The tables at this glorified dive on the East Trail are mostly communal.
The general feel is frat house-meets-Revenge of the Nerds.
They don’t profess interest in anything beyond pizza and beer (P.S., that’s an understatement or lie—however you want to slice it—because their mozzarella-stuffed tater tots with a garlicky ranch dip are crazy-addictive, and they know their way around a smoker).
But stop by for a pie, and you’ll see why this is my latest obsession.
Let’s put it this way: I felt mildly out of place in my preppy stripes and Burberry flats against the backdrop of AC/DC paintings and hockey jerseys about to fall from the ceiling—but none of that mattered because the pizza rocked.
I would have had a good time alone just reading the menu (not to mention, our server was super-bubbly and as passionate about the blistering mozzarella and ricotta cheeses as a pizzaiolo from the real Napoli). I actually started guffawing when I got past a remarkable list of craft brews and took in the selection of “shitty beers that we’d still drink with pizza” (hey Bud Lite, cheers to you!), and I almost choked on my water seeing the “what the cluck?” dry-rubbed wings that come from “the fiery pit of hell” (that, folks, is also the nickname of their premium wood-burning oven; her real name is “Elle Belle”).
And the pies—oh, lordy, those pies—are worth a visit whether you’re clad in pajamas, work boots or a mink coat. Here’s what we had. The descriptions speak for themselves, and you can judge if this should be on your new pizza hit-list:
Maggie: A margherita. I liked the extra touch of flaky Parmesan shavings—not something you see every day.
Cortez the Killer: Ay caramba! My pizza boundaries expanded dramatically when I tried a carbonara pie at Marta in NYC, but they were pushed into outer space with this Mexican-inspired recipe featuring cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, spicy chorizo, charred corn and lime mayo.
Pepper-Bro-Ni: They had me at “house-smoked brisket and pepperoni,” but I was fully sold on the red-sauce pie when I saw it had ricotta, garlic-marinated mushrooms and onion, to boot.
To plan a visit:
LowBrow Pizza & Beer
3148 Tamiami Trail E., Naples
(239) 529-6919
lowbrowpizzaandbeer.com
No reservations
