Pizza isn’t always heralded as a great summer cuisine. It’s a comfort food that can be heavy, and it’s hot. And when the sun is blazing, we tend to crave lighter foods, like salads and veggies. But here at the Coalition, we believe in pizza as an all-weather meal – you just have to know the right places to go.
What do we look for in a great summer pizza? Here are a few qualifications to make this list:
- Outdoor seating: What’s better than enjoying a slice on a patio with a cool glass of rosé? Nothing, that’s what.
- Lighter pizza: Neapolitans tend to win out here, with minimal toppings. Sorry, deep dish, you’re more of a wintertime friend.
- Cool restaurant: We mean this literally. The lightest, most summery pizza in the world doesn’t mean anything if you’re sat next to a sweltering pizza oven in 80 degree weather. Air conditioning, fans, and open windows are all important when enjoying a summer pizza.
For our Top 5 Summer Pizzerias, we kept multiple locations of the same restaurant family grouped together – so you end up with even more pizza places to check out! Read on, and welcome to the wonderful world of eating pizza in the summer.
Top 5 Places to Eat Pizza in the Seattle Summer
5. Delancey
Delancey itself does not have any outdoor seating, but it’s lighter, Neapolitan-style pies and open, airy space make for a great summer meal. Delancey is a very popular spot in Seattle, and is known for long waits. With little space to wait inside, it’s definitely better to go in the warmer weather, as you’ll likely be waiting outside. Better yet – visit their sister space next door, a cocktail bar called Essex. Essex does have a small outdoor patio, making it the perfect space to have a cool drink while waiting for your table.
Read more about Delancey in our full review here.
4. Stoneburner
Stoneburner in Ballard serves up stone fired…well, everything. Not just a pizza place, they focus on Mediterranean cuisine and stone hearth cooking. As heavy as that sounds, their pizzas won’t weigh you down too much. And with outdoor seating and big open windows, it’s a trendy summer spot to see and be seen. Even better – if you’re planning a big summer pizza wedding (who hasn’t, amirite?), you can reserve the stunning Olympic Rooftop Pavilion with sweeping views of the Olympics, Cascades, Puget Sound, and Mt. Rainier.
Read more about Stoneburner in our full review here.
3. Alibi Room – Greenwood
Alibi Room in Greenwood is a new, delicious discovery for us, serving up gourmet brick oven pizza. While it wasn’t yet open when we visited, we did spy that Alibi Room had a nice sized outdoor patio and big garage door opening to the bar. Perfect for summer happy hours, they also have an affordable “mini pizza” that’s actually big enough for dinner, but still light enough to fit a few cocktails in beside it. Although it’s been around for 4 years, it still feels like a hidden gem, and perfect for summer evenings.
The original Alibi Room is located on Post Alley, and while it doesn’t have outdoor seating, it’s also a great happy hour spot, and surrounded by all the history of Pike Place Market. We preferred the Greenwood location, but we think you should check out both, and let your stomach be your guide.
Full reviews of both Alibi Rooms are coming soon!
2. Queen Margherita
Queen Margherita is our favorite pizza in Seattle, and the only pizzeria to receive the elusive 5-star rating. It’s perfect at any time of year, but we especially love it in the summertime. Their classic Margherita pizza is a perfect, light meal, especially when paired with a starter salad (and finished with some gelato). They have a few patio tables, and a garage door that creates an enjoyable, airy ambiance in the small space. Faux Roman arches inside bring even more of the outside in, transporting you to a summer in Roma…except you’re in Magnolia. A great way to cap off a day spent at Discovery Park or visiting the local public pool, Queen Margherita is a delicious, family-friendly, neighborhood spot that will knock your socks off. (Except it’s summer, so you’re not wearing any.)
Read more about Queen Margherita in our full review here.
1. Frelard Pizza Company
There’s no better place to eat pizza in the summer than at Frelard Pizza Company. At least half of their restaurant is actually outside, and with all the doors open, even the inside feels like the outside. This casual spot serves up whole pies or slices of classic American thin crust, so you can be the master of just how much pizza you consume. Frelard is a great place for socializing, and you can easily spend an entire Friday night by the fire, eating slices and drinking a local wine. The pizza is good, but it’s really the ambiance that wins you over at Frelard. One visit, and you’ll be counting down the minutes for winter to end so you can post up at your favorite picnic table again.
Frelard is just one of three pizzerias in the Ballard Pizza Co. family. It’s sister restaurant in South Lake Union also features a bounty of outdoor seating, but it’s location in Amazon-land means it tends to wind down pretty early. It still makes for a great summer happy hour if you work in the area, and come on, who doesn’t love a good patio?
Read more with our full reviews of Frelard Pizza Co. and Ballard Pizza Co. – SLU.
Do you know of another great summer pizza spot in Seattle? Tell us about it in the comments and we’ll add it to our list of pizzas to eat!
Seattle Pizza Coalition 