Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief

mvk5945@psu.edu

Pub and Pie is an important restaurant for every Penn State Behrend student to be aware of. This is because not only is it a fantastic pizza restaurant with some pretty good appetizers, but it is also approximately a 15-minute walk from campus. Students can follow the path up through Knowledge Park almost to the front door. 

Pub and Pie is a unique dining experience because this pizza parlor is located inside Erie Brewing Company. Together, they make “Pub & Pie” however, separately the restaurant inside is known as John Wildwoods Pizza. John Wildwoods is an Erie staple, with its original location located in the Edinboro area. 

At Pub & Pie, the restaurant is located inside, but all of the seating is technically Erie Brewing Company servers, so patrons fill out their order on a slip of paper, take it up to the window, and their name is called once the order is filled. This makes the service not only unique, but I find it to also be exponentially faster. 

Now before I dive into the specifics of the menu, reviewing some individual items, I would like to first draw attention to their pizza. I know this place is a pizza joint, and believe me it is far better than the Hungry Howies pizza that used to be located closest to campus. However, while they do have some very good stand-out items on their menu, their pizza is just average. It is good and will satisfy your pizza craving at the standard level expected at most pizza places, but this is not the best item on their menu, at least for me. 

As far as appetizers, I think it is very important to draw attention to their fries. All of the fries served are waffle fries, and they are always hot and delicious. I think this is a perfect appetizer at a place like this and they never disappoint, especially with the cheese dipping sauce. Speaking of these cheese dipping sauces, I also think their pretzel sticks are a fantastic starter. 

I believe the star of their menu is the calzones. It is simple, but they are delicious and a great way to spice up your normal order. All of the calzones are served made-to-order, so you build your own on the menu. They originally cost eight dollars, and you pay per topping you add in. All calzones start with ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and their signature pizza sauce.  I believe that already that alone makes for a perfect meal, but you can add dozens of different toppings to be stuffed in your calzone, which almost always comes out perfectly toasted. 

All of this being said, everything I have ever tried on their menu has been pretty good. They have some true standout dishes, and some very average, typical pizza joint stuff. Pub & Pie is close to campus, has pretty good food, and is an overall good place that is worth checking out at some point if you have not already.