Pint House Pizzeria

329 Broad St. • Lake Charles • 337-419-1931

I had been hearing a great deal of gossip about the new pizza place that opened in the old Rikenjaks Brewery building. Of course, I knew about the recent string of establishments that have tried to make it work in this location. But I’d heard nice things about the menu and how creative it was. However, I’d also heard some customers express concerns about the service.

One Friday, my friend Garrett Broussard and I were downtown. Neither of us had ever been to Pint House Pizzeria. So we decided to give it a shot.

We went in right when lunch was ending, so there were only a couple of people eating, which was good for us because we didn’t have time for a long wait. We both thought the place looked really nice and was very well laid out. There were tables as soon as you walk in. The back of the restaurant contained the gelato and dessert area, with all kinds of beautiful looking treats sitting in the glass cases.

We both ordered the small salad bar; I had the Basil Prosciutto sandwich and Garrett ordered the Shrimp and Smoked Mozzarella Raviolis. The little salad bar was stocked perfectly with ingredients that make a great salad for anyone’s tastes. They’d kept it simple, which I really liked.

Both our dishes were amazing. I’m a real sandwich snob. But this sandwich was one of the Top 5 sandwiches I’ve ever had. I will certainly tell everyone about it.

We both agreed we would be back, and since both our wives wanted to go, it would be sooner rather than later. In fact, my wife Chelsea and I just happened to go the very next night.

On a Saturday night, the place was packed. But with the high ceilings, there wasn’t much noise to speak of.

We were trying to decide on a beer. I asked our waitress Kayla for recommendations, and she suggested a Tin Roof Blonde Ale, which Chelsea and I both like. We ordered some cheese sticks and the Smokehouse Squealer Pizza (barbecue sauce, blue cheese, mozzarella, basil, pulled pork, fresh jalapeno and chipotle drizzle).

With the cheese sticks, it was the spicy marinara dipping sauce that really set the appetizer apart from its counterparts served in other places.

My favorite pizza in Lake Charles was the Tony’s Special with shrimp and jalapenos added, which my friend Erica Littleton Norwood turned me onto. Until that Saturday in Pint House Pizzeria, there was no comparison in SWLA.

There’s a new pizza place in town, and people need to see what some out-of-the-norm pizzas really tastes like. My pizza was a flavor explosion. I love blue cheese, but I’ve never had it with a pork dish. The two flavors together blended so very well, and with the basil in each bite, the pizza had a fresh taste about it.

This pizza could match up with any I’ve eaten across this country. It’s exciting that we have such a great pizza place right here in Lake Charles.

The concerns we had about the service didn’t even come into play at all, as our waitress was super-informative. She continued to check up on us throughout our meal.

The GM Blake is a true asset to Pint House Pizzeria. He was very informative. After a couple of minutes, you could see he really has a love for customer service. With a person like that running the show, they are destined to do well.

We finished off the evening with a mint chocolate chip gelato and pistachio gelato. At Pint House, there’s a lady named Pam who makes the gelatos fresh in house. I told her I was a expert on mint chocolate chip, and she better have brought her A game. She assured me she had, and boy did she. The gelatos both tasted fresh. The pistachio tasted just as if you were eating pistachios right out of your hand.

This place felt very family friendly. I’m glad I waited until they’d been open for a while so they could have the chance to work out the opening jitters.

Lake Charles, we don’t have another place in town like this, so get out of your normal routines and go treat yourself to an amazing culinary experience.