Pizza Power

Austin pizzeria is only Texas pick on Food & Wine's new best pizza list

Peperoncini and pepperoni set this pizza apart from the rest of the list.

Austin's pizza scene has come a long way, and even if it's still not enough to call the Texas capital a dominant pizza city, there are some truly good options now. One of them, according to Food & Wine, is the Pep & Pepp at Allday Pizza. The specialty slice made the magazine's list of "The 27 Best Pizzas in America Right Now."

Food & Wine's online write-up was fitting for pizza, which is to say, it doesn't overexplain or overthink. It doesn't list any grading methods or requirements. It simply acknowledges that both traditional and boundary-pushing pies made the list, and that "The pizza scene today is brighter, more diverse, and more delicious than it’s ever been." The print article goes into greater depth about pizza techniques and local philosophies.

Allday did get a shout-out in the online intro as a representative of the class that's "bringing an intensely personal vision to the craft, redefining what pizza is in America today."

Each pizza shop on the list then gets a paragraph introducing readers to its best slice.

At Allday, New York-based contributing journalist Joshua David Stein draws attention to the Pep & Pepp, a slice that combines the assertive flavors of peperoncini and pepperoni, as well as a pickle pizza with homemade ranch. (Stein says the pickle pizza is off-menu, but at least online right now, the menu proudly displays the slice with ricotta cream, mozzarella, pickles, dill, lemon pepper panko, and a side of ranch.) He notes the crispy dough.

Stein doesn't equivocate about Austin's lackluster pizza past, marking the opening of Allday in 2023 as the moment the city's luck turned around. He quotes Allday founders Daniel Sorg and Townsend Smith using much better-known American pizza hubs to describe their style: “New York-style pizza with a touch of New Haven.”

Allday has two locations: one in Tarrytown (3111 W. 35th St.) and one in Hyde Park (4300 Speedway). Each has its own menu, but they are very closely related.

Eaters who aren't in the market for flavors as pungent as the ones Stein picked out have plenty of other options, including a classic cheese pizza; a stracciatella (shredded mozarella in cream) with tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil, grana padano, and olive oil; and a sweet sausage with ricotta cream, mozzarella, soppresata, red onion, and calabrian honey. A vegan pie also leaves off the cheese. Allday also has salads and desserts.

Allday is the only Texas pizzeria to make the Food & Wine list this year.

This article has been updated to correct location information.

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Fresh Peach

Fire-damaged Bar Peached to take over neighboring 6th Street restaurant

Photo courtesy of Consumable Content

Bar Peached won't have to move far, thanks to an agreement with the owner of Nightcap.

After a fire damaged Bar Peached in May, the restaurant has found a new space to ready for its future reopening at 1401 W. 6th St., where the existing bar and restaurant Nightcap resides. Nightcap will be open until October 22; then it will leave the space and Bar Peached will start renovations in November. The new bar is slated to open in spring of 2027, a release says.

Bar Peached, though it appears to be keeping its name, will become "a new iteration of the concept," the release states, focusing on Asian tapas, craft cocktails, and vinyl records. The space, just steps away from the damaged one at 1315 W. 6th St., will also have a new aesthetic by local hospitality designer Kim Lewis, featuring a darker tone, textures, and "nostalgic details."

The concept sounds right in line with Austin's increasing number of jazz kissa-inspired spaces that re-contextualize the stylish Japanese listening lounge for local tastes.

“The fire was devastating for us, but it also gave us the unique opportunity to rethink what Bar Peached could be,” said founder Eric Silverstein in the release. He says the new concept "feels like nothing Austin has seen from us before while still remaining distinctly Bar Peached."

Meanwhile, Nightcap owner Christin Rowan, who the release credits for staying close after the fire, is framing the business transition as an opportunity. Rowan appears to be avoiding closing the door completely on Nightcap.

Nightcap Austin exterior Nightcap's current space embodies the residential charm that still characterizes that stretch of West Sixth Street.Photo courtesy of Nightcap

“I don’t see this as Nightcap closing, but more so, as one chapter ending to make room for the next,” said Rowan. “After the fire, we saw firsthand how quickly the Austin hospitality community rallies around each other, and this opportunity really grew out of that sense of camaraderie. It feels like the right thing for this space, for Bar Peached, and for the neighborhood. Sometimes the end of one thing gives life to something equally special, and I’m excited to see what comes next.”

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