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Penelope did not disappoint!! We ordered the pizza from their daily specials - not your typical pizza, but the flavors worked so well together! We also got the Caesar salad, which they kindly split onto separate plates for our group and the 10-layer lasagna which was absolutely delicious! They have great happy hour specials ($10 cocktails, $2 off the shareables, etc.) and the service was great. I can't wait to try their other pizzas!
Solid experience our pizzas were great! Light crust with great flavor it was absolutely delicious. Definitely try the root beer it's the perfect combination. Great service with a cool atmosphere and good music.
Never a disappointment with the tiki drinks that are made strong, the OTC pizza, and the meat lasagna. Staff is always amazing. Might be a bit of a wait, but always worth it!
My wife and I went here for the first time for Dinner. We ordered the bread with marinara sauce and the little miss pizza. Both tasted fantastic, however, I wish they would crispy up the bottom dough of the pizza a little bit. It was just a teeny bit oily. Fantastic service and food, tasted so fresh. We'll definitely go back and try it again.
Need to come back to try every other pizza! lol. A friend suggested this place for a get-together. They don't take reservations, and we knew to expect a wait, so a friend volunteered to stop in early to get our name on the list (this was around 5:30 PM, right before happy hour ended)! The restaurant is a cozy space. It was the middle of summer, so we opted for an indoor table, meaning a wait was certain. They do have a nice patio section, so I'm sure wait times will be much shorter or nil once we return in the fall or winter, or as soon as the temperatures drop! As soon as we were seated, we ordered drinks in time to catch the happy hour specials. We each got a drink and the meatball entree to share. We opted for the entree over the small plate because it came with 3 meatballs rather than just one. For entrees, I got the Figgy Piggy pizza. OMG, this pizza was sooo good! Sweet and savory! It features a fig jam base, mozzarella, prosciutto, lemon parmesan, balsamic drizzle, and arugula. One friend got the classic pepperoni and the other got the meatball lasagna. I got to taste the lasagna, and it was rich and flavorful. That lasagna serving was massive. One slice is easily enough for at least two people! I am already planning to come back since I was only able to try one of the pizzas! LOL. Who's coming with?"
You would never know this gem was Eastside , most often it's a local who brings you here . Service was top notch ! What a vibe ! Great place to host a small group .They were able to accommodate my vegan diet . Will be back for sure .
First time here. Fast, polite, efficient service. Happy to see that the place was packed. We ordered the bread app & marinara cheese sauce. It was pretty good. Pizza we ordered was called "Little Miss" we customized it by putting basil & oregano on only half of it & added sausage. Pizza came out with no oregano & no sausage. Server was very nice & offered to give us a side of sausage & oregano. After that, it was very tasty! Vibe inside seemed to be very hipster & friendly atmosphere. Seemed like they knew people like regulars maybe? Anyways, we will be back.
We arrived at around 5:30 and was told there was a 25 minutes wait time. We were seated one hour later. We found out that they have "team service" which explains why you can see servers are all over the place. Regardless, They were all nice and very welcoming. Place has plenty of seating. We ordered a Caesar salad, spaghetti meatball, cheese pizza, OTC pizza and the Jackie luna. Everything was flavorful, our experience would have been better if we were able to get in and out a little quicker.
