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Back Alley Pizza Joint

4.4 (136 reviews)
InexpensivePizza, Salad, Sandwiches
Closed • 12:00 pm - 7:00 PM
Updated 2 months ago

Back Alley Pizza Joint Photos

Business Info

BACK ALLEY PIZZA JOINT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Back Alley Pizza Joint

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Michael Q.

Have we REALLY been ordering BA for 25 years? Wow. As locals, we appreciate grabbing a quick to-go order on our way home from work or (as we often enjoy) on our way to the beach. We ordered a few subs and the pizza breadsticks and yes, all were delicious. The roast beef sub is still great after all these years. When did it become so difficult to order/find a grinder baked in a real pizza oven? Makes a huge difference. Wifey enjoyed the pesto chicken sub. And yes, we BOTH enjoyed the hell out of the garlicky, cheesey breadsticks. We look forward to our next pre-sunset BA run.

Pizza Box
Mary K.

TL; DR: great pizza, order ahead This is a great pizza place that has great prices. Heads up - We called ahead on a Thursday and the pizza was ready in 50 minutes around dinner time. Overall this is a great spot for pizza for a group of people that won't break the bank

Gluten free pizza - so good.
Clare H.

The best gluten free pizza I've had! I also got a salad with ranch and it tasted so fresh and the ranch definitely tasted homemade - amazing! The staff was friendly when I called to order the and delivery driver was extremely friendly even though he had to deliver in the rain. Overall definitely recommend!

a pepperoni pizza in a box
Annette J.

Was in town for a long weekend with my family and nothing feeds a family better than pizza! My husband and I, who have been coming to the Saugatuck area for years, had always had Back Alley on our radar but we'd never been. So we decided to order from them. We got a couple of pies, a plain cheese pepperoni and a deluxe with Italian sausage, onion, pepperoni, green pepper, and mushrooms. The pizza itself is on the thinner side, not quite a NY style kind of thin but thinner than a hand tossed round. The pies were tasty overall. The crust was sturdy, and the sauce had a weight and good flavor, the cheese on the pepperoni was browned a little more than I typically like (I like a gooey cheese) but still quite good. We'd definitely order from them again! Next time I'd be game to try one of their grinders, too!

Veggie pizza

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3 months ago

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4 months ago

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1 year ago

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3 months ago

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27 days ago

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3 months ago

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2 years ago

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Ordered a small Douglas Social. One of the best pizzas I've had all year!! The combination of the spinach, feta and red onions was perfect!

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9 months ago

Awesome spot! Great people (mostly women!), solid pizza with lots of options and always quick. Love this very reliable year-round spot.

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8 months ago

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8 months ago

Service is spectacular! Food is amazing! BLT pizza and the pesto supreme are the best ! Very cool little pizza joint ! 10/10

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Fresh made bread and dough. The grinders are a go to favorite for lunch. Pizzas are good -carry out only

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1 year ago

Great service for how busy they were on a Monday when most restaurants were closed. Easy parking on the street.

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Pizza is very good one of the place in town I will get food from and the also have delivery services with good prices.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Every time I come to Douglas I go here! Great food and super nice employees. I recommend the chicken pesto pizza!

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Love their grinders! Really friendly staff and I have always had a great meal here. It's not an eat in place but great to go pizza.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Best spot in town! Great prices and great food! Lots of choices. Love visiting when I'm in MI.

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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The Farmhouse Deli & Pantry - Cold Sandwich

The Farmhouse Deli & Pantry

4.6(411 reviews)
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So good we went here twice! I'm jealous that this exists so many hundreds of miles away from my…read morehome. It was Canadian wildfire smoke day when we first arrived, we're talking worst air quality in the world, so we tried to find indoor things to do naturally. We dined in here with sparkling water, fresh sandwiches, and even rolled out with some gnocchi and pesto for dinner back at the AirBNB. My egg salad sandwich (classic egg salad (hard boiled egg, red onion, capers, dill pickle, mayo + sriracha, local lettuce on toasted dutch crunch) may've been the best egg salad sandwich I've ever had. The only caveat: I haven't really eaten that many egg salad sandwiches. But it was still the best! Bonus, this was during a season where packaged lettuce was on recall but their greens are fresh and local baby. We even did a to-go order on the road trip out of town to dodge fast food, and I ended up with their turkey wrap (oven roast local turkey breast, Michigan white cheddar, local lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, microgreens, sriracha mayo, spinach wrap) which was also very good. Great chip options, great drinks, and really nice people and good energy in here. Love this spot and can't wait to return.

