Sign at the door and various other notices that "It's not for everyone". I'd say that's an appropriate assessment...but I'm glad it's for me! Unique in every way, but very friendly and most importantly, delicious and inventive pizza! If you're in a rush, go somewhere else. If you want something crafted by hand, baked in wood fire and made with the freshest ingredients...get yourself over to Scratch. Plus they have more old vinyl albums than I do! And you can play what you want. The guys working there made me miss my kids pretty badly. Next time I'm back in JC I'll hit them up again. I might even try the TRUST...nah...I won't. read more

I moved here after spending a year 10 miles outside New Haven, CT. I don't have much to say about CT, but I do have to admit they have the best pizza in the US. I knew that was going to be the one thing I would miss and I hoped to find decent pizza in Johnson City. Scratch exceeded my expectations. I had to try the limited trust pizza and they made a completely creative dish. I am not at all disappointed to be living where I can get this masterpiece any time I want. One night I will have to break down and try the Chicago deep dish style. Just need to know that I am going to blow about a week's worth of calories for that special occasion. read more

Scratch Brick Oven - Vegetarian "Limited Trust" - Pizza Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

See all

Super quirky spot with some of the best pizza you could hope for! Definitely one of my favorite spots for a good pie in Johnson City!

What is with me reviewing pizza places tonight? OK, I have to admit this place is pretty cool. I'll have to go back a few more times to see how consistent they are, but the few times I've been when I've been home the pizza has been really excellent. This is what I call, 'shi-shi' pizza. Hand tossed, handmade dough, fresh, farm to table ingredients, fired in a handmade frankenstein-quese brick oven... this stuff is pretty good. The menu is fairly complicated, someone should really see to that, but if you just talk to the gal at the counter she will help you find what you are looking for. $15 for a pizza, no matter what you get on it, is a pretty sweet deal and if you order the 'trust me', you'll be pleasantly surprised I think. (Apples on a pizza... who knew?!) I hope this place survives and becomes an institution. Johnson City deserves a place like this. Note: They only take cash. read more

Best hidden gem in Johnson City. I ordered the "trust" pizza and it was the greatest pizza I've ever ate. I highly recommend.

This was my first visit, and as most have said, "TRUST". You cannot come here and do anything less. It's a great hidden gem in the Tri-Cities. The pizza is really, really good. I'm not sure if it's the best pizza I've ever had, but it's good. It's thin and crispy, but loaded with toppings. The staff was extremely nice, and very helpful. It is a 'BYOB" restaurant, but they have a fridge full of beverages. Stop in and try this place out, you won't be disappointed. read more

Re: the pizza itself I have had pizza from many different places including New York and Chicago. This is by far my top three places! They have a "trust" option where you leave it up to the chef to make your pizza. It is the way to go! These folks know their combos. We are vegetairans and our pizza was a combo of three different sauces (pesto, green curry, and traditional) and our toppings included oranges, hot peppers, olives, apples, onions, and green peppers. By far the best set of toppings I have ever had. I couldn't have dreamt of a better combination. Get the cheese sticks as well! They come out literally within 7 mins. Well worth the $4. Re: the ambience Hippie, old school, roadside outdoor seating, you can play old school records, and sip on soda from glass bottles. Perfect for dates or gatherings. Did I mention it is BYOB!! Re: the service Very friendly, courteous, and helpful. Overall: we went back twice the same day. Would go back again and again. Definitely a hole in the wall place. Must visit! read more

I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ingredients and how tasty the thin crust really was. We built our own as I have a million dietary restrictions (wee, allergies!), and hung out in the restaurant while we waited to pick up the pizza. Scratch also had an option to build a "trust" pizza, where the employees pick the toppings. Given the other reviews on this page, that option does not disappoint. They have a record player and vinyl collection that customers can use to pick the music playing, and we were entertained by the man who creatively announced each pizza when it was ready for pick-up. The restaurant has laid-back, unpretentious decor, and is in a cute neighborhood. Definitely seems like a college hangout joint, at least to this Westerner. read more

This was the most charming, eclectic and just downright on pizza place I've ever been in. The pies were delicious. The housemaid pepperoni was mind altering. The cool Kabul stone brick oven was awesome. The pizza maker even let us go back to check it out. It's a bring your own beer place if you're interested in even sweeter is that they have a makeshift DJ booth where you can play album sides. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this place. Too bad we found it when we traveled in from Illinois. If Johnson City or the next town over we'd likely be regulars. Maybe Tennessee will be calling us next summer. Great job guys! read more

