Beyond excited to have this place open in the neighborhood and hopefully I can improve my review as time goes by. The ambiance is fantastic - upbeat, eclectic and funky decor. Besides from the normal issues a restaurant has when opening - slow service, lack of menu items, chaotic bar, delayed food - I will give those time to be fixed... my concern is the price point. For the neighborhood, portions, lack of quality in ingredients, presentation - it's a little too pricey. $70 for a date night with basic food and 2 drinks each is a little much for Penn Ave. We'll try happy hour next time :)
(4)
Angela P.
Oof. There's a lot of room for improvement right now. My SO and I went in at around 7:30 on Thursday night. A young gentleman almost seated us by the window but was told that was where a party was going be be seated, so we got a table over by the TV. That is the last contact we had with a Fireside employee. The dining room was about 2/3 full. We sat and waited as a server went by our table several times and never so much as looked at us. We watched some baseball on the TV. The waiter breezed by us a few more times. We heard a gentleman at the next table over commenting that they'd been waiting more than 30 minutes for their pizza. After over ten minutes, we got up and left. I've never done that before! It was really loud in there. It wasn't a pleasant "bustling restaurant" kind of background noise, it was the kind of obtrusive din that makes it hard to relax or have a conversation. The space could benefit from some kind of noise absorption to keep the sound from bouncing around the dining room so much. I hope I have the opportunity to upgrade my review. I used to love Fireside; their pizza was my favorite in town...so delicious that I'd get insatiable cravings for it. I really hope they haven't changed that. It's hard for me not to say "I miss the old place," because I really did love the cozy neighborhood feel of it. But it's better changed than closed, I suppose. It's going to be a while before I give Fireside another try, though.
(1)
Emily P.
The new Fireside Foundry is classing up the neighborhood! Open space with full bar and new menu is a welcome change. Our first meal, a Minnesota Banh Mi and a small pizza was satisfying. Our waitress Rachel was personable and fun. Excited to have a new local joint!
(4)
Mike S.
The old fireside is gone and in it's place is a new steampunk fireside foundry. The pizza is still the same as I remembered. However the cozy atmosphere is gone. It's way to loud inside now to the point where you have to almost shout to have a conversation. I will not be back.
(2)
Nancy H.
Bummed the Restaurant is closed as its my favorite Pizza Place when I visit Mpls. I had to go to Broadway Pizza, which is "ok." Please open fast! Nancy from California.
(5)
Laura G.
I have to say, I think it is time for consumers to take back the service industry! There used to be a time when "the customer was always right." Not anymore. If this were a different time, maybe we could have spoken to the manager. Maybe we could have requested something be taken off of our check. Maybe we could have refused to pay the check entirely. Maybe, we could even have just spoken with the manager and requested an apology from the sorry excuse for a waitress we had to endure this evening. First off, when we walked in, there was no clear communication. The hostess looked at the server while she was actually talking to us, so I had no idea we'd been acknowledged and was confused when she started walking toward a table to seat us. It was pretty loud because of the live music they had playing, so communication was important. They also had the singer's amps up too loud for such a small section and my boyfriend and I had to shout over the music to hear each other. Plus, the live one-man singer/guitar player was a bit out of place here. He was good and all, but it may have fit better in a sports bar type place. That being said, his music was good and he chatted with the audience between songs, giving it a welcoming environment. Unfortunately, the server cancelled that out. She never smiled once or asked how it's going or anything. She took nearly 10 minutes to even get to our table for drink orders and when she did, she didn't say anything, just whipped out the order pad and stared. Then, she brought the pitcher of soda without a word and didn't even pour the first servings. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that is standard practice. Hell, even Perkins does that when they bring a coffee pitcher. Then, after it took almost 20 minutes to get our appetizer (cheesy bread) she dropped it off, again, without a word. The pizza came out relatively quickly after that, but again, tossed onto the table without a word. No "Here you go, guys, enjoy!" No "Need anything else right away?" Nothing. The cheesy bread we had was some cheap, store bought "French" bread that was barely toasted and came with, I'm sorry, cheddar? Really? Cheddar on Italian cheesy bread? I guess... But what made it worse for me was it had barely a hint of garlic. Again, maybe this is just me, but I feel that cheesy bread should always basically be garlic bread with cheese on it. Couldn't stomach more than one piece of it. To make matters worse, the sauce that came with was some generic canned tomato sauce with barely any flavor to it. I greatly appreciate a good marinara sauce, so this was just a culinary sin to me. My boyfriend says his pepperoni and sausage pizza was salty and barely had any toppings on it and mine came out burnt and was very salty as well. I think if they had replaced about half of the canned olives that came on it with some fresh tomatoes, it may have helped balance it out a bit. So I've heard this place has been around for 60+ years. That's cool, I guess. But it was pretty evident that the place hasn't had a deep clean since it opened all those years ago. I went to the bathroom to wash up before our food arrived and found yellow stained toilet bowl, trash can with an easily visible layer of grime, baseboard buildup like I have never seen before (visible splashes of dirty mop water on the wall about 5-6 inches up) and grime (mold, maybe) buildup behind the sink faucet. I got back to the table and started looking around when I noticed the server station/bar area had the same nasty build-up. It was completely black at least 6 inches up from the floor and you could see where it faded into the natural wood color. Gross. Then my boyfriend went to wash up and I could see when he came out he was holding his dripping wet hands up and looking around. As he passed the server station, spoke with the waitress briefly before she scurried off, he shrugged and helped himself to a stack of napkins. He came back and reported to me that he asked her about the paper towels/napkins and she said "Yeah, whatever," and shrugged him off. Now that's what I call service! Oh yeah! And we never saw the server again until we flagged her down for boxes on her way to another table. She didn't offer to box them for us, ohhhh, no! She never even cleared any dishes and expected us to box our own leftovers on a cluttered table full of dirty dishes. I had to get up and use a neighboring table for this. Then when I went up to the counter to pay, she greeted me with nothing more than a dirty look...Here's a tip for you: Bad food+bad service=No tip! The food was all either canned or frozen and, to be honest, I could have made a better dinner at home. To top it off, for 2 sodas, one order of cheese bread, one large and one small veggie pizza, I paid about $45 for the whole mess. My SMALL veggie pizza alone was $15.99 and was no bigger than your average frozen pizza. Watch out, this place is a triple threat: bad service, bad food and dirty facilitie
(1)
Ethan R.
Pizza was pretty decent, nothing I was left clawing my eyes out in joy over, but also not chinese buffet pizza either. I am fairly certain the cheese bread is actually "Italian Dunkers" (for those of you who went to an upper Midwest grade school), not that I'm complaining, just noting. Beer by the pitcher is a good deal too.
(4)
Claire W.
We were so excited to try the "new and improved" fireside but unfortunately we had a horrible experience. We got there around 7pm, normal dinner time on a Friday night, and It seemed that the owner and his friends where having a good time seated right next to us on the patio. They each had a giant cigar in their hands so we started our meal off knowing we would probably have to sit by that for awhile. Our waitress than told us not to order something because it usually is "disgusting" we appreciate the honesty but for a new place there should be no reason for disgusting food. We continued our meal with hearing lots of swearing, talk about drugs, women in inappropriate manor and other offensive conversation all coming from the cigar fellows with in arms reach of us.The pizza came and tasted just as great as it always had but we than got home and realized how badly we stunk of cigars and decided it was not worth it. It was one of the most unprofessional situations I have ever witnessed at a restaurant and I hope people see the true colors of the person who is running that place. We will not be returning and we will be telling others about what we experienced.
(1)
Tracy S.
Interior is a Classic 70's 80's pizza joint. A general google search of best places to eat in Richfield brought me here. I ordered the pepper pizza. Enjoyed the cracker thin crust - it was an interesting pizza. The pepper pizza consists of pepperoni, green and red bell peppers and banana peppers. The sauce was maybe an olive oil base of sorts. Not the traditional red. By the time I got home I figured out this pizza had similar flavors to a chinese dish I have had. Flip side: Bathroom was nasty - stinky, ring around the toilet and moldy walls. For me this typically sets how they take care in the kitchen. Had I not visited the restroom I was already considering going back to try a more traditional topping pizza. The wait staff was young high school girls so maybe that played into it. So maybe I give the place another shot.
