We celebrated ’80s-kid Nathan’s 40th by going to an ’80s-tribute eatery: Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co.
I’ve known about Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co. since before it opened. When I heard about the place through social media, I became an instant fangirl. The owner, Michael Hawes, was gung-ho involved in the publicity for Darkside. He was pouring his time, passion, finances, and heart into the place alongside his wife, Denice.
With an emphasis on all things ’80s, showcasing specially-curated props and decor of the era, I was STOKED for our first visit. I mean, spotlighting Star Wars, Back to the Future, Gremlins, Spielberg-movie memorabilia… I wanted us to be first in line at Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co.
(If you’d like to skip the line and head to the pros and cons, you can use this link!)
HOWEVER, we also banked on our first visit feeling special, nostalgic, magical. So much so that I opted to celebrate my 32nd-birthday dinner here.
I avidly (and hungrily) followed social-media updates with fervor. Thursday, May 9th, 2024 was Darkside’s opening night. After much wait and excitement and recipe research and publicity and anticipation…
The Yelp reviews started pouring in. Annnd… They gave us pause. Birthday plans belayed, we went to have Voodoo Doughnuts and see the bats in Austin instead. The bats, by some fluke, were a rare no-show, and a lot attendant accidentally booted our car (*birthday curse strikes again)…
So, I guess disappointment either way. But our consolation was that, based on early reviews, Bats and Voodoo for 32 was likely more memorable than Darkside’s pizza would’ve been.
We’ll give it time, I mused.
Maybe Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co. will iron out initial kinks by the time we do visit…
Back to the Future
This May, one year after Darkside’s grand (or not-so-grand) opening, I suggested it for Nathan’s birthday itinerary. The early reviews had us pause, yes, but we’d still had every intention of visiting… At some point.
It came to mind as a convenient, but low-key, box check.
Sure, babe, we’ll do something different. We’ll try that pizza place. Will that make the day special enough for your 40th?
Knowing full well that I was planning an awesome, 40th-birthday surprise party on the down low. Heehee.
He’d taken the day off from work for his birthday. Friday, May 2nd, and it felt as good a time as any to fit in a visit to Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co. So he agreed. And leading up to our trip we thought, Surely, going at lunchtime on a weekday, it won’t be too crowded.
Guys, it was still a 20-30 minute wait! But… Was it worth it?
Anyway You Slice It
Short answer, yes, Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co. is absolutely worth a visit. However, I want to make sure you’re fully informed about what to expect during said visit. If I had to boil it down to a simple statement, Darkside is definitely a “greater than the sum of its parts” kind of place.
What made an impression, apart from the amazing decor and memorabilia, was how stark the contrast was between pros and cons of eating here. There were things that stood out for being glaringly subpar contrasted next to what was done really, really well. Darkside, Light Side. Clever… But not intentional, I suspect.
Right off the bat, it’s obvious the aesthetic is prioritized over functional space. I get it, but what this means is that there are minimal seats inside the main attraction.
There are decorative touches outside, like a tasteful, fun, Yoda water fountain, and plenty of tables. However, if you’re looking for a nostalgic eye feast whilst eating your pizza, indoor seating is minimal and claustrophobic. It’s cramped and difficult to navigate, but absolutely worth the extra effort to adventure and see all of the curated displays.
I also noticed some obvious cost-saving measures in effect. It’s a choice. I guess that my primary complaint with this is that if you sink a fortune into delivering aesthetic appeal, you’d take all aspects of the dining experience into consideration. Not just the decorating.
So what was the glaring issue?
Styrofoam plates and paper napkins. No cutlery provided at the table unless requested. Small beef, but in contrast to the overall experience presented, it felt jarring. I’m sure it saves dishwashing costs, but it certainly took me out of the moment. The value of the experience dipped.
Tally up impressions so far… Aesthetic is amazing. Super limited parking, so expect walking from the street. Space is cramped. Tacky, cost-cutting measures… Not looking too great so far.
And then, the pizzas arrived.
They Know How to “Hydrate a Pizza”!
I wanted to be critical. I didn’t want to be impressed. But I have to hand this one to Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co.
We ordered two pizzas, a red sangria, and a glass of the Darkside house cabernet. The sangria was refreshing and had a tropical bite to it, like a splash of pineapple, that was surprisingly welcome.
I took a sip of the red wine and, at first taste, was underwhelmed. It tasted light, too neutral. Until I had a bite of pizza, and it all came into focus. The Darkside Cabernet was a perfect pairing with our pepperoni and BBQ chicken pizzas. It was subdued enough to shine a spotlight on the best flavor notes from the sauce.
The sauce… Sweet, but not too sweet, and a tantalizing tanginess that had us all eager for the next bite. On matters of crust: it’s thin, but not cracker-crunchy thin. It still manages to be doughy and soft with a pleasant chew. The slices are the type that you want to fold in half for easiest consumption. Maybe a touch underdone, but delicious all the same.
All tallied up, overall experience and eats? Like I said, greater than the sum of its parts.
My kids certainly adored it. They adventured throughout the space to look at EVERYTHING: the vintage arcade games, the memorabilia, the “Rancor Room”! They helped us devour the pizzas without fuss. After our visit, we even had to rent Gremlins because of how taken with the associated displays Orson was.
There were things we loved, and things we straight-up disliked about Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co.…
And we can’t wait to go back.
Order Up: Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co.
Pros:
Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co. has all the nerdy nostalgia covered for which an 80’s fangirl could dream. Amazing aesthetic appeal. Custom, commissioned, curated artwork and memorabilia with a lot of personality. Like dining in an 80’s pop-culture exhibit.
Very open-concept, yet it didn’t feel overly noisy. I’m sure the miscellaneous props aid in acoustic dampening, so it didn’t feel particularly overwhelming.
Delicious pizza and great drinks. Vintage arcade gaming. Beautiful architecture. Reasonable price point.
Cons:
Depending on day and time you visit, expect to wait. Cramped, claustrophobic navigation throughout the restaurant. Does not feel like it’d be all that handicapped accessible, at least not indoors. Cost-saving measures (like Styrofoam plates) do detract visually from the overall restaurant appeal (and eco-friendliness, as well, I’d assume).
Very minimal parking, expect to walk from the street.
Final Slice:
Blast to the past for some great, albeit cramped, eats at Darkside Brick Oven Pizza Co. If nothing else, it’s worth a one-off visit to see all of the amazing displays, especially if you’re a big fan of all things 80s! We’ll be back!