Puleo's Pizzeria: Big palate-pleasing pies uphold family tradition | Grub Scout

When I first learned the name of this West Knoxville pizza place, my first thought was to wonder if it was associated with the now-defunct Puleo’s chain that once sparsely populated the East Tennessee region. An in-person inquiry at the pizzeria confirmed my suspicion: The proprietor is the son of Steve Puleo, who had previously run the multiple restaurant locations.

I had enjoyed my experiences with that brand, so I was reasonably optimistic about Puleo’s Pizzeria, which occupies the former Wise Guy Pizza Kitchen space in the Downtown West locale.

The Grub Spouse and I arrived on a weeknight only to remember from our Wise Guys visit that the site is set up primarily for carryout service. There is a limited amount of seating inside, but the ambiance isn’t terribly inviting (strictly utilitarian), so The Spouse and I placed our orders to go.

Puleo’s specialty pies run a familiar gamut, from the Margarita and barbecue chicken varieties to their Supreme and white-pie recipes. They are served in 14- and 18-inch sizes, and you can request a cauliflower crust on any 14-inch specialty pizza for an additional $2. They also serve pizza by the slice in-store only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you want to go full-on freelance, you can customize your own pie, starting at $13.50 for a 14-incher or $19 for an 18-inch crust. From there, you choose from any of eight sauces (Papa’s Red sauce is the default) and some two-dozen toppings.  Out-of-the-ordinary options include anchovies, smoked provolone cheese, baby spinach, applewood bacon bites and fresh cilantro.

The menu rounds out with calzones and pasta dishes. The former include barbecue chicken, Greek, Buffalo chicken and Spicy Italian, while the latter include spaghetti with red sauce and Chicken Penne Alfredo. Also of interest: five combos that offer varying combinations of pizza, cheesy bread, spaghetti and chicken penne pasta. Prices for those range from $34 to $61.

The Spouse and I decided on a 14-inch specialty pie, going with half Supreme and half Margarita ($18.50). We got bottled drinks and one of Puleo’s homemade desserts, the mini New York cheesecake ($3.65). (Other desserts include triple-chocolate mousse cups, chewy turtle brownies and strawberry shortcake.)

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We waited in The Grubmobile while the staff inside hand-tossed our dough, loaded it up with two sets of red-sauce- and mozzarella-based goodies and sent it through the oven. About 20 minutes later, I headed inside to collect our boxful of pie as well as other accouterments like napkins and silverware. Then it was back to The Grubmobile for in-car dining.

Puleo’s pizza is New York style — thin and chewy. The ingredients were piled on in fair amounts and ensconced in a bed of gooey cheese. This was particularly true of the Margarita half of our pie, which was a textbook arrangement featuring extra blobs of mozzarella cheese garnished with Roma tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. The Supreme was topped with pecorino, pepperoni, Italian sausage, red onions, mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers and fresh herbs.

Both sides were delicious, though we had to fold our slices like New York natives so that the greasy meats and veggie toppings didn’t go sliding into our laps. After just two to three slices each, we found ourselves wearing down and switched over to the cheesecake — a round, smallish portion served in a clear plastic container. We poured our choice of topping (in this case, strawberry) over the cake and dug in from opposite sides with our little plastic forks. This homemade treat was also a palate pleaser with its rich, cheesy filling and graham-cracker crust.

Note that Puleo’s 14-inch crust is the equivalent of most pizzerias’ large sizes. We took plenty of pizza home, and it carried us through another meal the following day, so we couldn’t even imagine how many slices we would have had left over if we’d gotten the 18-incher.

While there’s no shortage of decent pizza in town (from both locally owned eateries and national chains), I see no reason why you shouldn’t at least give Puleo’s Pizzeria a try and decide for yourself whether this family’s latest attempt is the real deal or a pie-in-the-sky restaurant dream.

Puleo’s Pizzeria

Food: 4.25

Service: 4

Atmosphere: 3.25

Overall: 4

Address: 8078 Kingston Pk.

Phone: 865-347-2734

No alcohol service

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays

The Puleo family tradition of Italian cuisine continues at this West Knoxville pizzeria.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Puleo's Pizzeria: Delicious pies uphold family tradition | Grub Scout