Ever since I was a little kid I have always loved discovering those “whole in the wall” joints known for their great food! I have my grandfather to thank for this because he has always been a huge fan of “mom and pop” type shops. He always said that those places put a little more time and effort into the preparation of their food then that of your local super chain like Fridays (amazing what years of wisdom can do)!

So the other day I was flipping through the channels when I happened to stop on Food Network’s Guy Fieri’s show Diners Drive-ins and Dives (I must admit that I personally love this show). Each week Guy brings us to off-beat local eateries that are known for great food, enticing atmospheres and all the aspects of a home town feel (a great concept if you ask me).

For some reason every time I watch one of Guys episodes I get jealous wishing he would do an episode that I didn’t need to plan a long weekend to go eat at. I don’t know if it’s because of his crazy hair or big personality, but he makes these places seem like diamonds in the rough that you just HAVE to visit and if you don’t you will have lead a completely insignificant and wasted life.

So imagine my excitement as I discovered that the show was showcasing restaurants here in the Dallas area! I finally have a chance to live a life worth living (at least for a little while)! After watching the show the one place that I found myself literally salivating over was Louie’s. I called up some friends and made plans to visit Louie’s that very next night!

As we pulled up we began to wonder if the small dilapidated white building with a faded sign outside that read “Louie’s” (which has seen better days) could really be our destination. I must admit I was a bit hesitant to go in as a whirl wind of thoughts began to race though my head. I pondered the possibility of Guy not really having a freakn’ clue of what the hell he is talking about and that I might have wasted hours upon hours of my life watching a show that is completely off the mark. If you don’t know where this place is located then there is a good chance you might just miss it. It is definitely the definition of “hole in the wall”. Louie’s might be a small white building on the outside, but it opens into a small town bar (one with pictures on the wall of past and present patrons) that makes the place feel warm and friendly. It’s a place that you could see yourself coming to for years.

Louie’s is a bar/restaurant that has been serving up some of Dallas’s best pizza and drinks for quite some time. The “lounge” as they call it; was started by two brothers (Louie and Chris), from Chicago, who really know how to make a great pie! To start their masterpiece they begin with a thin crust (which is the only way a truly great pizza can be made) then top it fresh tomato sauce and all the ingredients you can handle. The pizza is then masterfully baked to perfection with a crispy crust and warm gooey toppings that melt in your mouth! I choose to top my masterpiece pizza with onion, black olives, fresh tomato, Italian sausage and pepperoni (I highly suggest you do the same). It’s somewhat obvious that this pizza was delicious as my friends and I couldn’t even keep our fingers off it long enough to take that photo (note the missing slices)!

In all, I feel this is definitely not the place for you to go if you are looking for that world class dining atmosphere. However, if you are looking for one of Dallas’s best pizza joints to visit with some friends to have a beer and a great pizza (or even catch a game) then I highly recommend you stop in when you get the chance!

Maybe Grandpa and Guy really do know what they are talking about after all! “Phew”