Leopard spotted, blisterednby wood fire, just enough sauce n cheese, freshest quality produce = Penelope Perfection. Busy on a Weds 330PM shortly after doors open, after 2 days off, but understand it fills up even own the patio and after tasting you'll know why :) Fine dusted parm topped a zesty house dressed $13 Caesar that was pre-split for sharing. House croutons need more of a blast in that wooded oven to crisp up as they were limp and doughy but still polished off the greens. 4/5* Love me some Mortadella and hard to find on menus even in an Italian Grinder here, so my focus lasered in on Tony Balona $18 with Burrata, smoked mozz (didn't taste any smoke) and pistachio dust (very minimal at center, wah), thick swirls of pistachio pesto and switched red sauce for garlic oil, a thin simple sauce. Pistachio not really noticeable in pesto or dust, I really enjoyed my pie, though its not as complex tasting as you might believe. Dough with it's black blisters definitely shines. 5/5* Hub's Classic Pepperoni $17 was flooded in lil' crispy cups; devoured! Happy Hour Bonus 3-6P weekdays, $2 off Appys incl our Salad. $10 cocktails ($6 off!) and $6 Drafts & house wines. Beechwood Brewing centraholic West Coast IPA 7% ABV, a Golden hoppy entry with med bitter to end, Light body and lasting Creamy head was a great pizza accompaniment, as was a regular vs White Negroni on menu. Had an herbal syrup less bitter front than a typical in your face Campari sip. Service was efficient. Water carafe to table on seating. Sure hope they save the water left over given the constant desert shortage, as we only drank 1/3 due to our ABV glasses. On Penelope return, I'll fight to try the fresh pasta unless the Dough menu punches me into submission again! Haha
You won't have better pizza. Best in the state of AZ without question. Anyone that gave this a poor rating in the past has grown up on Domino's and developed shitty taste buds or they just join yelp to complain and trash restaurants. The crust is chewy, light and airy and also has some crunchiness: A crust this good takes a lot of passion for putting out a quality product and talent! The artisanal pizzas are well put together regardless of what you order. Caesar salad is homemade, lemony with a little hint of bitterness almost like an arugula flavor. Go eat, enjoy and share how good this place is with your friends and family.
Yumm yumm yumm, wow why did it take me so long to find this pizza spot. We ordered the bread and burrata and it is amazing. We also got a Margarita pizza, a Classic pepperoni, and Pammy pizza so good. The burrata tomato was so beautiful thank you. I will be back for that alone, everything was amazing. When you are around d Kolb and Speedway definitely stop by in the evening for dinner. The inside was nicely decorated with lots of tables and a cute bar.
The Pizza is to die for and memorable. It's been a long time since I have a new constant craving. Penelope surpassed my expectations. The crust wasn't too thin. The topping was plentiful. The price point is more expensive but well worth the savory flavors. Every bite was delicious. The service was okay but we had one server who was a shinning star and was just great! Even boxed our food. The area is a little loud and close together so be prepared. Only thing I have to note was dessert was good but for me I love extremely sweet dessert. It was very good but not my taste. The cream was very mild which I think was unique and different to more traditional. Just wasn't my taste. To be honest even with that it was amazing dinner. I will definitely be back!
Holding true to our 2026 plan another never before visit, this time to Penelope wood fired pizza. We arrived promptly at 3 pm as we were advised to do, as we had reservations our table was already set with a cold decanter of water awaiting. Our server came right over and took our drink order and provider her suggestions to us first timers. We started with the 3 meatball shareable plate. Man what an experience. Soft tender meatballs perfectly seasoned with a robust sauce that compliments the seasoning of the meat ball. The speed of service absolutely incredible, we had barely finished the meatballs when 2 pizzas and a plate of lasagna arrived. My son never looked up from his lasagna, a HUGE 10 layer lasagna with oodles of meat and cheese in delicious Penelope house sauce with perfectly cooked al dente noodles. He got one to go. Ok so did I. My Pizza, the SGT pepper, light airy crust , garlic oil, smoked mozz, green chilies, a delicious house made sausage and a hot honey drizz. This is an amazing combination of flavors. Mom's pizza, The Nina. Same delectable crust, house red sauce, mozz, ezzo pepperoni, sausage, sweet bell pepper and onion. Another amazing combination. The only down fall, my mother said it was too salty. The staff was amazing! Benny and Sierra were friendly, informative and prompt and a credit to this great establishment. It is easy to see why Penelope has been top 50 in the U.S. for three years running. You want your pizza done right, you have to give Penelope a go.
Reviews are largely positive. Many highlight the creative pizza toppings, friendly and attentive staff, and lively, modern atmosphere. Drinks and desserts are also popular.