(3)
Tyler G.
I ordered the pasta with red sauce and it was actually very good the homemade sauce or what I thought was homemade sauce was different but I will get used to it. I had a piece of pizza and the square shaped pieces were pretty cool. Garlic bread was really really good but the crust was a little hard to bite into. When I came which was on a Thursday there was live music and with every large pizza you get a free pitcher of soda! Overall I would come again!
(4)
Jeff C.
I just stopped by for lunch today and I'm glad I did. I've always driven by the place and wondered what the place was like. Now I know. They have an awesome lunch special which is a 1/2 order of spaghetti and meat balls and a mini one topping pizza. I chose sausage for my pizza topping, which they make in house according to my waitress. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly and the meatballs were very good. The sauce was a red sauce with a nice thickness and spicy flavor. The pizza was delectable thin crust with just the right amount of cheese and very tasty in house made sausage. I wish they were closer to work......then again maybe that is good that their not because I would gain about 10 pounds a week going there..... Surprisingly there was only me and two other tables over lunch? The most recent review on here is from John D as of 3/9/13 and he didn't like the place. Maybe I'm easily impressed?
(5)
Michael T.
Not good. I know good pizza. Grew up on thin crust Chicago pizza. Lived in 8 cities in 12 years and I try to find good pizza everywhere I go. This wasn't very good. Tasted an awful lot like a frozen pizza. Hate to be that mean but seeing the sign that said "Since 1965" ... or something like that ... had much higher expectations going in. Service was suspect too. We were early and they weren't crowded yet the service was slow and our waitress wasn't all that friendly.
(1)
Ben R.
Nothing to complain about the food, not sure it's rave-worthy either but it's good thin crust pizza. I find it greasier than "fancier" pizza joints around, but that's as far on the flavor analysis as I'm willing to go. After 9 pm all large pizzas are the price of a small. It's a standard neighborhood pizza joint that hasn't changed in forever. The interior is something to behold, but what brought me back here after a long hiatus was the nice patio setup they have out front for summer. They're also doing breakfast on the weekends now. Unfortunately the place closes at 10 pm on weekdays. That's not unusual for a restaurant in this area, but it's a shame because they have a nice patio setup now and with Pizza Luce, Sandy's, etc. in the neighborhood open later, it'd be nice to be able to enjoy that patio with hours similar to the competition's.
(3)
John D.
Our family has been going to Fireside pizza for over 20 years and the last two years have been terrible. It seems that Fireside has increased advertising and killed the atmosphere. The pizza has changed from thick crust and ample toppings, to paper crust and hardly any toppings. I had a piece last night that had ONE piece of sausage on a SAUSAGE PIZZA! We also felt uncomfortable because at 9:00pm they started their closing duties (they don't close until 11:00pm). So while we were eating the staff were vacuuming, moving stuff around, and gathering in the front socializing with each other. Not the kind of service we are used to over the past 20 years. It's really sad what this place has come to. I can't imagine the original owner would let it come to this. We have decided that this is the last year we continue our family tradition at Fireside Pizza. We are sad to move, but our decision has been made by the management at this once 'special' place.
(1)
Mike E.
Fireside Pizza...it's like going back an era, to a time when life was simpler, families were tighter knit, and each restaurant had its own unique vibe. My boss took our company here a couple days before Christmas. Anytime I get a free lunch, I'm bound to enjoy the meal...so that decreases the credibility of this review considerably. I'm just saying. My boss's name is Chad, so I call him Chadillac. As we sat down and began sipping on diet soda (of course you order diet soda when you're about to house an entire thin crust pizza!), Chadillac pointed to the booth where his parents had their first date. It was an emotional moment. But seriously, you can imagine that hundreds of married couples have had first dates at Fireside. It just feels like home. And the further in life I get, the more I realize how important it is to find places that make you feel at ease. Our world is a high strung, tightly wound world, and Fireside is definitively neither of those things. Beyond the nostalgia, the pizza is good, but not great. It's not in the league of Savoy's or Pizza Luce, but if you're in the neighborhood, you will not be disappointed.
I'm sorry Fireside. Comparing you to Lola is like comparing Smack Shack to La Belle Vie. My bad. I think I was smokin' something when I was lukewarm toward the fireside special. I've only had the special. I've come here umpteen times meaning to order something else at some point, but have never. I am not usually a repeat-the-same-order person at all. It's just that good. I categorize the fireside into "gonzo pizza" - it's neither New York nor Chicago. Nor is it Naples. It's just its own thin crust. I consider it "unintentionally gourmet." Can't compare with Crescent moon either, because they're also so completely divergent. Can compare with Luce/Corporate Heinousness/Lake Harriet Pizza/Leaning Tower etc. Blows these out of the water. I like this pizza better than Luce. Which is too sugary, never tastes that great an hour from the oven, and was all there was on my local radar prior to Punch. If only someone had pointed me here then. See prior review for the awesomeness of the decor.
(4)
john f.
The pizza was good....,however.... The inside was cozy and fun. The SERVICE WAS THE WORST....there was no service. We had to wait for the waitress to take our beverage order.....when she served our pizza, she tossed it down on ther table and left. We had no napkins or silverware. We never saw our waitress for the rest of the night; except when she brought the check two minutes after serving the pizza. We had to ask for soda refills by walking up to the front desk, they never cleared away our dirty pizza dishes or asked if we would like to have the remaining pizza boxed up. I did leave the waitress a tip and I'm not sure why...since I never received any service.
(3)
Ken W.
I like the pizza here - they have classic greasy stuff, or fancier new stuff, if you like that. The Fireside Ale is also a really tasty beer. I'm not sure who makes it, but it goes great with the 'zza. It's a great place we can walk to from our neighborhood.
(4)
Chaunce S.
Quick: what comes to mind when you think of Richfield? Pizza, right? Of course not. And Fireside Pizza isn't helping. I'm not sure which pizza other Yelpers were eating (or, perhaps, smoking), but ours was just shy of the nondescript banality embodied in frozen pizzas. They even served it on a cardboard round, like the kind you get with "Homerun Inn" pizza from your local frozen food aisle. To add insult to injury, a large pizza tips the twenty dollar mark. Specifically, the cheese was freezerburned (so that for sure was frozen). They put a wisp of tomato paste (?) onto their uncrisp thin crust. I asked for a side of red sauce for dipping, otherwise the slices had a texture reminiscent of the cardboard round upon which it was served. Our order came very quickly. Like ten minutes...Hey, don't most frozen pizzas take about 10 minutes? Hmmmm.... If I could go back in time, I would either go to Grandpa Tony's on Snelling in St. Paul, Mama's on Rice Street, or buy two large pizzas at Papa Murphy's. Our server was nice. The decor was fun. Oh, yeah - their beer selection was very limited. That was more insult to injury in my book.
(2)
Rhonda G.
Yet another thin crust pizza, but I won't hold it against them, because it's been around since 1960. So they could be one of the originals. They do cut in normal slices. Every place has their version of the special. In this case it's canadian bacon, green olives, mushrooms, sausage, onion, and pepperoni. Why it's not a 5, the first 2 ingredients are the dominant ones, and you can barely taste, let alone see the sauce. But I will come back to try their Italian fare. They serve pepsi in pitchers. The Fireside sign is very attractive, and I bet it would be a fun patio in the summer. The booths are interesting, as seating is all booths, probably roomy for their time, when in the 60's someone 200 lbs. would have looked enormous because everyone else was thinner. They offer specials M-Th, that look worth checking out. Great retro atmosphere and aroma.
(4)
Justin M.
