Finally a fresh, locally owned establishment injects some life into downtown Charleston.
Warning: If you try to go to Pies & Pints in the evening, especially on the weekend, expect a wait. The room at the bar is limited so your wait is likely to be outside.
There is a reason it is so busy though...
After three aborted attempts to eat at Pies & Pints (I have little patience for waiting in line to eat), my SO and I finally nestled down for a relaxed Friday afternoon lunch.
The first thing one notices is that the place is immaculate. It's floors, empty tables, and bathrooms are all spotless. Good rock n roll plays at the right volume - music like Dylan, Marley, etc. Familiar but not overplayed at most places these days.
The menu at Pies & Pints is amazing, but mostly simple. That's a good thing. I've always feared eateries with large menus. A limited menu means that what is done is done well. With Pies & Pints, the menu includes a large selection of specialty pizzas to go along with more traditional house pizzas and a build-your-own selection. There are also fairly typical appetizers and a nice selection of salads.
The specialty pizzas are diverse, and from what we sampled, amazing. If you order a large pizza you have the option to do it half and half using any of the specialty selections. We ordered a 1/2&1/2 Chicken Gouda and Cuban Pork.
OH MY ZEUS - delicious.
We were informed later that Pies & Pints has no freezer, no heat lamp, no microwaves. Veggies are fresh, never canned (you can really tell with the jalapenos), pork is slow roasted daily, and chicken is cooked fresh for the pizza. The taste of the pies is unbelievable. You just have to try it. Both pizzas we tried were carefully prepared with a popping blend of flavors. Wonderful.
Obviously Pies & Pints also has a good selection of beer. The selection was not as varied as I expected, but there is a fair selection of mid to good+ quality craft brewed beer ranging from ale to porter. The West Virginia brewed Bridge Brew Works Lager is a well balanced (if strong hops/malt) lager that hits the spot with these pies.
Finally our service was the best I have received in Charleston. Period. Chris was proud of his establishment, made tasteful recommendations, was conversational but didn't linger, and did all the little things that an excellent server does (gave us reheating instructions; noticed I dropped my fork and brought a new one, etc).
This is what eating out should be like.
Prices are moderate, inline with soulless establishments like BWW or Quaker Steak, but the food, service, and ambiance at P&P are light years superior. read more