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2 years ago
Excellent pizza with sourdough thin crust and a gluten free option (have to order that a day in advance). Very good service, fast and friendly. The gluten free crust was great, but more like a focaccia style, in contrast to the thin crust for the regular pizza. Most of us liked it, but one thought it was too thick. I loved the creative combos of flavors. The appetizers were great - meatballs most excellent and the Burrata & Tomato was yummy. Ambience was casual and a bit noisy but relaxing. Overall a great experience. read more
7 months ago
4 years ago
Penelope Pizza is a welcome addition to Downtown Tucson, located inside of Cartel Coffee right next door to Forbes Meat Co. I had seen them originally when they were the Over The Counter Pizza Truck on Instagram and all of their flavor combinations looked super interesting so I was excited to try this place out. We tried the Margherita Pizza which has red sauce, mozzarella, basil, olive oil like usual only they add Lemon Parmesan which really elevated the flavor. Also decided to opt for the Spicy Jim which had the perfect level of spice balanced with Buffalo Ranch, it was my favorite. Highly recommend adding the Simple Soda Co. Orange or Lime soda with your order, such a special treat with simple ingredients. We learned that their citrus comes from Agritopia. My reasoning for the three stars is the price point and dough quality. There are so many wood fired pizza options in Tucson and as someone who also makes my own dough, for me this just didn't compare. It was very burnt on some of the edges and missing the crisp yet chewy texture I was hoping for. I'm sure the prices are higher because of the downtown location, but for similar style pizzas at other artisan shops in town cost $1-4 less per pizza so that also would discourage me from coming by regularly. Looking forward to trying one of their pasta nights in the future! read more
2 years ago
First time trying Penelope Pizza... Ordered the Bread & Friends and a classic cheese pizza. The bread was... not good. I'm ALL for some crispy char...this bread been turned to charcoal - and tasted like it, ate one piece and threw out the rest. Unfortunately the pizza was the opposite - nice char on the crust, while the entire center was woefully undercooked. Even with the nice char on the crust, it was super chewy and not crispy at all. The interior of the pizza had good flavor, sauce and cheese tasted great, just undercooked. Very friendly staff. read more
I loved this place! Highly recommend going with lots of people so that you can try all the different pizzas. Each pizza had a great unique flavor profile and was delicious. Even the simple margarita pizza was so amazing. The crusts are crispy and delicious. Margarita: Wonderful sauce and creamy cheese with fragrant basil on top. Classic! Pammy: This was a unique pizza with sweet cherry tomatoes and lots of flavor. Out of the 4, it may have been out-shown by the others, but still a delicious bite. Early riser: Now who doesn't love a pizza with egg! Amazing! Sgt pepper: My favorite. The flavor of the sausage with the delicious green chili and hot honey. It was a little kick of spice but not too much to where it took away from the flavor. Lastly, Penelope pizza also sells Simple Soda which has amazing sparkling juice blends. Local to AZ! A perfect accompaniment to the pizza. read more
1 year ago
The literal best!! Pizza is out of this world, the service is super cool and considerate even when super packed, and the vibes are immaculate. Such a great ambience! Only place in Tucson to get to get the best pizza experience! read more
2 years ago
Love the pasta at Penelope's, perfect every time. The tomato sauce is excellent. There is a meatball lasagna on the menu, but there is also a veggie option for lasagna that isn't listed. Bartenders are great, so are the cocktails. I personally don't like the pizza here that much, but the pasta dishes are A+. read more
6 months ago
2 years ago
I had dinner here with some friends. They were very busy with large parties of people. Despite that, they were very accommodating. I had the margherita pizza. It's got to be the best in town. The cheese had some tang to it. It was really good. I'll definitely come here again. read more
We weren't sure what to expect but had heard great things about this pizza and it lived up to the hype and then some. We shared the Nina pizza and it was wonderful. The crust was pillowy or the ends and very thin with the slightest but of pleasant crisp in the middle. The toppings were plentiful and flavorful, with a slightly spicy, awesome pepperoni stealing the show. The pizza came out quick and hot. We also got to see it being made, which was cool! The person managing it all was also super nice and seemed genuinely appreciative of the business, which just makes me want to come back even more. This spot shares the space with Cartel coffee, so it has that same cozy coffee house vibe, which we personally enjoyed. Just a note that the pizza counter/spot to order isn't the main counter but towards the back of the space and separate from where you'd order coffee. We can't wait to come back and support this business! read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
