thrillist

Ten out of ten rappers agree that the best way to honor where you've come from is to do meaningful charity work with underprivileged children in your neighborhood, so long as that just means calling out that ish over and over in your songs. Opening a resto in Phinney Ridge (reprazent!) instead, the dudes behind Ridge Pizza.

Opened by a crew of beer industry vets (including the dude from nearby Prost!), this basically all-wood 80-seater is honoring the Ridge by slinging 'za named for/inspired by Phinney businesses (no, not you Safeway), all in a space split between a raised back room with a counter'd open kitchen, and a bar decked with curved, hand-built booths. 'Hood-repping pies are appropriately topped, from the onion/truffle oil/red potato/bacon Oliver's Twist inspired by that joint's popcorn, to the ground beef/onions/peppers/cheddar 74th Street aping the bar's famed hamburger, while three "charity case" pizzas direct dollars to the organizations they're named for, including The Zoo, which is strange since that Eastlake bar would do fine if it took credit cards topped w/ stuff like goat cheese. Additional eats include starters (the cheese/pepperoni Ridge Pizza Roll, a traditional Antipasti Platter), plus sandos like the Italian sausage/pizza sauce'd Joe's Favorite, and an oven-baked roast beef/mozz number that Joe only kind of likes.

Ridge has booze and boasts a Cali-heavy wine list but, as you'd expect from a crew of beer guys, it's mostly about the suds, which include local classics like Manny's, Mac & Jacks, and Rainier. When I say "massive", you say "stratovolcano". MASSIVE! STRATOVOLCANO! MASSIVE!

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Prost!, Two Birds, and True Value Hardware all get their own pizzas at Ridge. Click here to see 'em.