We had a late lunch at 2:30pm on a Sunday and we were the only people in the place. I do have to say the "fireside pizza" was very good. The crust is thin and very crispy and everything tasted very fresh. I have been going here for years and they never disappoint. Nice and homey atmosphere and great happy hour! I would recommend if your looking for good pizza and don't want to drive downtown.
(4)
Glen S.
I'm very content with the pizza here. This used to be one of my "high school hang outs" back in the day because the pizza was cheap and we thought we were cool going to a place like Fireside. They were always nice to us, though I'm sure we didn't tip well. Fireside is a nice place to try. I mean, it's been around 50 years and how many businesses can actually say that? It's a good pizza. I'll leave it at that.
(3)
Taylor B.
I'm in love with this cute and cozy retro pizza joint. They have booths with curtains for a romantic evening. Upon the waitress's recommendation, my family and I tried the " Kiss Me Pizza." Olive oil, garlic, spinach, basil, and mozarella cheese. Yummified. And on the way out, there's a cool pinball gumball machine. Yea.
(5)
Bert B.
Fireside's pizza is solid. Not the best out there in the Twin Cities, but it is a good thin crust pizza. We live in the area so we usually call them for delivery. The only thin crust pizza in the immediate area that I rank better than Fireside's is Broadway's (but I am just a bit outside of their delivery area unfortunately). We occasionally dine in as well. Despite what some reviews say, we have always gotten good service.
(4)
Nicole P.
It was exactly what i expected, nothing fancier than a Minnesota Pub Pizza. My boyfriend and I shared the Veg Lover's pizza (no green olives add banana peppers and sausage on half). they forgot to take of the green olives; and there were a lot of them. when we pointed this out to our waitress she was very nice and offered to make us a new pizza. I'm not that picky and wasteful so we said "thanks but no" and i just picked them off .... a hole pile of them!. And we were given a discount on our order for the mistake. no biggie The interior decor was kind of a trip; there are large fake trees in the center of the place and the booths along the side have curtains you can close to shut yourself in i suppose. and the rest of the decor is sports memorabilia with lots of autographs from mostly hockey players. There was a 4 piece jazz band there on a Wed night, a great trumpet player, guitar, clarinet and singer. They were too good for this place and should have been at a cute wine bar. All in all i wasn't disappointed by the place because i didn't go in with very high hopes, but I'm not sure if i would go back because there are so many other better pizza places in that area.
(3)
Melissa A.
I had my first takeout pizza from Fireside last week as I seek out neighborhood / non-chain restaurants in Richfield and beyond. I'd heard that Fireside has been around for 50 years so I was immediately intrigued. The pizza was quite good, nothing overly fancy but good! It reminded me of a small town pizza shop similar to one I enjoyed growing up as a kid. Good pizza, good prices and a pretty cute restaurant.
(3)
Ted C.
Great pizza. We give the pizza five stars. Service is average, therefore the overall 4 star rating. It's fun to go to an old school place and get some good chow. Cheesy bread is superb!
(4)
Rina E.
The pizza is a little pricey, but, Man... what a pizza!!!!! The sauce is fantastic, not sweet... has a pepper-y flavor. The crust is divine, tastes like a butter cracker (almost). We ordered their version of the Margharita pizza.... Holy-Moly. Awesome! Plus, it feels like a down home pizzeria, not a chain. Pop gets served in coke glasses with a pithcer, beer in a pitcher, lots of TV's to watch the game, and old booths with curtains if you wanna make out. LOL! We go there about once every 2 weeks. It's something we crave now.
(5)
Sarah L.
It was very small and had a small-town welcoming atmosphere. The service was nice, but when asked about the size of a portion, they made it sound like it was really big...which really wasn't. Our party of 5 got squished into this very small booth (with curtains on it) and there was not nearly enough elbow space between us. If you are looking for some really salty pizza, this is the place for you! As for me, it was not to my liking at all. I was so thirsty afterwards from the excessive salty flavored pizza. However, it looks child-friendly and a nice place to hang out. If you are looking for taste, and depending on your taste, it may be something you may or may not like. I don't think I'd want to go back anytime soon.
(2)
Mark L.
I like their sauce. It has a hint of spiciness instead of sweetness. It is a 60's pizza joint which is rare today. It is not a destination, but I am happy it is nearby.
(3)
Tracy S.
Interior is a Classic 70's 80's pizza joint. A general google search of best places to eat in Richfield brought me here. I ordered the pepper pizza. Enjoyed the cracker thin crust - it was an interesting pizza. The pepper pizza consists of pepperoni, green and red bell peppers and banana peppers. The sauce was maybe an olive oil base of sorts. Not the traditional red. By the time I got home I figured out this pizza had similar flavors to a chinese dish I have had. Flip side: Bathroom was nasty - stinky, ring around the toilet and moldy walls. For me this typically sets how they take care in the kitchen. Had I not visited the restroom I was already considering going back to try a more traditional topping pizza. The wait staff was young high school girls so maybe that played into it. So maybe I give the place another shot.
(3)
Tyler G.
I ordered the pasta with red sauce and it was actually very good the homemade sauce or what I thought was homemade sauce was different but I will get used to it. I had a piece of pizza and the square shaped pieces were pretty cool. Garlic bread was really really good but the crust was a little hard to bite into. When I came which was on a Thursday there was live music and with every large pizza you get a free pitcher of soda! Overall I would come again!
(4)
Jeff C.
I just stopped by for lunch today and I'm glad I did. I've always driven by the place and wondered what the place was like. Now I know. They have an awesome lunch special which is a 1/2 order of spaghetti and meat balls and a mini one topping pizza. I chose sausage for my pizza topping, which they make in house according to my waitress. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly and the meatballs were very good. The sauce was a red sauce with a nice thickness and spicy flavor. The pizza was delectable thin crust with just the right amount of cheese and very tasty in house made sausage. I wish they were closer to work......then again maybe that is good that their not because I would gain about 10 pounds a week going there..... Surprisingly there was only me and two other tables over lunch? The most recent review on here is from John D as of 3/9/13 and he didn't like the place. Maybe I'm easily impressed?
(5)
Michael T.
Not good. I know good pizza. Grew up on thin crust Chicago pizza. Lived in 8 cities in 12 years and I try to find good pizza everywhere I go. This wasn't very good. Tasted an awful lot like a frozen pizza. Hate to be that mean but seeing the sign that said "Since 1965" ... or something like that ... had much higher expectations going in. Service was suspect too. We were early and they weren't crowded yet the service was slow and our waitress wasn't all that friendly.
(1)
Ben R.
Nothing to complain about the food, not sure it's rave-worthy either but it's good thin crust pizza. I find it greasier than "fancier" pizza joints around, but that's as far on the flavor analysis as I'm willing to go. After 9 pm all large pizzas are the price of a small. It's a standard neighborhood pizza joint that hasn't changed in forever. The interior is something to behold, but what brought me back here after a long hiatus was the nice patio setup they have out front for summer. They're also doing breakfast on the weekends now. Unfortunately the place closes at 10 pm on weekdays. That's not unusual for a restaurant in this area, but it's a shame because they have a nice patio setup now and with Pizza Luce, Sandy's, etc. in the neighborhood open later, it'd be nice to be able to enjoy that patio with hours similar to the competition's.
(3)
John D.
Our family has been going to Fireside pizza for over 20 years and the last two years have been terrible. It seems that Fireside has increased advertising and killed the atmosphere. The pizza has changed from thick crust and ample toppings, to paper crust and hardly any toppings. I had a piece last night that had ONE piece of sausage on a SAUSAGE PIZZA! We also felt uncomfortable because at 9:00pm they started their closing duties (they don't close until 11:00pm). So while we were eating the staff were vacuuming, moving stuff around, and gathering in the front socializing with each other. Not the kind of service we are used to over the past 20 years. It's really sad what this place has come to. I can't imagine the original owner would let it come to this. We have decided that this is the last year we continue our family tradition at Fireside Pizza. We are sad to move, but our decision has been made by the management at this once 'special' place.
(1)
john f.
