Restaurant of the Week: Old Town Pizza Some things never change, thank goodness

By Audrey Van Buskirk

The Portland Tribune, May 19, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Be careful what you read in the paper. A few years back, longtime fans of Old Town Pizza, Stephanie and Adam Milne, saw a notice that the then nearly 30-year-old institution was for sale. Though neither was working in the restaurant business at the time, the two were so concerned that the venerable place might change, they bought it.

Change it hasn’t. Even if you haven’t been in for a couple of decades, you’ll find the multilevel space exceedingly familiar. Customers still order pizza from a window overlooking the ovens and receive a playing card in exchange, and the space still has more nooks, crannies and mysterious alcoves than Hogwarts.

There’s even the resident ghost Nina, a lady of the night who, according to the legend, was killed on the property after trying to clean up the neighborhood.

History clearly lurks. More than 100 years ago, the building housed the Merchant Hotel and the pizza window was crafted from the hotel’s reception desk.

The space itself satisfies nearly all comers. There are areas for romantic canoodling on couches, big tables perfect for groups and families and plenty of quiet spaces for a private dinner.

The pizza has a serious, dense and chewy crust, the kind that’s perfect for carrying half a dozen toppings from pan to mouth. The house special pie comes loaded with a panoply of salami, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, olives and peppers.

The vegetarian combo boasts just as many toppings. Though the ingredients are fresh and varied (walnuts, pesto, rosemary chicken) and the crust described as “sustainable,” this is about as far from yuppie pizza as Old Town still is from the Pearl District. Its hearty, bold flavors are meant to be consumed with microbrew pitchers and Cokes, not pinots and chardonnay.

It’s hard to imagine going to Old Town Pizza if you’re not in the mood for a pie (though the space is fun just to explore), but the few other options include a great spinach salad and meat and vegetarian lasagna and antipasto plates.

But you’d be missing out on a great meal, and some fascinating Portland history, if you skipped the dough.

Ñ Audrey Van Buskirk

226 N.W. Davis St., 503-222-9999, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, pizzas from $7.95 to $19.95

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