Some folks wax poetic about wood-fired bubbles, crave a twisty sourdough chew, and yearn for pizzas so thick they require a forklift. Most pizza crusts are made to rise, but this story is about the pies that stay humble. This isn’t your chewy sourdough, wood-fired, burnt-bubble crust discourse. This is for those of us who want to eat an entire large pizza and still feel emotionally nimble.
Chicago-style thin (yes, thin) or tavern-style crust pizza was born in the back rooms of Midwestern watering holes, where they were cut into ticky-tacky squares, served on a cocktail napkin, and chased with a longneck brew. It’s blue-collar pizza: unleavened, unfussy, un-foldable, where toppings cling to the surface like survivors of a shipwreck. And it’s surprisingly hard to find in a town dominated by Neapolitan bubbles and pan pizza pies.
For the crunchy queens, the cracker crust crowd, the tavern-style truthers, I’ve cast my net wide across the Tulsa metro in search of that snap. Some of these local pizza parlors are nostalgic, beloved mainstays; others are hidden storefronts with fluorescent lighting and strip-mall signage. Here is my super-serious rating system:
Thin Crust Pizza Rating System
(1 to 5 points per category + Ranch Bonus)
- Crust: Is it ultra-thin and crackly? Any sog? Does it hold up under pressure?
- Sauce: Tang, depth. Is it too sweet? Too shy?
- Toppings: Quality, cut, coverage, cling factor.
- Vibe: From booths to birthday energy. Bonus points for solariums and gumball machines.
- Extra Points: Ranch Dressing. I’m dead serious. Good ranch can tip the scale. This is my pizza party; you can cry if you want to.
The Pizza Shoppe
13161 S. Memorial Dr., Bixby, OK
Crust: 4
Sauce: 4
Toppings: 5
Vibe: 5
Ranch: 3.5