I arrived at White Rabbit Gastropub around 1:45pm on a beautiful mid-June Saturday for a solo…read moreadventure lunch. I had driven two hours and was hungry, but I was also committed to making good decisions. Or at least mostly good decisions...
The hostess offered me a seat at the second-floor bar rather than the quoted 25-30 minute wait. Great! Solo diners love surprise upgrades. Unfortunately, when I got upstairs, the one "available" seat had apparently been claimed by a diaper bag and a giant straw sunhat belonging to the woman sitting next to it holding a too-little-to-walk baby sitting at the bar. Uhhh...this isn't going to work.
Back downstairs I went. I gave them my name and number, found a shady spot outside, and settled in for what I assumed would be a long wait.
Five minutes later, my table was ready. Thank you, Universe!
My server greeted me with water immediately, explained the QR code menu situation, and told me not to order through the app because she'd be right back. No worries, friend. I'd already done my homework. I knew exactly what I wanted.
One Martha Stewart's Prison Pizza ($22), please. (Sausage, broccoli, ricotta, Calabrian chili peppers, lemon oil, and sea salt.) I asked for the chili peppers on the side because I know myself. I like adventure. I don't enjoy possibly setting my mouth on fire.
And a Diet Pepsi ($3.50), because balance.
While I waited, I people-watched, which is one of my favorite hobbies. White Rabbit was PACKED. The patio was full. The downstairs bar was full. Upstairs was full. Couples, groups of girlfriends, older folks, younger folks, families, solo diners...everyone seemed happy to be there.
The place itself is pretty small, which explains the wait. Six tables downstairs, maybe eight bar seats, more seating upstairs, and a constant dance of servers carrying food through the same front door customers use. Add the "please wait to be seated" crowd gathering in the narrow hallway and I'd describe things as organized chaos. But once I was seated, I was perfectly comfortable and out of the traffic pattern.
One cool touch I noticed: outlets and USB ports built right into the front of the bar. Maybe that's common and I've somehow missed it all these years, but I thought it was pretty neat.
Then my pizza arrived.
Oh good lawd.
OH. GOOD. LAWD.
This pizza was SO GOOD!
I knew from the first bite that I was in trouble.
There was no sauce, which surprised me at first, but after approximately three seconds I no longer cared. The sausage was plentiful. The broccoli added texture. The ricotta was creamy and rich. And that lemon oil?! That lemon oil set it off! Everything just worked together perfectly.
The Calabrian peppers arrived on the side exactly as requested. I bravely sampled a very small amount on my fork before desecrating my pizza and quickly determined that folks with stronger heat tolerance than me will absolutely love them. They were just a little too spicy for my delicate tastebuds. Thankfully, the pizza was incredible without them.
And those slices? MONSTERS.
I ate one and seriously contemplated a second before reminding myself that I had dessert plans elsewhere. A box was requested. Self-control was exercised. Barely.
As a solo diner, I also want to give White Rabbit extra points. Multiple staff members checked on me throughout the meal. I never felt forgotten, rushed, or weird sitting by myself. Everyone was warm, kind, and made me feel completely comfortable. I really appreciated that.
My total bill came to $32.44 including tip which felt really reasonable given the amount of pizza I consumed and brought home. Worth every penny.
I'm already scheming my next two-hour drive back. Maybe a smashburger. Maybe those Brussels sprouts everyone keeps raving about. Maybe another pizza.
Maybe all of it!
I highly recommend checking out White Rabbit. Make it a destination, not just a stop while you're in the area. Don't let the size of the place or the wait scare you off. It's totally worth it.
PRO TIP: If you park in the Church Street Parking Garage, look for the staircase labeled "STAIR 3." White Rabbit is literally right outside the door at the bottom. No hide-and-seek required!