DEEELICIOUS! Wanted to try a new pizza place and this exceeded expectations! We tried the OTC, Nina, and Jackie Luna! The staff were all super nice and attentive! Will definitely be coming back. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Amazing food and service and environment! Be prepared for a wait- to be seated and to get your pizza. But, it is worth it! The whole team is attentive and help all the tables. Friendly staff makes for a great experience. The pasta special was incredible and the pizzas have been amazing. This will be a regular spot for us! read more
9 months ago
1 year ago
Ordered the OTC pizza for takeout. It was absolutely delicious and I ended up eating the whole pizza in one sitting. It has pepperoni, fresh, ricotta, basil, and hot honey drizzle. It was such a good flavor combination. read more
7 months ago
I had heard wonderful things about Penelope and after giving it a try, I can see why. I like the set up for their service being that any server will help you - we had a designated server who was wonderful but I also love being able to ask anyone for help in case your server is busy. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. The restaurant is so cute inside - it's modern and I love the plants and all the green inside, it's beautiful. The food was absolutely delicious - the flavors were amazing. My only note was that my crust was a little overdone for my liking so next time I may ask for it to not be cooked as long, but my family didn't mind at all. In fact, my selective eater son devoured his pizza and wouldn't share with us so that is how I know it was good! We were able to meet the owner as well and he was so awesome and you see him doing all sorts of different things in the restaurant from helping the cooks to serving, he was doing it all which speaks volumes to him as an good owner. Definitely don't skip dessert - it was fabulous. I personally loved the Nougatine Semifreddo - it was like something I never had before with a very creamy and silky texture bursting with flavor. I definitely recommend swinging by to try it out! read more
1 year ago
Nice ambiance and really good service. We really enjoyed the Pammy pizza, Vegetarian lasagna, and olives. Would definitely come again. read more
Penelope has only been open a few weeks (in its new location) and it is absolutely FANTASTIC! My husband and I have decided this spot is now on our top favorite Tucson restaurant list! It was actually so delicious I went on a Friday, and had to bring back my husband the next day! A few years ago we tried Jared's pizza when he was a traveling pizza oven, and it was some of the best we've had. Now, he's in his new spot which is hip, spacious and vibrant. I sat at the bar both times and ordered a sensational bubbly cocktail and wine the second night. They have various choices of beverages like local beers, creative cocktails, and wines. Plus, NA options. They also offer pastas, which look outstanding! The service is also exceptional, with everyone working together to make every customer happy. We had an appetizer of meatballs and they were delicious and not too filing. We ordered the figgy piggy and crust was crisp, flavorful, perfect. His toppings are the highest quality and locally sourced and the lemon parm is outstanding! On Friday I tried their only house dessert and I've been craving it! Can't wait to head back in soon for another round of pizza heaven! read more
9 months ago
3 years ago
Pretty darn good pizza. This was my first time at Cartel which is such a cute place. There were student studying and lots of people coming in for drinks. The pastries were popular as well. The guy making pizza recommended the margarita and the sgt pepper so that's what we got. I'm picky about the crust and theirs is so light and had the perfect crisp. The margarita was great. I loved the sausage and hot honey on the sgt pepper but I was missing the chile flavor. The amount of peppers was a little stingy. The price point is high in my opinion, especially for how much crust there was compared to toppings. Everyone working was very friendly. Can't say I'd go back but I think it's worth trying! read more
3 years ago
