Hole in the Wall Pizza complements Crafty Bastard brews | Grub Scout
Google Maps told us to drive to the Carriage House Walk Shopping Center, which is near the intersection of Kingston Pike and Pellissippi Parkway. When The Grub Spouse and I arrived at those coordinates, however, there was no Hole in the Wall Pizza to be found. It took a minute or two of driving around — and finally spotting some helpful signs in the dark — for us to realize that not only was our destination behind the building, it was inside Crafty Bastard Brewery West.
Mystery solved, we entered and headed straight for the bar to place orders for both food and an adult beverage. The menu isn’t all pizza; appetizers include Memphis Sushi (made with jalapeño cheddar sausage and mozzarella cheese) and pretzel fondue. You can also keep things on the green side by ordering a house or Greek salad.
The rest of the menu features a few sandwiches, specialty pizzas and a create-your-own-pie option. The Spouse and I decided to get one sandwich and one pizza and graze freely between them. For our sandwich, we chose the club ($12.50) over the Italian, muffuletta, and ham and cheese. The club is made with a Gambino’s sesame loaf ensconcing smoked turkey, ham, cheddar, provolone, lettuce, tomato and bacon jam.
The build-your-own-pizza section (all pizzas are 12 inches in diameter) starts you off with cheese and choice of sauce for $11, and from there, you can add toppings for $1 or $1.50 each. Ingredients include red onions, banana peppers, dill pickles, spinach, prosciutto, caramelized onions, chicken and blue cheese as well as a number of more familiar pizza toppers.
However, we went with one of the house specialties, the Supreme ($16). This pie is typically constructed with red sauce, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and black olives, but we asked them to hold the olives. Other specialty pizzas include the Garden (veggies only), Mushroom, Hawaiian, Greek, Bacon Pickle and Buffalo Chicken.
(For the record, Hole in the Wall Pizza serves brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There’s a separate menu for that, featuring several varieties of omelets, three sandwiches and other breakfast goodies like sausage gravy biscuits, smoked salmon bagels and an everything bagel with cream cheese.)
After we ordered, the bartender handed us a pager and instructed us to collect our food from the literal hole in the wall (a pass-through between the brewery and the kitchen) when the pager buzzed. While we waited, I enjoyed what is probably one of the best IPAs I’ve tasted in a very long time. The brewmaster vouched for it personally when I stated my preference for hoppy and fruity pale ales, and he was not wrong in his recommendation. I would go back to Crafty Bastard Brewery West for this pour alone. Also, I felt very comfortable with the general vibe of the brewery itself.
When our pager buzzed, I retrieved our dinner from the aforementioned hole in the wall. We settled in back at our table with waters and napkins and started digging in. For starters, the pizza was a decent effort. The crust was thin, and flavorwise, it reminded me — as many restaurant pizzas often do — of what I have ordered at Gondolier in the past. The toppings were fairly represented, and I had no issues with their respective tastes.
The sandwich was fine, but my main takeaway was that the ratio of roll to innards was skewed a little too heavily toward the former, in my opinion. The bread itself was fresh and fine, but in comparison, the layers of meat and cheese in between came across as underrepresented. After The Spouse and I had sampled both items, we had several slices of pizza and half a sandwich to take back to The Grub House for next-day enjoyment.
I have no complaints about the food at Hole in the Wall Pizza, and I’m glad the brewery has a food-service option to complement it. But in all honesty, I must say that the next time I return to Crafty Bastard Brewery West, it will be primarily for the IPA.
Hole in the Wall Pizza
Food: 3.75
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 3.75
Address: 9937 Kingston Pike
Phone: 865-202-4709
Beer service only
Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 to 9 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays
Unique appetizers, fresh sandwiches and a wide selection of pizzas are all up for grabs at this food vendor inside Crafty Bastard Brewery West.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville pizza review: Hole in the Wall Pizza inside Crafty Bastard
