Impellizeri's Pizza (Downtown Location)
110 West Main Street, Louisville KY
http://www.impellizzeris.com/
Cuisine: Italian



Last week I lucked into getting a couple of tickets to go tour the new KFC Yum! Center Arena downtown. Our tickets allowed us to tour the arena at 7pm that evening.  I asked my wife if she wanted to grab a bite to eat before we toured the place. Thinking about my new project (aka marksremarks.com), I suggested that we try some place new. We decided to try the Impellizzeri's Pizza that just opened down and across the street from the new arena.

Upon arriving the hostess was able to get us seated fairly quickly. I was a little nervous going into a set down restaurant an hour before our tour, but we gave it a try. Within minutes of setting down the server came to our table asked us if we wanted drinks or an appetizer. He mentioned that on Monday nights it is half off appetizers. So after reviewing the menu, we placed an order for "stuffed mushrooms" and a couple glasses of water. The menu describe the "stuffed mushrooms" as "plump mushroom caps filled with garlic butter and our home-made Italian sausage, covered with mozzarella and romano cheeses".

While he went to place our order, we reviewed the menu and decided we would order a small pizza with two toppings. A small pizza serves 2-3 pizza and is roughly 8x10. We decided on pepperoni and italian sausage as our toppings. A small pizza with two toppings is priced at $15.69. I commented to my wife on the prices bring somewhat high for a small pizza.

While waiting on the appetizer and pizza, I took a few moments to get a good feel for the atmosphere of the place. Its located in an old warehouse building. The lighting what dark and provided for a relaxed feel. Directly behind where we were seated were several big comfy couches with several TVs. They also have an area at the front of restaurant that allows for the windows to be opened so that you can get an indoor/outdoor feel. There were several other TVs located throughout the restaurant all with various sports programs playing that evening. I could definitely see this as a good hangout spot before UofL basketball games or any other activity taking place at the new arena. See the picture to the left for a look inside.

Our appetizer came out before the main course. As stated above we ordered the stuffed mushrooms. They were piping hot and covered in cheese. When we first ordered the appetizer, I imagined individual mushrooms on a plate stuffed with sausage and and covered with cheese.  What came out was not what I pictured. The mushrooms were served in white dish and covered in ground Italian sausage and then smothered in cheese. Even though they were not as I pictured, I could not complain because they were gone within a few minutes. See the picture to the right for example of stuffed mushrooms.

Once the appetizers were finished we had to wait on our pizza to come out. I was getting a little nervous because there were people who were seated before we arrived still waiting on their entrees and it was getting close to time to visit the new arena. About 6:30pm the pizza came out to our table . As with the appetizer, I pictured something completely different. I figured we would get a small pizza since we ordered a small pizza. It was actually fairly big. It was loaded with cheese, ground Italian Sausage, and pepperoni. The sauce on the pizza was very rich and flavorful. My wife and I each had two slices, and were able to take half the pizza home for another meal (which I must note made a great meal the next day).





The Marks:

Atmosphere: I would give the atmosphere 5 marks. This place would be a great place to catch a bite to eat before or after any event taking place at the KFC Yum! Center.


Cost: I would give this restaurant 3 marks on cost. The menu ranges anywhere from $5.99 to $40. Appetizers are fairly cheap. Pizzas are your more expensive items.


Menu: I would give the menu 4 marks. They have a great selection of appetizers, pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches.


Quality of the Food: I would give the quality of food 5 marks. The pizza was some of the best I have had in Louisville. The ingredients were fresh and the food was hot.


Service: I would give the service 4 marks.  We were seated quickly which was a plus. Our server came over and got our drink order quickly. However, it seemed as though he took awhile to come back to get out entree order. However, at the end meal he got us box and wished us on our way to see the new arena.

Overall Marks: Overall, I would give this restaurant 4 marks. This was a great place to grab a bite to eat. However, I feel that the price of the pizzas was a little bit high especially in today economy. I also feel that this restaurant could be a little crowded during events at the new arena. Unless you need to go downtown I would try one of the other locations in town.