You don’t have to go far to find a good slice of pizza in Redlands.
In addition to the national chains, there are plenty of homegrown pizzerias where the pies are served piping hot with quality ingredients. Whether you want to choose your own toppings (Mod Pizza, Pieology) or let someone else get creative (Gourmet Pizza Shoppe), the pizza of your dreams is out there.
The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe
Sure, there are “normal” pizzas here like the Peter Pepperoni, which is just red sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a double helping of pepperoni. But for every typical pizza, there are two outside the box offerings, listed on the menu under “…On a Pizza?” The Wild Mayan is covered in peanut butter, bacon, red onions, mozzarella, and Cholula hot sauce, while the Tequila Sunrise is basically breakfast on a pizza, with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, black beans, green chiles, and potatoes. One standout is the Annie Oakley, topped with ranch dressing, angel hair pasta, chicken, bacon, mozzarella, and seasoning. PIzzas range in size from personal to 16 inches, and there are different specials offered throughout the week. Don’t forget to end your meal on a sweet note, with a dessert pizza ($1 from every dessert pizza sold is donated to a local charity organization).
The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe, 120 E. State St., Redlands. 909-792-3313
Jerseys Pizza
Jerseys Pizza is known for loading pies with top ingredients and tons of ooey, gooey cheese. The sports-themed pizzeria is a go-to spot for daily lunch and dinner specials —in a hurry at noon? You can grab a large slice of pepperoni and a 24-ounce soda for just $3. Jerseys makes its own sauces — including traditional, pesto, and lemon Alfredo — and the dough is also fresh. Specialties include the Chicken Pesto, with feta cheese, artichoke hearts, roasted bell pepper, and pine nuts; the Teriyaki Chicken, and the Jersey’s Special, a meat-lovers dream with pepperoni, ham, olive, onions, mushrooms, and linguica, a spicy Portuguese sausage. The menu is rounded out with calzones, sandwiches, and salads.
Jerseys Pizza, 214 N. Orange St., Redlands. 909-335-7076
La Volata
Right off the 10 freeway sits La Volata, a pizzeria that believes in offering its customers the finest local ingredients. Walking into this relatively small place, the first thing you notice is the beautifully tiled Stefano Ferrara oven, imported from Italy, fired by citrus wood. The 12-inch pizzas are all cooked in this 900 degree oven, Napolitano style, with the crusts made from Italian flour. Standouts on the menu include the Honey Pot (tomato sauce, prosciutto, pickled onions, Fresno chilis, mozzarella, fontina, grana, and honey); Verdura (butternut puree, broccolini, caramelized onions, and grana); and Alla Lori (olive oil, burrata, arugula, balsamic, and toasted almonds). Want to top your meal off with some more dough? There’s a tasty Nutella Pizza on the dessert menu. La Volata also serves up salads, pasta made in house, and small plates, and most of the produce used comes from farms in Redlands, while the meats are humanely and organically raised.
La Volata, 1453 Ford St., Suite 101, Redlands. 909-792-0316
Strongman Pizza
Strongman Pizza makes hefty pies. The dough is made from scratch and substantial — you can put a lot of toppings on these pizzas, and they won’t fall apart. The crust has a buttery garlic flavor, and there are tons of sauces — including the zesty tomato Strong Sauce — and toppings to choose from, featuring local produce. Build your own pizza, or try one of their established favorites, like the Islander (Strong Sauce, mozzarella, jack, cheddar, sausage, bacon, cashew, pineapple); Buffalo Chicken (Strong Sauce, mozzarella, buffalo drizzle, jack, cheddar, chicken, and celery); and Pesto Spinach (mozzarella, spinach, pesto, bell pepper, onion, black olive). Strongman Pizza has a small storefront, so you’ll want to order takeout or delivery.
Strongman Pizza, 330 N. Sixth St., #108, Redlands. 909-793-5696
Mod Pizza, Pieology
Want your pizza piled high with pepperoni, or maybe loaded with every vegetable on the menu? Prefer a plainer pie? At Mod Pizza and Pieology, each pizza is made to order with your exact specifications, so if sauce isn’t for you or you don’t care much for cheese, all you have to do is tell the person behind the counter. At both Mod Pizza and Pieology, the toppings, sauces, and crusts are fresh, and the pizza comes out pretty fast. The best part? All pizzas cost the same, so it won’t cost you an extra dime if you want your pie smothered in toppings.
Mod Pizza, 27511 San Bernardino Ave., Suite 150, Redlands (inside Mountain Grove shopping center). 909-748-0200
Pieology, 623 Orange St., Redlands. 909-792-7329
Bricks and Birch
Bricks and Birch doesn’t shy away from meat, but also is a vegetarian’s dream, with a wide-ranging pizza menu that features several pies with just veggies. All pizzas are 12-inches, and to make a pie vegan friendly, special cheese can be swapped in for $3. Some of the names are punny — like the Starch di Triomphe, with roasted potatoes, white cheddar, creme fraiche, rosemary, and green onion — and others are just funny, like the Swineapple with tomato sauce, smoked gouda, mozzarella, Canadian bacon, fresh pineapple, and onion. First-time visitors who like some heat should consider trying the Jalapeño Popper, with sliced jalapeños, muenster, garlic, green onion, and cream cheese blend, while fans of funghi should order the Mushroom Brie, with olive oil, garlic, brie, mushrooms, and parsley.
Bricks and Birch, 101 Cajon St., Redlands. 909-335-6787