Reviewing Pinky’s Pizza: The best pizza restaurant in Portland.

Portland is known for its pizza. Some might even argue that it’s the best pizza city in America.

This is exactly what Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya, co-authors of “Modernist Pizza” said in their book where they ate approximately 400 pizzas from across the country. Portland is the best pizza city in America. We do not miss and the artisanal pizza scene here is next level.

Now, according to the Yelp Top 100 Pizza Spots in the U.S list, there is one Portland spot that is the most highly rated: Pinky’s Pizza.

It’s the only Portland Pizza spot that made the list. So, of course, I had to try it and see if the good people of Yelp were right. Is this place worth the hype?

Celeste Kiester is the owner of Pinky’s Pizza, so you are supporting a women-owned restaurant when dining here.

The exterior gives off an unassuming neighborhood bar that sits on a corner in North Portland. I went there on a Saturday afternoon, and it was pretty empty. There were only a few people hanging out, sipping drinks, and eating some pizza. The interior has a cool seventies aesthetic and a variety of seating options. When you first walk in, you are at once struck by the giant wall of whiskey illuminated by some fancy backlighting.

I went up to the register and picked out a pizza and a whiskey. They have a very extensive list of options for both. My favorite part of the whiskey experience is the light-up dice. Basically, you pick a price range and roll the dice and you receive the whiskey that corresponds with the number you rolled. Since I personally have no whiskey knowledge, this was an awesome way to help me choose a drink.

For the pizza, I could not decide on just one, so I got half Double Pepperoni and half Veggies for Vegans.  The Veggies for Vegans is a romesco base, topped with cashew cheese, mushrooms, olives, red onions, potatoes, garlic, and kale. Since I’m not vegan, the staff was more than happy to let me substitute cow’s milk cheese for cashew cheese. The Double Pepperoni is a marinara base, topped with mozzarella cheese, and “Molinari classic and old-fashioned pepperoni”.

The whiskey was excellent, the staff was super friendly, the vibes were chill, and the pizza was on point. The pizza they make is exactly the kind of pizza I would want to be eating while sipping whiskey; the two paired so well together. The dough was delicious and ideally cooked. The sauce was perfectly made, neither too sweet nor too salty. The ingredients were incredibly fresh and high-quality. I preferred the Veggies of Vegans pizza over the classic Double Pepperoni due to the freshness and tastiness of the veggies and olives.

Pinky’s Pizza simply did everything right; I now understand why it has such high ratings. The selections are amazing and there is something on the menu for everyone. In Portland, it’s great when you discover an exceptional whiskey bar and it’s also great when you discover a superb pizza spot. This place is both of those blended into one, and I think that makes them worthy of their hype. Come for the pizza and stay for the whiskey or come for the whiskey and stay for the pizza, it’s all stellar.