Louie's Pizza--the G.O.A.T. Lives in East Dallas

All hail Louie's. The holy grail of dive bars. The greatest pizza and martinis in all of Dallas, maybe in the world. Our own version of Cheers, where everyone knows our name. We love this place and frequent it at least once a week. It's our comfort place, our celebration spot, and where we take friends visiting from out of town. It is quintessential old-school Dallas. We certainly miss Louie (God rest his soul) and are glad not much has changed since his passing. His mother still makes pies by hand in the back, the pizza crust and sauce are the same family recipe. They still serve beer in cans. And, we are thankful that Louie's now accepts Visa and Mastercard - a positive change from the cash and AmEx only days. Anyways, on to the good stuff... John is the best bartender in town. His signature cocktail is the gin martini, proudly included on the sign out front. What makes it so special is the fact that the glass is chilled by hand with ice and water, then a strong (I mean STRONG) helping of gin with a splash of vermouth filled just to the top. Careful, one of these is enough to make you happy, two will knock you on your ass. For any James Bond fans out there, John makes a tremendous Vesper too. We always start with a small salad, since it may take a half hour to get your pizza out. It's big enough to share between 2-3 people. The greek is great (feta cheese, banana peppers, tomato, cucumber, olives with house-made dressing), but we highly recommend the caesar. Mama is back at it again with the family recipe for the dressing, and it's the perfect combination of fresh anchovies, cheese, and acid. The croutons are perfectly crunchy and definitely not store bought. And then, the crown jewel of all pizzas. Large with pepperoni, Jimmy's sausage, mushrooms, and bell pepper, please. It's life-changing. The thin crust (Mama's recipe, of course) defies all physics - it's thin AND crunchy. Like a cracker. The sauce is lights-out good - rich, perfectly thick and seasoned. "Top" that off with the meats and veggies mentioned above, and you've got a real winner. Who doesn't love Jimmy's sausage? You can read more about our love for Jimmy's here. The pieces are cut into squares, so have as much or as little as you want. It may not look like much from the outside, but look past the dinghy blue paint and 80s vibe and try the amazing-ness that is Louie's. It's honestly one of our favorite places in Dallas.