Super long wait - from parking to getting my sandwich was almost an hour. The egg salad is tasty…read moreand the bread is superb. The beet salad is not great. I wish I'd skipped it. The peach granola bar is fine. No sandwich is worth an hour wait. Service was friendly even though they were stressed. The person in front of me was super demanding ("I need my gluten free sandwich CUT IN HALF" and "Oh why isn't that dessert gluten free, it would be easy to make it gluten free") and they handled her with kindness.

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Pennyroyal Cafe & Provisions

Pennyroyal Cafe & Provisions

4.1(498 reviews)
1.2 mi
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This is my favorite place of all! Johnny cakes are amazing…read morefor brunch! Fish sandwich for dinner! Hazelnut cake for dessert! You can't go wrong!

We've vacationed in Saugatuck several times and kept hearing that Pennyroyal was a place we needed…read moreto try. We gave it three chances, and unfortunately, all three experiences ended the same way: the staff made us feel so unwelcome that we left before ever getting the opportunity to eat there. The first time, we put our name on the waitlist and were completely happy to wait. We understood there was a wait and were looking forward to trying the food. The host told us we could get coffee around the corner at the coffee station while we waited. When we walked in, the barista immediately and very angrily said, "Are you waiting for a table?! If so, I just want you to know you have a 40-minute wait and I'm only serving black coffee." The tone was so unnecessarily rude and hostile that we ended up grabbing a pastry for our hungry kids and leaving. We thought maybe it was just an off day, so we tried again. The second time, we came for brunch and were met with the same unwelcoming attitude, this time from the host. She seemed genuinely annoyed that we wanted to put our name on the waitlist. We were happy to wait, but after the interaction and seeing the same dismissive attitude, we decided it simply wasn't worth it and left. Then came the third attempt. Once again, the host was incredibly rude. We explained that we were happy to wait for a table to open up. Our group was a little larger and included several children. The attitude toward having kids in the group was noticeably negative. When I mentioned that one of the children was a baby, I was told, "Yeah, no, we don't do baby chairs here." At this point, it felt very clear that families and children simply aren't welcome. We completely understand that restaurants have policies, limited space, and busy days. What we don't understand is why basic courtesy and hospitality seem to be missing. We were never demanding immediate seating. We were willing to wait all three times. We simply wanted to be treated respectfully. After three attempts, we won't be coming back. A restaurant can have great food, but if the experience begins with staff making customers feel like an inconvenience for wanting to dine there, it's hard to justify returning. Three chances. Three uncomfortable experiences. We never even made it to the food.

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Fresh Basil Cafe - Avocado Grilled Cheese Panini

Fresh Basil Cafe

4.0(61 reviews)
0.9 mi
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We loved Fresh Basil! We were in Saugatuck for about 4 days and ate at Fresh Basil twice. We loved…read morethe service which was friendly, able to make customizations, and pretty quick! While the place may not have had AmBiAnCe it was exactly what we were looking for-- a cute cafe with outdoor seating; it also had a nice view of the strip and some pretty trees to shade you. I got the lobster roll both times and would go back for a third with no remorse. Our group also tried the gyro wrap and some salad options. Only set back was their side options were chips or spinach (no dressing). I really, really hate when chips are the side option. Just don't. My friend will be back in Michigan in July & she's been to the same rental for 25 years. She's never eaten at Fresh Basil because there are lots of dining options but now she's excited to take her family there and make a new tradition!

The menu looked so promising and huge - the name also alluded to it being super fresh and healthy…read moreand good quality. The quality of food was not good and hummus wrap and classic bagel sandwich were underwhelming. The wrap was 96% lettuce and then hummus and tomato's making up the rest of it. The bagel sandwich reminded me of a rubber grocery store or gas station sandwich. We were one of the first customers of the day and the girl working the counter was also rude and seemed so annoyed that we were there. The inside doesn't give the cleanest vibe either... Overall, the name is super misleading. I don't recommend. Opposite of "fresh".