The pizza was good....,however.... The inside was cozy and fun. The SERVICE WAS THE WORST....there was no service. We had to wait for the waitress to take our beverage order.....when she served our pizza, she tossed it down on ther table and left. We had no napkins or silverware. We never saw our waitress for the rest of the night; except when she brought the check two minutes after serving the pizza. We had to ask for soda refills by walking up to the front desk, they never cleared away our dirty pizza dishes or asked if we would like to have the remaining pizza boxed up. I did leave the waitress a tip and I'm not sure why...since I never received any service.
(3)
Mike E.
Fireside Pizza...it's like going back an era, to a time when life was simpler, families were tighter knit, and each restaurant had its own unique vibe. My boss took our company here a couple days before Christmas. Anytime I get a free lunch, I'm bound to enjoy the meal...so that decreases the credibility of this review considerably. I'm just saying. My boss's name is Chad, so I call him Chadillac. As we sat down and began sipping on diet soda (of course you order diet soda when you're about to house an entire thin crust pizza!), Chadillac pointed to the booth where his parents had their first date. It was an emotional moment. But seriously, you can imagine that hundreds of married couples have had first dates at Fireside. It just feels like home. And the further in life I get, the more I realize how important it is to find places that make you feel at ease. Our world is a high strung, tightly wound world, and Fireside is definitively neither of those things. Beyond the nostalgia, the pizza is good, but not great. It's not in the league of Savoy's or Pizza Luce, but if you're in the neighborhood, you will not be disappointed.
I'm sorry Fireside. Comparing you to Lola is like comparing Smack Shack to La Belle Vie. My bad. I think I was smokin' something when I was lukewarm toward the fireside special. I've only had the special. I've come here umpteen times meaning to order something else at some point, but have never. I am not usually a repeat-the-same-order person at all. It's just that good. I categorize the fireside into "gonzo pizza" - it's neither New York nor Chicago. Nor is it Naples. It's just its own thin crust. I consider it "unintentionally gourmet." Can't compare with Crescent moon either, because they're also so completely divergent. Can compare with Luce/Corporate Heinousness/Lake Harriet Pizza/Leaning Tower etc. Blows these out of the water. I like this pizza better than Luce. Which is too sugary, never tastes that great an hour from the oven, and was all there was on my local radar prior to Punch. If only someone had pointed me here then. See prior review for the awesomeness of the decor.
(4)
Ken W.
I like the pizza here - they have classic greasy stuff, or fancier new stuff, if you like that. The Fireside Ale is also a really tasty beer. I'm not sure who makes it, but it goes great with the 'zza. It's a great place we can walk to from our neighborhood.
(4)
Chaunce S.
Quick: what comes to mind when you think of Richfield? Pizza, right? Of course not. And Fireside Pizza isn't helping. I'm not sure which pizza other Yelpers were eating (or, perhaps, smoking), but ours was just shy of the nondescript banality embodied in frozen pizzas. They even served it on a cardboard round, like the kind you get with "Homerun Inn" pizza from your local frozen food aisle. To add insult to injury, a large pizza tips the twenty dollar mark. Specifically, the cheese was freezerburned (so that for sure was frozen). They put a wisp of tomato paste (?) onto their uncrisp thin crust. I asked for a side of red sauce for dipping, otherwise the slices had a texture reminiscent of the cardboard round upon which it was served. Our order came very quickly. Like ten minutes...Hey, don't most frozen pizzas take about 10 minutes? Hmmmm.... If I could go back in time, I would either go to Grandpa Tony's on Snelling in St. Paul, Mama's on Rice Street, or buy two large pizzas at Papa Murphy's. Our server was nice. The decor was fun. Oh, yeah - their beer selection was very limited. That was more insult to injury in my book.
(2)
Rhonda G.
Yet another thin crust pizza, but I won't hold it against them, because it's been around since 1960. So they could be one of the originals. They do cut in normal slices. Every place has their version of the special. In this case it's canadian bacon, green olives, mushrooms, sausage, onion, and pepperoni. Why it's not a 5, the first 2 ingredients are the dominant ones, and you can barely taste, let alone see the sauce. But I will come back to try their Italian fare. They serve pepsi in pitchers. The Fireside sign is very attractive, and I bet it would be a fun patio in the summer. The booths are interesting, as seating is all booths, probably roomy for their time, when in the 60's someone 200 lbs. would have looked enormous because everyone else was thinner. They offer specials M-Th, that look worth checking out. Great retro atmosphere and aroma.
(4)
Justin M.
We had a late lunch at 2:30pm on a Sunday and we were the only people in the place. I do have to say the "fireside pizza" was very good. The crust is thin and very crispy and everything tasted very fresh. I have been going here for years and they never disappoint. Nice and homey atmosphere and great happy hour! I would recommend if your looking for good pizza and don't want to drive downtown.
(4)
Glen S.
I'm very content with the pizza here. This used to be one of my "high school hang outs" back in the day because the pizza was cheap and we thought we were cool going to a place like Fireside. They were always nice to us, though I'm sure we didn't tip well. Fireside is a nice place to try. I mean, it's been around 50 years and how many businesses can actually say that? It's a good pizza. I'll leave it at that.
(3)
Taylor B.
I'm in love with this cute and cozy retro pizza joint. They have booths with curtains for a romantic evening. Upon the waitress's recommendation, my family and I tried the " Kiss Me Pizza." Olive oil, garlic, spinach, basil, and mozarella cheese. Yummified. And on the way out, there's a cool pinball gumball machine. Yea.
(5)
Bert B.
Fireside's pizza is solid. Not the best out there in the Twin Cities, but it is a good thin crust pizza. We live in the area so we usually call them for delivery. The only thin crust pizza in the immediate area that I rank better than Fireside's is Broadway's (but I am just a bit outside of their delivery area unfortunately). We occasionally dine in as well. Despite what some reviews say, we have always gotten good service.
(4)
Nicole P.
It was exactly what i expected, nothing fancier than a Minnesota Pub Pizza. My boyfriend and I shared the Veg Lover's pizza (no green olives add banana peppers and sausage on half). they forgot to take of the green olives; and there were a lot of them. when we pointed this out to our waitress she was very nice and offered to make us a new pizza. I'm not that picky and wasteful so we said "thanks but no" and i just picked them off .... a hole pile of them!. And we were given a discount on our order for the mistake. no biggie The interior decor was kind of a trip; there are large fake trees in the center of the place and the booths along the side have curtains you can close to shut yourself in i suppose. and the rest of the decor is sports memorabilia with lots of autographs from mostly hockey players. There was a 4 piece jazz band there on a Wed night, a great trumpet player, guitar, clarinet and singer. They were too good for this place and should have been at a cute wine bar. All in all i wasn't disappointed by the place because i didn't go in with very high hopes, but I'm not sure if i would go back because there are so many other better pizza places in that area.
(3)
Melissa A.
I had my first takeout pizza from Fireside last week as I seek out neighborhood / non-chain restaurants in Richfield and beyond. I'd heard that Fireside has been around for 50 years so I was immediately intrigued. The pizza was quite good, nothing overly fancy but good! It reminded me of a small town pizza shop similar to one I enjoyed growing up as a kid. Good pizza, good prices and a pretty cute restaurant.
(3)
Ted C.
Great pizza. We give the pizza five stars. Service is average, therefore the overall 4 star rating. It's fun to go to an old school place and get some good chow. Cheesy bread is superb!
(4)
Ashley K.
Beyond excited to have this place open in the neighborhood and hopefully I can improve my review as time goes by. The ambiance is fantastic - upbeat, eclectic and funky decor. Besides from the normal issues a restaurant has when opening - slow service, lack of menu items, chaotic bar, delayed food - I will give those time to be fixed... my concern is the price point. For the neighborhood, portions, lack of quality in ingredients, presentation - it's a little too pricey. $70 for a date night with basic food and 2 drinks each is a little much for Penn Ave. We'll try happy hour next time :)
(4)
Angela P.