Came here on a Friday night. We almost walked right by the business (the Penelope signage is pretty small. The service was super quick. We had a very small wait time for our food. We ordered two pizzas and an order of bread & friends. The first was the classic cheese. My daughter loved this pizza. I thought it was good. My only negative was the crust was a little too thin for my liking (the crust at the sides of the pizza was delicious- just wished there was a little more for the body of the pizza). The second pizza that we ordered was the Bubba. The Bubba is their crust with garlic oil, mozzarella, lemon ricotta, artichoke hearts, pickled green onion, arugula and lemon parmesan. I enjoyed this pizza. I didn't get the green onion flavors but overall the ricotta, arugula and artichoke hearts worked really well together. The bread and friends was delicious! The salsa de parmigiana is amazing! They totally need to offer sides of this. We used it for the bread and for the pizzas. If we had leftover sauce we might have drank it too! Overall I was impressed with the pizzas and would come back! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
DELICIOUS. My partner and I went for the first time the other day and got the mortadella appetizer (SO GOOD. The mustard seeds?! Give me a jar please) and one pizza each to really try the selection. Everything was wonderful from the flavors, our drinks, and the service. The owner is very present in the business and takes his time to walk and talk to tables, without feeling like an owner is checking in. You can tell he's present with his staff and communicates well, as everyone was very knowledgeable and friendly. We want to make this our Wednesday night dinner place! Obviously would come back again and again. Can't wait to try the other pizzas! read more
1 year ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
10 months ago
9 months ago
Based on the exuberence of other reviews we went early to avoid the crowds. While we were the first in that day, tables quickly filled up. Service was quick, efficient and enthusiastic. Their team approach of not having a specific server per table really works. We spoke with three different & very personable servers. The ambiance was excellent, if a bit noisy. Now to the pizza ... We first tried the Tony Bologna because the ingredient list closely matched the pizza we order from our favorite pizza restaurant. We both thought the neopolitan crust was best on the outer edges, where it was crispy & slightly charred. The center of the pizza had so much oil that the ingredients slipped off when you tried to pick it up. This was a bit annoying. Tasty, but cut down on the oil. We then tried the Sgt. Pepper. I thought there should be more chiles and the sausage too mild. The wife liked the sausage. Center problems still persisted. If you order more than one pizza, order the second one when the first is almost gone as their pizza is best when hot & it cools quickly. We also had the house lemonade and the local made root beer. Both were 'refilled' with fresh glasses before we even asked. The large water carafe left on the table was a welcome touch. All in all, a very well run service but please improve on the oil with the thin crust. read more
I was wowed by this place! We got there and there was a 30 minute wait, but the hostess was so accommodating. Offered outside or inside for us to wait, and we were brought waters while we waited, and then we were seated in just 15 minutes! Love when the expectations are set with the worst case scenario, and then you're pleasantly surprised! It was hopping and a little on the loud side, but we didn't mind at all. We started with the arugula salad, which was enormous, the waiter told us it was big enough for 2, but our party of 3 all had enough, and I took some home! Again over-exceeding expectations! The caprese salad was divine! Omg - the burrata and the pesto sauce on this - we devoured it! We tried 2 pizzas - the OTC and the Pepperoni - both just perfect! Thin, wood-fired, delicious flavors in the sauce, perfectly crispy pepperoni! The 10 - layer lasagna is a cheese lasagna with lemon ricotta. It was amazing, I love that lemon flavor, and cutting through all of those layers, and again - I took half home because it was so big! Then I think our favorite part of the night was the semifreddo nougat with chocolate cherry pistachio!! It came with 2 milano cookies, and again - this was gone within seconds! Our waiter and all of the staff were funny, and an absolute delight! I will be bringing my hubby back for pizza in the very future! Everyone has to get over to Penelope! read more
Love, love this place, they have great pizza, unreal lasagna, great deserts and a wonderful ambiance, get there early because it gets busy. We had Bennie serve us twice, he's great and a wonderful server, thank you Bennie, this is one of my fav spots for pizza and pasta. read more
1 year ago
Wow!!! That was a delicious meal! Sky high 10 layer lasagna. Very filling! I'm so glad they moved closer to me so we get to try all the different menu items. read more
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Ask the Community - Penelope
Pizza looks like I'd only comes in one size. Know what it is?
I believe you're correct that they are all one size. The wood fire pizzas are rightly 10"-12" and 6 slices each.
Is there a happy hour?
Yes, I was there about two weeks ago and I remember some of the appetizers being discounted, but I can't remember the exact hours or the alcohol deals.
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