Where To Eat In Louisville: Impellizzeri’s Pizza

The first time ¹ I went to Impellizzeri’s was during the Halloween version of Bardstown Bound back in October. We had the crankiest waitress of all time (granted she was insanely busy that night, but still, even now we joke about how cranky she was) and I didn’t even care because the food was so very good. Yes I said food, not just pizza, because, despite my flexitarian ways I’m in love with the stuffed mushroom appetizer at Impellizzeri’s. Mushroom caps stuffed with homemade Italian sausage and garlic butter then covered in cheese. My arteries scream a little bit every time I eat these things but we make tradeoffs in life. I kick up the exercise routine a little bit the day of and the day after a trip to Impellizzeri’s and my arteries and I call it even.

The stuffed mushrooms are fantastic but a pizza place naturally lives and dies by its pies and Impellizzeri’s should have a long, long life. When it comes to pizza my palate isn’t one that distinguishes all the subtleties and nuances that pizza experts notice and appreciate. Instead it’s more of a “I like what I like” situation and I really like Impellizzeri’s pizza. The fresh made daily, old family recipe dough is exactly how I like it. It’s chewy but not tough, it’s got a little crispness to it but it’s not overly crisp (I hate really crispy dough or bread of any sort). The sauce is slightly sweet but not overly so and most importantly it’s not over salted. The pizzas have a good amount of sauce but not so much that it’s dripping off the side when you bite into a slice.  I’ve had pizzas with meat and pizzas with veggies and both have been fantastic with abundant toppings. I’ve got to tell you though that if you eat pork you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not getting a pizza with homemade Italian sausage.

Impellizzeri’s is a tad on the expensive side for a pizza place. Not overly so and in terms of the amount and quality of food you’re getting I don’t think it’s overpriced at all. However if you’re used to getting a loaded large pizza for $15 you might have a bit of sticker shock. The last time we were there we had stuffed mushrooms, a small pizza with a veggie toppings, and a couple beers. Our total, including a relatively generous tip, was, I think around $40. Absolutely worth it. Oh, and a note on service, since the Bardstown Bound evening we’ve always had good service at Impellizzeri’s. I think that was just a really bad, off night for service.

There are several beautiful flat screen televisions that making watching games a treat. The dining room isn’t huge and on game days it can get a touch loud though so keep that in mind if you aren’t a sports fan. For fair weather dining there are tables outside (there’s even a tv turned to the outside tables so that you can keep up with the sports action even from outdoors). While they don’t deliver there is a separate side door for carryout so you can get in,  get your food and be on your way quickly.

The Original Impellizzeri’s
1381 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY
502-454-2711

Hours as of this writing:

Monday-Thursday 4-11pm
Friday & Saturday 11am-MIDNIGHT
Sunday 1-11pm

1. It’s the first time I’ve been to this Impellizzeri’s. Of course I went to the old Impellizzeri’s further up Bardstown Road (across the street from Papa John’s funnily enough) but that was years ago so I’m counting this Impellizzeri’s as a brand new entity.  ↩