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Fresh Basil Cafe
Fresh Basil Cafe - Lobster roll

Lobster roll

Fresh Basil Cafe - Outside

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Outside

Uncommon Coffee Roasters - Fresh bread

Uncommon Coffee Roasters

4.4(516 reviews)
0.9 mi
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I love my coffee, so when I travel, I always seek out a local roaster, and I am SO GLAD that I…read morefound Uncommon during my first visit to Lake Michigan! I'd come across them while doing my HW for the trip, but without really knowing the area, I'd thought that staying in South Haven meant I wouldn't get the chance to visit, but after stopping in to The Flying Saucer in South Haven and picking up their beans there for the house, I learned everything is kinda close on this part of the coast! This is their main location, right in the heart of Saugatuck. It's cozy and colorful, warm and inviting, and filled with some incredibly sweet people. Oh yeah. They have A LOT of great coffee too! Their specialty and seasonal drinks all sounded delicious, but I'm a purist in pursuit of the best cup of black coffee, here for the single origins and blends that are sourced and roasted by this skilled team. Walking in I was faced by a massive wall filled with beautiful bags of beans from all over the world, each labeled with notes on origin, processing and flavor profile. I set my sights on a pour over and when the cashier said I could choose anything from the wall, I was gobsmacked (that's a funny word). The range was so impressive, with great representation from all over the world, processed in all different ways, making the choice quite difficult. It's a good thing I used my time in line to look at all of the options, and I settled on a white honey processed coffee called Villa Sarchi, which was delightful. If I have one quibble it's that they didn't have an actual pour over menu and this is simply because I enjoy asking the baristas about the coffees. This spot is super hot, with a line out the door at all times, so despite the barista at the counter being incredibly accommodating, I couldn't in good conscience hold up the patrons behind me with too many questions or returns to the wall. I also tried their espresso lime tonic for a beverage to stroll with and enjoyed the slight sweet and tart drink very much on a hot day. Uncommon also has a great menu of food offerings and we had a bagel breakfast sandwich and one of their MASSIVE savory scones. I wish I'd asked or been asked about warming the scone because it definitely needed it, but holy hell this thing was packed with cheesy goodness and the perfect foil to my naturally sweet coffee. Normally I go home with one bag of coffee as a souvenir, but I couldn't help but buy two, which were in addition to the beans I also bought in South Haven! In total I think I sampled about 5 different Uncommon roasts and loved them all! I loved this place so much I looked to buy merch, but sadly they had run out of the sizes I needed. There's always next time. Or maybe they'll ship...

Very nice coffee shop!…read more I came with my family, we were immediately greeted and offered a sample. Coffee came quickly despite the long-ish line. Lots of different options on the menu, as well as for bags to buy for home. Only small downside is that they were all roasted over a month ago, I don't know when they cycle out. Drinks were made well, nothing was overly sweet or overpowering. Prices were reasonable, but the lattes were a little small being almost 7 dollars each. They were pretty busy the whole time, which could be a good thing as they were lively compared to many other dull coffee shops, but a bad thing if you are trying to study here. Very well decorated, welcoming, and the designs were well thought out compared to the surprisingly large amount of ai-generated designs around the area. I would recommend here for a nice cup of coffee if you're looking for one in the area!

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Pumpernickels - Chicken Sandwich

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3.2(380 reviews)
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Food excellent, Alyssa server excellent! Way better than 3.2 stars!…read more Steak frites w truffle fries, very good 8oz filet w mashed Yukons- sooo good Shrimp scampi - very good White chicken chili could use more beans and chicken chunks but very good flavor. Live musics on Friday that wasn't overbearing so we couldn't talk.

The black and white umbrella tables, cute corner storefront, and the well written and merchandised…read moremenu will bring you in, but I'm going to say the average rating is spot on at three stars. Pumpernickels is a vibe and a great place to sit a spell in the summer here in Saugatuck, but when it comes to the food, while it matches the vibe and is presented beautifully, tastes very average and is not value oriented aka on the spendy side. We came in as a party of 6 around 2pm and quickly got a table outside. Our server was sweet and kind, and quick to take our orders, but once that happened we really didn't see her all that much, which was frustrating. On top of that, the main dish on the menu that brought us here (goat cheese dip) was sold out after lunch, which was a major disappointment. We ordered the fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs, chicken sandwich (grilled), rueben, green bean salad, and a kids mac n cheese and chicken tenders. The best bites were the eggs and the green bean salad, but the portion on the salad was so petite that it was barely a meal for the person who ordered it. The chicken was dry and the sandwich incredibly generic. The reuben didn't have enough of the house corned beef and was also dry. Now I could be wrong here, but the fried green tomatoes seemed like a frozen product. with a uniform breading and cook, but the chicken fingers definitely were and the mac n cheese was quite literally Kraft. I'm going to hope that this is a hot dinner or brunch spot, because what we had was pretty disappointing. I was torn between here and the spot around the corner that featured a lot of local ingredients in a more casual setting, but chose this because it seemed to be more culinarily focused, and I was let down.

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Pumpernickels - Inside

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Stuffed Dates

Back Alley Pizza Joint - pizza - Updated October 2026

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