Oof. There's a lot of room for improvement right now. My SO and I went in at around 7:30 on Thursday night. A young gentleman almost seated us by the window but was told that was where a party was going be be seated, so we got a table over by the TV. That is the last contact we had with a Fireside employee. The dining room was about 2/3 full. We sat and waited as a server went by our table several times and never so much as looked at us. We watched some baseball on the TV. The waiter breezed by us a few more times. We heard a gentleman at the next table over commenting that they'd been waiting more than 30 minutes for their pizza. After over ten minutes, we got up and left. I've never done that before! It was really loud in there. It wasn't a pleasant "bustling restaurant" kind of background noise, it was the kind of obtrusive din that makes it hard to relax or have a conversation. The space could benefit from some kind of noise absorption to keep the sound from bouncing around the dining room so much. I hope I have the opportunity to upgrade my review. I used to love Fireside; their pizza was my favorite in town...so delicious that I'd get insatiable cravings for it. I really hope they haven't changed that. It's hard for me not to say "I miss the old place," because I really did love the cozy neighborhood feel of it. But it's better changed than closed, I suppose. It's going to be a while before I give Fireside another try, though.
(1)
Emily P.
The new Fireside Foundry is classing up the neighborhood! Open space with full bar and new menu is a welcome change. Our first meal, a Minnesota Banh Mi and a small pizza was satisfying. Our waitress Rachel was personable and fun. Excited to have a new local joint!
(4)
Mike S.
The old fireside is gone and in it's place is a new steampunk fireside foundry. The pizza is still the same as I remembered. However the cozy atmosphere is gone. It's way to loud inside now to the point where you have to almost shout to have a conversation. I will not be back.
(2)
Nancy H.
Bummed the Restaurant is closed as its my favorite Pizza Place when I visit Mpls. I had to go to Broadway Pizza, which is "ok." Please open fast! Nancy from California.
(5)
Laura G.
I have to say, I think it is time for consumers to take back the service industry! There used to be a time when "the customer was always right." Not anymore. If this were a different time, maybe we could have spoken to the manager. Maybe we could have requested something be taken off of our check. Maybe we could have refused to pay the check entirely. Maybe, we could even have just spoken with the manager and requested an apology from the sorry excuse for a waitress we had to endure this evening. First off, when we walked in, there was no clear communication. The hostess looked at the server while she was actually talking to us, so I had no idea we'd been acknowledged and was confused when she started walking toward a table to seat us. It was pretty loud because of the live music they had playing, so communication was important. They also had the singer's amps up too loud for such a small section and my boyfriend and I had to shout over the music to hear each other. Plus, the live one-man singer/guitar player was a bit out of place here. He was good and all, but it may have fit better in a sports bar type place. That being said, his music was good and he chatted with the audience between songs, giving it a welcoming environment. Unfortunately, the server cancelled that out. She never smiled once or asked how it's going or anything. She took nearly 10 minutes to even get to our table for drink orders and when she did, she didn't say anything, just whipped out the order pad and stared. Then, she brought the pitcher of soda without a word and didn't even pour the first servings. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that is standard practice. Hell, even Perkins does that when they bring a coffee pitcher. Then, after it took almost 20 minutes to get our appetizer (cheesy bread) she dropped it off, again, without a word. The pizza came out relatively quickly after that, but again, tossed onto the table without a word. No "Here you go, guys, enjoy!" No "Need anything else right away?" Nothing. The cheesy bread we had was some cheap, store bought "French" bread that was barely toasted and came with, I'm sorry, cheddar? Really? Cheddar on Italian cheesy bread? I guess... But what made it worse for me was it had barely a hint of garlic. Again, maybe this is just me, but I feel that cheesy bread should always basically be garlic bread with cheese on it. Couldn't stomach more than one piece of it. To make matters worse, the sauce that came with was some generic canned tomato sauce with barely any flavor to it. I greatly appreciate a good marinara sauce, so this was just a culinary sin to me. My boyfriend says his pepperoni and sausage pizza was salty and barely had any toppings on it and mine came out burnt and was very salty as well. I think if they had replaced about half of the canned olives that came on it with some fresh tomatoes, it may have helped balance it out a bit. So I've heard this place has been around for 60+ years. That's cool, I guess. But it was pretty evident that the place hasn't had a deep clean since it opened all those years ago. I went to the bathroom to wash up before our food arrived and found yellow stained toilet bowl, trash can with an easily visible layer of grime, baseboard buildup like I have never seen before (visible splashes of dirty mop water on the wall about 5-6 inches up) and grime (mold, maybe) buildup behind the sink faucet. I got back to the table and started looking around when I noticed the server station/bar area had the same nasty build-up. It was completely black at least 6 inches up from the floor and you could see where it faded into the natural wood color. Gross. Then my boyfriend went to wash up and I could see when he came out he was holding his dripping wet hands up and looking around. As he passed the server station, spoke with the waitress briefly before she scurried off, he shrugged and helped himself to a stack of napkins. He came back and reported to me that he asked her about the paper towels/napkins and she said "Yeah, whatever," and shrugged him off. Now that's what I call service! Oh yeah! And we never saw the server again until we flagged her down for boxes on her way to another table. She didn't offer to box them for us, ohhhh, no! She never even cleared any dishes and expected us to box our own leftovers on a cluttered table full of dirty dishes. I had to get up and use a neighboring table for this. Then when I went up to the counter to pay, she greeted me with nothing more than a dirty look...Here's a tip for you: Bad food+bad service=No tip! The food was all either canned or frozen and, to be honest, I could have made a better dinner at home. To top it off, for 2 sodas, one order of cheese bread, one large and one small veggie pizza, I paid about $45 for the whole mess. My SMALL veggie pizza alone was $15.99 and was no bigger than your average frozen pizza. Watch out, this place is a triple threat: bad service, bad food and dirty facilitie
(1)
Ethan R.
Pizza was pretty decent, nothing I was left clawing my eyes out in joy over, but also not chinese buffet pizza either. I am fairly certain the cheese bread is actually "Italian Dunkers" (for those of you who went to an upper Midwest grade school), not that I'm complaining, just noting. Beer by the pitcher is a good deal too.
(4)
Claire W.
We were so excited to try the "new and improved" fireside but unfortunately we had a horrible experience. We got there around 7pm, normal dinner time on a Friday night, and It seemed that the owner and his friends where having a good time seated right next to us on the patio. They each had a giant cigar in their hands so we started our meal off knowing we would probably have to sit by that for awhile. Our waitress than told us not to order something because it usually is "disgusting" we appreciate the honesty but for a new place there should be no reason for disgusting food. We continued our meal with hearing lots of swearing, talk about drugs, women in inappropriate manor and other offensive conversation all coming from the cigar fellows with in arms reach of us.The pizza came and tasted just as great as it always had but we than got home and realized how badly we stunk of cigars and decided it was not worth it. It was one of the most unprofessional situations I have ever witnessed at a restaurant and I hope people see the true colors of the person who is running that place. We will not be returning and we will be telling others about what we experienced.
(1)
Rina E.
The pizza is a little pricey, but, Man... what a pizza!!!!! The sauce is fantastic, not sweet... has a pepper-y flavor. The crust is divine, tastes like a butter cracker (almost). We ordered their version of the Margharita pizza.... Holy-Moly. Awesome! Plus, it feels like a down home pizzeria, not a chain. Pop gets served in coke glasses with a pithcer, beer in a pitcher, lots of TV's to watch the game, and old booths with curtains if you wanna make out. LOL! We go there about once every 2 weeks. It's something we crave now.
(5)
Sarah L.
It was very small and had a small-town welcoming atmosphere. The service was nice, but when asked about the size of a portion, they made it sound like it was really big...which really wasn't. Our party of 5 got squished into this very small booth (with curtains on it) and there was not nearly enough elbow space between us. If you are looking for some really salty pizza, this is the place for you! As for me, it was not to my liking at all. I was so thirsty afterwards from the excessive salty flavored pizza. However, it looks child-friendly and a nice place to hang out. If you are looking for taste, and depending on your taste, it may be something you may or may not like. I don't think I'd want to go back anytime soon.
