There’s nothing like pizza and a beer on a Friday night to melt away the blues of a long, cold week. But there’s something a bit unusual — yet nice — about heading to a nondescript pub nestled between Cheesman and Congress parks for a good Chicago-style pie.
Wyman’s No. 5, which describes itself as a “neighborhood pub,” serves up a hodgepodge of pizzas in a homey setting. The menu separates “Chicago-style deep dish” and “thin crust” pizzas.
The seat-yourself joint doesn’t try to be fancy. Low lighting, booths and high tables lead the way. There’s also a pool table and a Nintendo Wii setup for group play.
Most of the starters are basic: wings, artichoke dip, garlic cheese bread and nachos. But one dish caught our eye: the pepperoni rolls ($6). After a wait that was a bit too long, out came a large plate of six big pizza-dough rounds filled with cheese and pepperoni, along with side cups of marinara and ranch dressing. The rolls were a good precursor to the main course.
The chef seemed obsessed with artichokes as three out of 12 pizzas offered them. But on the upside, the pizzas have humorous names such as the “Phat Brando” (salami, prosciutto, onion, perpperoncini, olives, artichoke) and “The Stinky Hippie” (pesto, spinach, mushroom, artichoke, tomato, olives.)
A small deep dish is enough for two, and with prices ranging from $11 to $15, it won’t break your wallet.
As a native New Yorker still on the quest for the perfect slice of pizza in Denver, I originally thought the thin crust was a euphemism for “thinner than Chicago-style,” since debate still rages about which is better.
So to appease all tastes at the table, we ordered a deep dish — “The Hangover” (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, $13) — and the garlic chicken pizza ($9) from the thin- crust menu, as you can only go wrong with roasted garlic, chicken and onions if you’re on a date.
I was wrong. Thin crust at Wyman’s actually means, a thin, California Pizza Kitchen kind of crust. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Still, you can’t fold the slices. But Wyman’s specialty is deep dish pizza. Our Hangover pizza was superb. The hefty crust was cooked to perfection. Overall, it was a truly indulgent meal.
The only disappointing thing about Wyman’s No. 5 was the service. We started out with a friendly, upbeat waiter, but soon found ourselves trying to flag down waitresses. The joint wasn’t crowded, but we still had to go up to the bar with our coats on to settle our check.
“It’s a bar, not a restaurant,” said my dining companion.
Still, there’s no excuse, except maybe the deep-dish.
Wyman’s No. 5
Pizza. 2033 E 13th Ave. 303-996-0842. Noon to 2 a.m. daily
Front burner. Deep dish pizza. Mmmmmmmm . . . sausage.
Back burner. Don’t expect high-level service from this local, laid-back pub.
Kimberly S. Johnson: 303-954-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com
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