Ate here last night with a friend. First, if you're not familiar with the area, parking is somewhat confusing and challenging. But we figured it out and headed inside. Once you enter, you're greeted by a confusing set of instructions to order. Maybe I'm just getting too old for these hipster places. :) After we decided on what to eat, we found a seat. Then we realized that we were supposed to get our own drinks out of the cooler. (They have a B.Y.O.B. policy but we don't drink.) The inside is small and kind of dingy. Reminds me of some other places we've been to in Athens, GA and other college towns. For two SAH moms, we were a little underwhelmed by the environment. We each ordered a pizza to share. I got the gluten free one with normal toppings. Other than being burned on the edges, it was really good for a gluten free crust! My friend got the multi grain crust with some random toppings. All things considered, it was a great pizza. A little pricey but I'd pay it again and just sit outside or get it to go. As for the trust option...I'm not that adventurous. :) I would definitely like to try the Chicago deep dish but you have to call ahead two hours! Will be going back hopefully with the hubby to give it another go. :) read more

By my Aunt: "This is NOT your granny's pizza parlor... In fact our Granny (99 years) was really confused by the rustic interior, the byob style of beverages and the many hippy looking youngsters... but the pizza was unbelievable! We went with limited trust... we told them we wanted Kosher with lots of veggies...they brought us an amazing combo. Homemade turkey sausage, mandarin oranges, etc." It's BYOB, but they do provide a fridge full of Cheerwine and Dr. Enuf (my favorite) which you can help yourself to. read more

I've been stopping in here for years because they have - hands down - The Best Pizza On Earth. I'd also suggest stocking up on Chess Squares and a Chocolate Sydney or three. The staff is wonderfully hippy-fied and awesome.. and you are encouraged to flip thru their vinyl records and play whatever you want. There's a mini-fridge if you want to BYOB. This is one of my favorite places ever ever ever. Greatness. read more

Scratch Brick Oven - Pizza prep area, dreadlocked employee. - Pizza Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

The pizza taste good and is very unique! I love the way that they put apple slices and the spices on the pizza! And since you just order a pizza and won't really need to specify what you order, so it's a surprise when you see what you actually is getting. Taste pretty good, but it's kinda pricey for a pizza. we paid 20 bucks for a 16" read more

Not sure how anything other than 5 stars could work here.. The atmosphere is a great relief to the modern norm.. Still cozy and comfortable and just a relaxing place to eat.. The food.. Never had a bad pizza here, dont think you can go wrong here with anything you order.. Undoubtedly one of the best spots in JC read more

Delicious cheese/pesto bread. Also pizza was amazing and employees were friendly! Don't let the outside influence your decision to go in. read more

Scratch Brick Oven - Pizza Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

Just as everyone says: go with the TRUST or LIMITED TRUST options. Gourmet pizza with delicious sauces, vegetables, meats, and crust (all for which you indicate your preferences on a sheet of paper). With trust option, expert chefs choose ingredients for you, as they see fit. Atmosphere: terrific indie-feel decorated with record disks and album covers. Music was fitting. BYOB policy made drinks easy for our group. Glad to have come across this Johnson City gem. read more

Amazing Byob, Tell them you "trust" them to make the pizza and you will get a pizza built with pure love from the amazingly talented pizza chefs. Brick oven makes the crust crisp and beautiful with flavor. Help yourself record collection. Super relaxed staff. Eclectic collection of chairs and action figures as interior decor. Great place!! read more

We went with the limited trust option and were delighted with the result. Wood-fired oven, perfect crust, three different sauces on different parts of the pizza, a lot of toppings, just the right amount of cheese. My dining partner says it is one of the best pizzas he's had in 50+ years of pizza-eating. The staff were also friendly, warm, helpful and easygoing. We browsed the record collection and sipped Cheerwine from bottles while we waited for pizza. It was a great date! read more

Loved the environment! The staff was really friendly. The pizza was amazing. I'm not a huge fan of pizza in general, I think it's just plain but, this place made pizza opposite of plain and boring! It was super different and i loved it. Will for sure be back to visit! read more