(2)
Mark L.
I like their sauce. It has a hint of spiciness instead of sweetness. It is a 60's pizza joint which is rare today. It is not a destination, but I am happy it is nearby.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
Ashley K.
Beyond excited to have this place open in the neighborhood and hopefully I can improve my review as time goes by. The ambiance is fantastic - upbeat, eclectic and funky decor. Besides from the normal issues a restaurant has when opening - slow service, lack of menu items, chaotic bar, delayed food - I will give those time to be fixed... my concern is the price point. For the neighborhood, portions, lack of quality in ingredients, presentation - it's a little too pricey. $70 for a date night with basic food and 2 drinks each is a little much for Penn Ave. We'll try happy hour next time :)
(4)Angela P.
Oof. There's a lot of room for improvement right now. My SO and I went in at around 7:30 on Thursday night. A young gentleman almost seated us by the window but was told that was where a party was going be be seated, so we got a table over by the TV. That is the last contact we had with a Fireside employee. The dining room was about 2/3 full. We sat and waited as a server went by our table several times and never so much as looked at us. We watched some baseball on the TV. The waiter breezed by us a few more times. We heard a gentleman at the next table over commenting that they'd been waiting more than 30 minutes for their pizza. After over ten minutes, we got up and left. I've never done that before! It was really loud in there. It wasn't a pleasant "bustling restaurant" kind of background noise, it was the kind of obtrusive din that makes it hard to relax or have a conversation. The space could benefit from some kind of noise absorption to keep the sound from bouncing around the dining room so much. I hope I have the opportunity to upgrade my review. I used to love Fireside; their pizza was my favorite in town...so delicious that I'd get insatiable cravings for it. I really hope they haven't changed that. It's hard for me not to say "I miss the old place," because I really did love the cozy neighborhood feel of it. But it's better changed than closed, I suppose. It's going to be a while before I give Fireside another try, though.
(1)Emily P.
The new Fireside Foundry is classing up the neighborhood! Open space with full bar and new menu is a welcome change. Our first meal, a Minnesota Banh Mi and a small pizza was satisfying. Our waitress Rachel was personable and fun. Excited to have a new local joint!
(4)Mike S.
The old fireside is gone and in it's place is a new steampunk fireside foundry. The pizza is still the same as I remembered. However the cozy atmosphere is gone. It's way to loud inside now to the point where you have to almost shout to have a conversation. I will not be back.
(2)Nancy H.
Bummed the Restaurant is closed as its my favorite Pizza Place when I visit Mpls. I had to go to Broadway Pizza, which is "ok." Please open fast! Nancy from California.
(5)Laura G.
I have to say, I think it is time for consumers to take back the service industry! There used to be a time when "the customer was always right." Not anymore. If this were a different time, maybe we could have spoken to the manager. Maybe we could have requested something be taken off of our check. Maybe we could have refused to pay the check entirely. Maybe, we could even have just spoken with the manager and requested an apology from the sorry excuse for a waitress we had to endure this evening. First off, when we walked in, there was no clear communication. The hostess looked at the server while she was actually talking to us, so I had no idea we'd been acknowledged and was confused when she started walking toward a table to seat us. It was pretty loud because of the live music they had playing, so communication was important. They also had the singer's amps up too loud for such a small section and my boyfriend and I had to shout over the music to hear each other. Plus, the live one-man singer/guitar player was a bit out of place here. He was good and all, but it may have fit better in a sports bar type place. That being said, his music was good and he chatted with the audience between songs, giving it a welcoming environment. Unfortunately, the server cancelled that out. She never smiled once or asked how it's going or anything. She took nearly 10 minutes to even get to our table for drink orders and when she did, she didn't say anything, just whipped out the order pad and stared. Then, she brought the pitcher of soda without a word and didn't even pour the first servings. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that is standard practice. Hell, even Perkins does that when they bring a coffee pitcher. Then, after it took almost 20 minutes to get our appetizer (cheesy bread) she dropped it off, again, without a word. The pizza came out relatively quickly after that, but again, tossed onto the table without a word. No "Here you go, guys, enjoy!" No "Need anything else right away?" Nothing. The cheesy bread we had was some cheap, store bought "French" bread that was barely toasted and came with, I'm sorry, cheddar? Really? Cheddar on Italian cheesy bread? I guess... But what made it worse for me was it had barely a hint of garlic. Again, maybe this is just me, but I feel that cheesy bread should always basically be garlic bread with cheese on it. Couldn't stomach more than one piece of it. To make matters worse, the sauce that came with was some generic canned tomato sauce with barely any flavor to it. I greatly appreciate a good marinara sauce, so this was just a culinary sin to me. My boyfriend says his pepperoni and sausage pizza was salty and barely had any toppings on it and mine came out burnt and was very salty as well. I think if they had replaced about half of the canned olives that came on it with some fresh tomatoes, it may have helped balance it out a bit. So I've heard this place has been around for 60+ years. That's cool, I guess. But it was pretty evident that the place hasn't had a deep clean since it opened all those years ago. I went to the bathroom to wash up before our food arrived and found yellow stained toilet bowl, trash can with an easily visible layer of grime, baseboard buildup like I have never seen before (visible splashes of dirty mop water on the wall about 5-6 inches up) and grime (mold, maybe) buildup behind the sink faucet. I got back to the table and started looking around when I noticed the server station/bar area had the same nasty build-up. It was completely black at least 6 inches up from the floor and you could see where it faded into the natural wood color. Gross. Then my boyfriend went to wash up and I could see when he came out he was holding his dripping wet hands up and looking around. As he passed the server station, spoke with the waitress briefly before she scurried off, he shrugged and helped himself to a stack of napkins. He came back and reported to me that he asked her about the paper towels/napkins and she said "Yeah, whatever," and shrugged him off. Now that's what I call service! Oh yeah! And we never saw the server again until we flagged her down for boxes on her way to another table. She didn't offer to box them for us, ohhhh, no! She never even cleared any dishes and expected us to box our own leftovers on a cluttered table full of dirty dishes. I had to get up and use a neighboring table for this. Then when I went up to the counter to pay, she greeted me with nothing more than a dirty look...Here's a tip for you: Bad food+bad service=No tip! The food was all either canned or frozen and, to be honest, I could have made a better dinner at home. To top it off, for 2 sodas, one order of cheese bread, one large and one small veggie pizza, I paid about $45 for the whole mess. My SMALL veggie pizza alone was $15.99 and was no bigger than your average frozen pizza. Watch out, this place is a triple threat: bad service, bad food and dirty facilitie
(1)Ethan R.
Pizza was pretty decent, nothing I was left clawing my eyes out in joy over, but also not chinese buffet pizza either. I am fairly certain the cheese bread is actually "Italian Dunkers" (for those of you who went to an upper Midwest grade school), not that I'm complaining, just noting. Beer by the pitcher is a good deal too.
(4)Claire W.
We were so excited to try the "new and improved" fireside but unfortunately we had a horrible experience. We got there around 7pm, normal dinner time on a Friday night, and It seemed that the owner and his friends where having a good time seated right next to us on the patio. They each had a giant cigar in their hands so we started our meal off knowing we would probably have to sit by that for awhile. Our waitress than told us not to order something because it usually is "disgusting" we appreciate the honesty but for a new place there should be no reason for disgusting food. We continued our meal with hearing lots of swearing, talk about drugs, women in inappropriate manor and other offensive conversation all coming from the cigar fellows with in arms reach of us.The pizza came and tasted just as great as it always had but we than got home and realized how badly we stunk of cigars and decided it was not worth it. It was one of the most unprofessional situations I have ever witnessed at a restaurant and I hope people see the true colors of the person who is running that place. We will not be returning and we will be telling others about what we experienced.
(1)Tracy S.
