“Pizza is all we do…because it’s what we do best!” is the slogan of the new pizzeria in Slippery Rock down Main Street, Inferno Pizzeria.
Walking into the pizza shop, you feel that you are transported to a New York pizzeria with the exposed brick and the giant brick oven behind the counter. There is a seating area that makes the shop the perfect local hangout and food joint for college students, that includes U shaped booths and tables of all different heights and sizes. Walking up to the counter, you can easily see the oven and the pizza preparing area, but also the pizzas that have already been made.
The aspect of Inferno that makes it different compared to local favorites like Dominos and Caffaros is the fact that you can walk into Inferno and order a single slice of pizza or an entire pie. This opens up the possibility of heading to the shop for a quick lunch just to grab a slice of pizza and be on your way.
Not only is Inferno convenient, but it also includes a variety of flavors and specialty pizzas that don’t make this shop your average pizzeria. For example, some of the specialty pizzas include Chicken Bacon Ranch, Buffalo Chicken, Indian Cashew Chicken, Pepper Popper, Wine and Cheese, Mediterranean, Gyro and Taco. These are only some of the total 30 specialty pizzas that can be made along with the classics such as pepperoni and cheese. The specialty pizzas are changed daily and they will also include seasonal pizzas.
Walking into Inferno Pizzeria, I inspected the menu and decided to order the combo, which included a slice of pizza, a salad and a fountain drink. Now, many think that one slice of pizza is not going to fill them, but these slices of pizza are equivalent to about two or three from other pizzerias around this area. Looking through the specialty pizza list, I decided to go for the Mac-n-Cheese pizza. When the plate was placed in front of me I automatically noticed the classic shell noodles on the soft thin dough covered in cheese. Before taking my first bite, I added some red pepper flakes and the end result was taking a bite of the best pizza I have had in Slippery Rock.
I happen to be a fan of brick oven pizza. The crust is thin and slightly doughy since it takes less than 15 minutes to cook the entire pizza pie, creating the perfect amount of crunch without the dough becoming a dark, burnt mess. Since I got the combo, I was able to choose between two types of side salads, which included their House, or Classic salad. The House Salad was a spring mix with cranberries, glazed pecans, and Balsamic dressing. The Classic was the spring mix, veggies, and a choice of dressing between Balsamic, Thousand Island, Ranch, or Italian. I decided to go with the House salad and it was a nice companion to the pizza. The salad acted as a sort of appetizer but did not fill me up to the point where I could not finish and enjoy my slice of pizza.
While Inferno seems like it would be more expensive, it is reasonable for students price wise. For pizza by the slice, it is $3 per slice, but if you choose to create more of a meal the combo is a fair $6.50. For a whole pizza pie, the prices range between size and whether it is a specialty pizza or a classic pie with toppings of your choice. For a classic pizza, a 16-inch with cheese is $12 and $1.25 for extra toppings, and an 18-inch with cheese is $15 and $1.60 for toppings. For the specialty pizzas a 16-inch is $16 and an 18-inch is a total of $18.
Inferno hours tend to jump around, sometimes making it hard to remmber when it is open. They are open for the usual lunch and dinner times, but the odd hours where pizza cravings hit makes this place hard to predict. Monday through Wednesday, Inferno is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday it is open from 11:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.m. Lastly on Sunday the shop is open from 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. While the hours may have to be looked up ahead of time, it is well worth the planning for this great stop on Main Street.
Another factor that is important to college students in my opinion is a pizzeria’s ability to make the pizza come to them with a delivery service. In the past couple of months, they have implemented a delivery service that allows students to order in and have fresh brick oven pizza come to them.
Overall Inferno Pizzeria is a great addition to Slippery Rock. It’s the usual college cuisine taken up a notch creating the best pizza dining experience.