I was here a couple a weeks ago visiting a friend who recently moved back to Johnson City after many years up north (I'm from Harrisburg, PA). She took my wife and me to Scratch Pizza based on a recommendation from an acquaintance. All I can say is WOW! This was one of the best pizzas I've ever had, and in my 72 years on this planet, I've had quite a few, in many different styles and locations. We enjoyed it so much, we went back later in the week for a second visit. The young man (Josh?) who was working the oven took the three of us back to the cooking area and showed us the wood-fired brick oven and spent several minutes explaining the cooking process, the history of the restaurant, and demonstrated by cooking several pies while we watched. It's not a fancy place. You walk in the door, fill out an order slip with your desired pizza and toppings, and find yourself a table. Bottled soft drinks are self-serve from a cooler, and you keep track of what you took and pay up as you leave. Your pie is delivered to your table in a box and you just eat from that. We each had an individual pizza with our choices of toppings. The small pie is plenty for a hungry diner. Bigger ones are available for those with bigger appetites. The staff is super nice and friendly, the food is well-prepared, innovative, and delicious. The next time we're back in the area, we'll definitely be returning for at least another dinner! Highly recommended! read more

Great pizza, customer service, the staff is awesome. One of our favorite places to go!! Highly recommend!!!

Best pizza I've eaten in a long time. Excellent crust and quality toppings. Also interesting atmosphere where you can choose albums to play. Outside looks odd but do let it detour you. It's amazing pizza. read more

See all

The only place I've ever been in which you verbally order your food based on "trust". I guess it's a little implied every time you eat somewhere, but this takes it to a whole new level. The ordering experience here is different. Basically you get a little piece of paper in which you can simply circle "Trust" which states that you trust them to make your pizza however tickles their fancy at the moment. They can use whatever sauce, and add whatever toppings.You can also choose "limited trust" in which you can indicate items you don't want on your pizza, no matter what. I have food issues like whoa, and was convinced to order "Trust" the first time I went. I do not regret it. I try to "Trust" every time I come here unless I'm in a mood. Hey, it happens. Seriously though, this is the only place that can make a pizza that I look at and feel like I'm eating healthy. Parking here is a bit of a bear, but you'll work it out. Make sure you lock your car. Just sayin;. I dig the vibe of this place, but even as the website states... it's "Not for Everyone". It's a nice lil mom and pop place, with a cool artsy vibe. It's definitely a hidden treasure in Johnson City. read more

Nom nom nom!! Sooooo good!!! I am a huge pizza lover, particularly loving thin crust and wood fire pizzas. I went alone so I didn't want to overwhelm myself with too much pizza so I settled for the 10in gluten free pizza. The people were very laid back and although my order sheet didn't have the trust options, I was allowed to order the trust options. Trust meaning that they could surprise me with whatever they wanted. Needless to say, they really know their pizza because with about 10 random ingredients, I felt like I was eating one of the most tasty pizzas I had ever consumed. I'm more or less bummed that I was only in Johnson City for the day and will unlikely ever return.... but if I'm near enough I may have to go out of my way to get some more delicious pizza!! On a side note, I was told by a local that before they accepted credit cards, they also used to have a "trust" paying system where you would sign a sheet saying you would pay with cash the next time you returned. I thought that was pretty cool. The local also told me their brownies and apple jacks krispie treats were phenomenal although I didn't get a chance to try them. Definitely a place to visit! read more

Stopped here on the way home from Virginia and it was a treat! Delicious. Obviously fresh. Wish they were closer! I think my only complaint was that the pesto didn't have a bold enough flavor on the cheesesticks OR the pizza. It was masked by the other good ingredients. Other than that, fun atmosphere. Nice people. Very decent price. Be prepared to take some home if it's just the two of you! read more

I love you Scratch. I'm not even remotely kidding as to how good this pizza is. I like pizza, and I've had lots of it, and this is truly one of the best pizzas I have ever had. This place is unique, and a fun place to go with friends, after work, to have some great food, and enjoy the perks of a local pizza joint. The way that you order here is through a system of selecting toppings, and sauces, or do what I would recommend going with the "Trust" system of ordering. Basically you cross off the toppings that you don't like and they will just do what ever they think will taste good. Unique ! Different everytime. They could put on mandarin oranges or apples, home made sausage, veggies you name it. The pizza comes in one size, 16 inches which is more then enough to feed two hungry adults, and costs about 15 dollars. Three sauces, green curry, spicy marinara, or pesto ( my personal favorite) You can also choose what toppings you want. When the pizza comes out it has a crust that is substantial enough to hold up to the toppings, but not so doughy that you feel full after one slice. Its crispy and has that fantastic taste of the wood burning oven Beverages are "BYOB" you can bring what you want form the outside world, adult beverages included, or choose from a unique selection of bottles that they have ( Cheerwine, Coke, Orangina, Dr. E) When its time to check out you just tell the waitress what you had, and they ring you up. Nice staff, was there the other evening and we parked across the street it started to get towed, so be careful about where you park look at the signs ! but the owners gave us free pizza for our troubles. You can bring your own records to play if you want or chose from their selection. Its places like this that make me love smaller cities, yelp, local joints and food in general. read more