Interior is a Classic 70's 80's pizza joint. A general google search of best places to eat in Richfield brought me here. I ordered the pepper pizza. Enjoyed the cracker thin crust - it was an interesting pizza. The pepper pizza consists of pepperoni, green and red bell peppers and banana peppers. The sauce was maybe an olive oil base of sorts. Not the traditional red. By the time I got home I figured out this pizza had similar flavors to a chinese dish I have had. Flip side: Bathroom was nasty - stinky, ring around the toilet and moldy walls. For me this typically sets how they take care in the kitchen. Had I not visited the restroom I was already considering going back to try a more traditional topping pizza. The wait staff was young high school girls so maybe that played into it. So maybe I give the place another shot.
(3)Tyler G.
I ordered the pasta with red sauce and it was actually very good the homemade sauce or what I thought was homemade sauce was different but I will get used to it. I had a piece of pizza and the square shaped pieces were pretty cool. Garlic bread was really really good but the crust was a little hard to bite into. When I came which was on a Thursday there was live music and with every large pizza you get a free pitcher of soda! Overall I would come again!
(4)Jeff C.
I just stopped by for lunch today and I'm glad I did. I've always driven by the place and wondered what the place was like. Now I know. They have an awesome lunch special which is a 1/2 order of spaghetti and meat balls and a mini one topping pizza. I chose sausage for my pizza topping, which they make in house according to my waitress. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly and the meatballs were very good. The sauce was a red sauce with a nice thickness and spicy flavor. The pizza was delectable thin crust with just the right amount of cheese and very tasty in house made sausage. I wish they were closer to work......then again maybe that is good that their not because I would gain about 10 pounds a week going there..... Surprisingly there was only me and two other tables over lunch? The most recent review on here is from John D as of 3/9/13 and he didn't like the place. Maybe I'm easily impressed?
(5)Michael T.
Not good. I know good pizza. Grew up on thin crust Chicago pizza. Lived in 8 cities in 12 years and I try to find good pizza everywhere I go. This wasn't very good. Tasted an awful lot like a frozen pizza. Hate to be that mean but seeing the sign that said "Since 1965" ... or something like that ... had much higher expectations going in. Service was suspect too. We were early and they weren't crowded yet the service was slow and our waitress wasn't all that friendly.
(1)Ben R.
Nothing to complain about the food, not sure it's rave-worthy either but it's good thin crust pizza. I find it greasier than "fancier" pizza joints around, but that's as far on the flavor analysis as I'm willing to go. After 9 pm all large pizzas are the price of a small. It's a standard neighborhood pizza joint that hasn't changed in forever. The interior is something to behold, but what brought me back here after a long hiatus was the nice patio setup they have out front for summer. They're also doing breakfast on the weekends now. Unfortunately the place closes at 10 pm on weekdays. That's not unusual for a restaurant in this area, but it's a shame because they have a nice patio setup now and with Pizza Luce, Sandy's, etc. in the neighborhood open later, it'd be nice to be able to enjoy that patio with hours similar to the competition's.
(3)John D.
Our family has been going to Fireside pizza for over 20 years and the last two years have been terrible. It seems that Fireside has increased advertising and killed the atmosphere. The pizza has changed from thick crust and ample toppings, to paper crust and hardly any toppings. I had a piece last night that had ONE piece of sausage on a SAUSAGE PIZZA! We also felt uncomfortable because at 9:00pm they started their closing duties (they don't close until 11:00pm). So while we were eating the staff were vacuuming, moving stuff around, and gathering in the front socializing with each other. Not the kind of service we are used to over the past 20 years. It's really sad what this place has come to. I can't imagine the original owner would let it come to this. We have decided that this is the last year we continue our family tradition at Fireside Pizza. We are sad to move, but our decision has been made by the management at this once 'special' place.
(1)Mike E.
Fireside Pizza...it's like going back an era, to a time when life was simpler, families were tighter knit, and each restaurant had its own unique vibe. My boss took our company here a couple days before Christmas. Anytime I get a free lunch, I'm bound to enjoy the meal...so that decreases the credibility of this review considerably. I'm just saying. My boss's name is Chad, so I call him Chadillac. As we sat down and began sipping on diet soda (of course you order diet soda when you're about to house an entire thin crust pizza!), Chadillac pointed to the booth where his parents had their first date. It was an emotional moment. But seriously, you can imagine that hundreds of married couples have had first dates at Fireside. It just feels like home. And the further in life I get, the more I realize how important it is to find places that make you feel at ease. Our world is a high strung, tightly wound world, and Fireside is definitively neither of those things. Beyond the nostalgia, the pizza is good, but not great. It's not in the league of Savoy's or Pizza Luce, but if you're in the neighborhood, you will not be disappointed.
(3)Mary M.
I'm no stranger to enjoying a down-'n-dirty restaurant every once in a while, especially for a staple like pizza. Alas, this wasn't one of those "it's so bad it's good" places. It was just bad. Our server was absolutely pleasant, and that's great. They had live music with an accordion player and upright bass player. Kitschy but fun. Why the hell not, right? Now on to the food. And let me say that I went into this with LOW expectations. The side salads seemed like they'd be more at home at a gas station, with dressing packets to boot. The pizza itself had a ton of raw garlic. I don't mind garlic at all. My beef is that it overpowered everything else, throwing it off-balance. My fiancé's pizza was fine, he went with a sausage one. We ordered two smalls and finished the equivalent of one small. It just wasn't that appetizing. And the interior really hasn't seen an update or a deep clean since 1960-whatever. By the end of the meal, I was just ready for it to be over with. It's a bummer that this is one of two or three places to eat within walking distance of my house. We went to Sandy's down the street and had a burger after because we were still hungry, but definitely not hungry for our remaining pizza. I can see that this place has a certain charm, but it's not winning on food, and that's usually how an institution becomes an institution.
(1)S W.
I'm sorry Fireside. Comparing you to Lola is like comparing Smack Shack to La Belle Vie. My bad. I think I was smokin' something when I was lukewarm toward the fireside special. I've only had the special. I've come here umpteen times meaning to order something else at some point, but have never. I am not usually a repeat-the-same-order person at all. It's just that good. I categorize the fireside into "gonzo pizza" - it's neither New York nor Chicago. Nor is it Naples. It's just its own thin crust. I consider it "unintentionally gourmet." Can't compare with Crescent moon either, because they're also so completely divergent. Can compare with Luce/Corporate Heinousness/Lake Harriet Pizza/Leaning Tower etc. Blows these out of the water. I like this pizza better than Luce. Which is too sugary, never tastes that great an hour from the oven, and was all there was on my local radar prior to Punch. If only someone had pointed me here then. See prior review for the awesomeness of the decor.
(4)john f.
The pizza was good....,however.... The inside was cozy and fun. The SERVICE WAS THE WORST....there was no service. We had to wait for the waitress to take our beverage order.....when she served our pizza, she tossed it down on ther table and left. We had no napkins or silverware. We never saw our waitress for the rest of the night; except when she brought the check two minutes after serving the pizza. We had to ask for soda refills by walking up to the front desk, they never cleared away our dirty pizza dishes or asked if we would like to have the remaining pizza boxed up. I did leave the waitress a tip and I'm not sure why...since I never received any service.
(3)Ken W.
I like the pizza here - they have classic greasy stuff, or fancier new stuff, if you like that. The Fireside Ale is also a really tasty beer. I'm not sure who makes it, but it goes great with the 'zza. It's a great place we can walk to from our neighborhood.
(4)Chaunce S.
