in OKC, and maybe it will be someday, but it isn't quite yet.

[OKC_Chipper]

Went Saturday night around 7, there was an hour wait for a table for two. No big deal, went and sat at the bar and enjoyed a cocktail or two before the meal. The place was absolutely slammed, people waiting outside, lots of people waiting around the bar. We had the meatballs as our appetizer, DELICIOUS. Some of the best meatballs i've ever had. Split the lamb sausage pizza, was amazing as well, perfectly cooked crust. Good wine, good service. Could't have asked for a better overall experience, this place is already a smash hit.

[shawnw]

Curious, how was business at Pizza23 during this time? Were they empty or did they get some overflow biz?

[Chadanth]

Curious, how was business at Pizza23 during this time? Were they empty or did they get some overflow biz?

Not from me. Went by this weekend, they were too busy to make our event on time, so we went to Hideaway.

[Dubya61]

I think it's logically wrong to compare Pizza23's product with Pizzeria Gusto's product. To do so is like saying that the beliefs of a Southern Baptist are comparable to those of an Episcopalian. It may not be like comparing apples and oranges, but it's a lot like comparing oranges and grapefruit. Both are fantastic products, though!

[Pete]

Plenty of room for both of them.

In fact, I'm sure all the new activity at The Rise will help Pizza 23.

[warreng88]

I think it's logically wrong to compare Pizza23's product with Pizzeria Gusto's product. To do so is like saying that the beliefs of a Southern Baptist are comparable to those of an Episcopalian. It may not be like comparing apples and oranges, but it's a lot like comparing oranges and grapefruit. Both are fantastic products, though!

I didn't read it as a comparison, but more of a can both of these businesses succeed being so close together and having a similar concept.

[kevinpate]

I didn't read it as a comparison, but more of a can both of these businesses succeed being so close together and having a similar concept.

Works for Walgreens and CVS

[DoctorTaco]

I didn't read it as a comparison, but more of a can both of these businesses succeed being so close together and having a similar concept.

I was skeptical at first, but I see now that they are really very different restaurants. Pizza 23 is much more casual, family-freindly and cheap than Gusto. Pizza 23w has more of a neighborhood feeling. Gusto is classier, fancier, pricier (and tastier) and a more complete experience. I would take my wife to Gusto on a date night. I'd take my kids to Pizza 23 and then follow it up with desert at Orange Leaf next door and a stop to play at the Mesta Park playground a few blocks south.

Room for both experiences, as Pete says.

[AP]

I was skeptical at first, but I see now that they are really very different restaurants. Pizza 23 is much more casual, family-freindly and cheap than Gusto. Pizza 23w has more of a neighborhood feeling. Gusto is classier, fancier, pricier (and tastier) and a more complete experience. I would take my wife to Gusto on a date night. I'd take my kids to Pizza 23 and then follow it up with desert at Orange Leaf next door and a stop to play at the Mesta Park playground a few blocks south.

Room for both experiences, as Pete says.

I think this is pretty much how I see it as well. Plenty of room for both concepts to succeed.

[LocoAko]

Went last night and absolutely loved everything about the experience. My friends and I sat at the bar after being told there was a 30-40 minute wait for a six top. We had some of the arancini and then each actually got our own pizza, ranging from the salmon to the cherry tomato to the chicken. Great service and drink selection, too. We were unfortunately too full to even try the ricotta donuts. The place was packed and is definitely an instant favorite among my friends and I. I haven't even lived in Oklahoma very long but even I felt surprised that this was just on 23rd street, and my friends from Norman who generally couldn't care less about civic issues/development were super excited to see Pump Bar and all of the forthcoming retail space at the Rise and kept remarking about it. Can't wait to go back.

[Urbanized]

Now that Gusto has proven to be so fantastic and such a draw, and with Pump coming online, the corner of NW 24th and Walker urgently needs to be addressed. Many, MANY people will be and are already parking east of Walker and crossing the street to get to these places. It is currently incredibly dangerous. People coming off of 23rd and up/down Walker and are FLYING. The streetlights there are not working. And frankly, there should be a 4-way stop sign (recommended by Jeff Speck in "Walkable City" as best form of control in pedestrian environment).

These establishments (along with A Good Egg HQ and imminent emergence of The Rise) have fundamentally changed this block, and hopefully Uptown 23 and the City will address it soon, before someone is hurt, or worse.

[no1cub17]

Also have to give Gusto my two thumbs up. Maybe my favorite entree was the Gusto Wings - unlike Buffalo Wild Wings they don't just sprinkle their wings in mediocre sauce, their wings are actually cooked spicy. Amazing. I think we shared 3 orders among our group. Can't wait to come back!

And I'm also happy to see not too many posters complaining about the prices. At $12/cocktail it's not exactly cheap, nor should it be!

[Celebrator]

Had dinner there tonight. Thought the prices were justified and the atmosphere and food were outstanding.

[John Knight]

I snapped this pic of Pizzeria Gusto's future patio this past Friday. This should be a nice addition once it gets warmer.

[Plutonic Panda]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but are they going to put windows in where there are those outlines?

[Pete]

Don't think there will be any windows:

[John]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but are they going to put windows in where there are those outlines?

The windows on the left is where the restrooms are located and the ones on the right are back of house, either offices or cold/dry storage for the kitchen.

[John Knight]

We had dinner here Saturday night and I was very impressed. The food along with the service was very good. Not to mention the remodel is exceptional.

[ljbab728]

I met my daughter there for lunch on New Year's Eve. I was very impressed with the atmosphere and the service. I'm not much of a beer drinking and asked our waiter for a suggestion. It was excellent. I had the meatball pizza and my daughter had a chicken sandwich. I thought the food was fine but nothing exceptional and would certainly go back again if I was going to be in that area.

[onemoreokie]

Went there tonight with the wife. Sat at the bar. Service was superb and loved the food. The place could have been in any big city (London, Singapore, etc). The men's bathroom layout was a joke but hey there's always something.

[ljbab728]

Dave Cathey's review.

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