My visit to Scratch was mid week at about five in the afternoon. It was a little bit busy but not too bad when I arrived. There's a sign on the door which warns you your pizza could take an hour, so I was prepared for a wait. It's pretty much self serve: grab a pad at the front, write down your order and hand it in. This was actually my first issue: Nobody greets you. There is a huge sign that tells you what to do but I didn't see the sign.I'm used to being seated and served or at least greeted. Its not that they were busy most of the staff was literally standing around. When they do finally interact with you, they are polite. We sat right in front of one worker and she had to have known we had no idea what to do and never offered any help. I got a 16 inch pizza with regular sauce, red peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni and sausage. I only waited 30 minutes. My pie was hot and perfectly cooked. The pizza was huge and piled with toppings. My only complaint is that it was a little on the bland side. Everything. The crust. The cheese. The toppings. The sauce was exceptionally bland. Maybe it was the combo I picked I would go back. I love the hippie stoner vibe. The vinyls are awesome. I do want to try the pesto sauce and the deep dish. I had pizza left over but its horrible cold. read more

Best pizza in Johnson City! The atmosphere of Scratch Pizza is mellow and enjoyable. You will have an excellent experience eating here, guaranteed. They have a fantastic selection of toppings, and even vegan options! And what's better than enjoying your favorite record while you eat? read more

Best pizza in the tri-cities! Went for the first time today and I will say I waited too long to go. Absolutely amazing.

Scratch is a very unique pizza joint that uses top quality ingredients to create an awesome pizza. They use house cured meats, homemade sauces and doughs, and a homemade brick oven to create a pizza that has remained consistently one of the best in the area for years. This one you should try today! read more

Trust, Thats it. Best darn pizza I have had in a long while. read more

A really good pizza. Fresh ingredients, thin crust and wood fired. They offered several recipes and food combinations. The prices are very good. They have a vinyl record collection that customer can appreciate and put in the turntable. We really enjoy our visit to this place. read more

Such a unique place in an otherwise ordinary town. The BBQ smoked chicken will surprise you. Its not dry at all - Super tender. The homemade sausage is excellent and the crust has just the right amount of crunch and chew. If you are in the area look8ng for something other than Cracker Barrel or other typical off-the-highway fare, this is it. read more

We came to Johnson city for a wedding and decided to have lunch here because the wedding was in the evening. We got the cheesesticks with the pesto sauce and a 10" gluten free pizza because their regular is a 16" and no other size. We decided to "trust" (it's part oftheir menu) them and let them pick our toppings. The cheesesticks were perfect with the pesto sauce. I think I would buy their pesto the gallons if they sold it. The pizza. Oh man. I'm so glad we decided to trust them. They brushed the crust with all three sauces in stripes. They added peppers - red, green, jalapenos and orange wedges. Yes, orange wedges. It was perfection. It's not something we would have conjured up on our own. It was perfection. The service was excellent. The lady that helped us was very friendly and guided us through the whole process. This was so good that we ended up coming back after the reception and getting another pie for a late night dinner. read more

Scratch Brick Oven - The afternoon pizza! - Pizza Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

WOW! Sure beats the heck out of Knights pizza! Went with the "trusted" wood fire pizza and it was amazing

Great pizza joint!!! Great topping selection and great flavor! Def recommend!!! Interesting environment as well. Lots of character. The pizza is terrific! Try it! read more

Scratch is the best pizza in JC and that's not a debate! Just order the trust pizza and let them do there thing. This is a JC classic

What can I say? All these great reviews and they were all true. There is still nothing like a good crust in a wood fired oven. The food, the staff, the music... All 5 stars in my book. read more

The pizza was delicious! The capicola was superb! Well worth the hour wait for pickup on a busy Saturday night.

This place manages to create great unique pizzas every time. You can make your own from scratch or have them create a surprise trust pizza.