Quick: what comes to mind when you think of Richfield? Pizza, right? Of course not. And Fireside Pizza isn't helping. I'm not sure which pizza other Yelpers were eating (or, perhaps, smoking), but ours was just shy of the nondescript banality embodied in frozen pizzas. They even served it on a cardboard round, like the kind you get with "Homerun Inn" pizza from your local frozen food aisle. To add insult to injury, a large pizza tips the twenty dollar mark. Specifically, the cheese was freezerburned (so that for sure was frozen). They put a wisp of tomato paste (?) onto their uncrisp thin crust. I asked for a side of red sauce for dipping, otherwise the slices had a texture reminiscent of the cardboard round upon which it was served. Our order came very quickly. Like ten minutes...Hey, don't most frozen pizzas take about 10 minutes? Hmmmm.... If I could go back in time, I would either go to Grandpa Tony's on Snelling in St. Paul, Mama's on Rice Street, or buy two large pizzas at Papa Murphy's. Our server was nice. The decor was fun. Oh, yeah - their beer selection was very limited. That was more insult to injury in my book.
(2)Rhonda G.
Yet another thin crust pizza, but I won't hold it against them, because it's been around since 1960. So they could be one of the originals. They do cut in normal slices. Every place has their version of the special. In this case it's canadian bacon, green olives, mushrooms, sausage, onion, and pepperoni. Why it's not a 5, the first 2 ingredients are the dominant ones, and you can barely taste, let alone see the sauce. But I will come back to try their Italian fare. They serve pepsi in pitchers. The Fireside sign is very attractive, and I bet it would be a fun patio in the summer. The booths are interesting, as seating is all booths, probably roomy for their time, when in the 60's someone 200 lbs. would have looked enormous because everyone else was thinner. They offer specials M-Th, that look worth checking out. Great retro atmosphere and aroma.
(4)Justin M.
We had a late lunch at 2:30pm on a Sunday and we were the only people in the place. I do have to say the "fireside pizza" was very good. The crust is thin and very crispy and everything tasted very fresh. I have been going here for years and they never disappoint. Nice and homey atmosphere and great happy hour! I would recommend if your looking for good pizza and don't want to drive downtown.
(4)Glen S.
I'm very content with the pizza here. This used to be one of my "high school hang outs" back in the day because the pizza was cheap and we thought we were cool going to a place like Fireside. They were always nice to us, though I'm sure we didn't tip well. Fireside is a nice place to try. I mean, it's been around 50 years and how many businesses can actually say that? It's a good pizza. I'll leave it at that.
(3)Taylor B.
I'm in love with this cute and cozy retro pizza joint. They have booths with curtains for a romantic evening. Upon the waitress's recommendation, my family and I tried the " Kiss Me Pizza." Olive oil, garlic, spinach, basil, and mozarella cheese. Yummified. And on the way out, there's a cool pinball gumball machine. Yea.
(5)Bert B.
Fireside's pizza is solid. Not the best out there in the Twin Cities, but it is a good thin crust pizza. We live in the area so we usually call them for delivery. The only thin crust pizza in the immediate area that I rank better than Fireside's is Broadway's (but I am just a bit outside of their delivery area unfortunately). We occasionally dine in as well. Despite what some reviews say, we have always gotten good service.
(4)Nicole P.
It was exactly what i expected, nothing fancier than a Minnesota Pub Pizza. My boyfriend and I shared the Veg Lover's pizza (no green olives add banana peppers and sausage on half). they forgot to take of the green olives; and there were a lot of them. when we pointed this out to our waitress she was very nice and offered to make us a new pizza. I'm not that picky and wasteful so we said "thanks but no" and i just picked them off .... a hole pile of them!. And we were given a discount on our order for the mistake. no biggie The interior decor was kind of a trip; there are large fake trees in the center of the place and the booths along the side have curtains you can close to shut yourself in i suppose. and the rest of the decor is sports memorabilia with lots of autographs from mostly hockey players. There was a 4 piece jazz band there on a Wed night, a great trumpet player, guitar, clarinet and singer. They were too good for this place and should have been at a cute wine bar. All in all i wasn't disappointed by the place because i didn't go in with very high hopes, but I'm not sure if i would go back because there are so many other better pizza places in that area.
(3)Melissa A.
I had my first takeout pizza from Fireside last week as I seek out neighborhood / non-chain restaurants in Richfield and beyond. I'd heard that Fireside has been around for 50 years so I was immediately intrigued. The pizza was quite good, nothing overly fancy but good! It reminded me of a small town pizza shop similar to one I enjoyed growing up as a kid. Good pizza, good prices and a pretty cute restaurant.
(3)Ted C.
Great pizza. We give the pizza five stars. Service is average, therefore the overall 4 star rating. It's fun to go to an old school place and get some good chow. Cheesy bread is superb!
(4)Rina E.
The pizza is a little pricey, but, Man... what a pizza!!!!! The sauce is fantastic, not sweet... has a pepper-y flavor. The crust is divine, tastes like a butter cracker (almost). We ordered their version of the Margharita pizza.... Holy-Moly. Awesome! Plus, it feels like a down home pizzeria, not a chain. Pop gets served in coke glasses with a pithcer, beer in a pitcher, lots of TV's to watch the game, and old booths with curtains if you wanna make out. LOL! We go there about once every 2 weeks. It's something we crave now.
(5)Sarah L.
It was very small and had a small-town welcoming atmosphere. The service was nice, but when asked about the size of a portion, they made it sound like it was really big...which really wasn't. Our party of 5 got squished into this very small booth (with curtains on it) and there was not nearly enough elbow space between us. If you are looking for some really salty pizza, this is the place for you! As for me, it was not to my liking at all. I was so thirsty afterwards from the excessive salty flavored pizza. However, it looks child-friendly and a nice place to hang out. If you are looking for taste, and depending on your taste, it may be something you may or may not like. I don't think I'd want to go back anytime soon.
(2)Mark L.
I like their sauce. It has a hint of spiciness instead of sweetness. It is a 60's pizza joint which is rare today. It is not a destination, but I am happy it is nearby.
(3)Tracy S.
Interior is a Classic 70's 80's pizza joint. A general google search of best places to eat in Richfield brought me here. I ordered the pepper pizza. Enjoyed the cracker thin crust - it was an interesting pizza. The pepper pizza consists of pepperoni, green and red bell peppers and banana peppers. The sauce was maybe an olive oil base of sorts. Not the traditional red. By the time I got home I figured out this pizza had similar flavors to a chinese dish I have had. Flip side: Bathroom was nasty - stinky, ring around the toilet and moldy walls. For me this typically sets how they take care in the kitchen. Had I not visited the restroom I was already considering going back to try a more traditional topping pizza. The wait staff was young high school girls so maybe that played into it. So maybe I give the place another shot.
(3)Tyler G.
I ordered the pasta with red sauce and it was actually very good the homemade sauce or what I thought was homemade sauce was different but I will get used to it. I had a piece of pizza and the square shaped pieces were pretty cool. Garlic bread was really really good but the crust was a little hard to bite into. When I came which was on a Thursday there was live music and with every large pizza you get a free pitcher of soda! Overall I would come again!
(4)Jeff C.
I just stopped by for lunch today and I'm glad I did. I've always driven by the place and wondered what the place was like. Now I know. They have an awesome lunch special which is a 1/2 order of spaghetti and meat balls and a mini one topping pizza. I chose sausage for my pizza topping, which they make in house according to my waitress. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly and the meatballs were very good. The sauce was a red sauce with a nice thickness and spicy flavor. The pizza was delectable thin crust with just the right amount of cheese and very tasty in house made sausage. I wish they were closer to work......then again maybe that is good that their not because I would gain about 10 pounds a week going there..... Surprisingly there was only me and two other tables over lunch? The most recent review on here is from John D as of 3/9/13 and he didn't like the place. Maybe I'm easily impressed?
(5)Michael T.
Not good. I know good pizza. Grew up on thin crust Chicago pizza. Lived in 8 cities in 12 years and I try to find good pizza everywhere I go. This wasn't very good. Tasted an awful lot like a frozen pizza. Hate to be that mean but seeing the sign that said "Since 1965" ... or something like that ... had much higher expectations going in. Service was suspect too. We were early and they weren't crowded yet the service was slow and our waitress wasn't all that friendly.
(1)Ben R.
Nothing to complain about the food, not sure it's rave-worthy either but it's good thin crust pizza. I find it greasier than "fancier" pizza joints around, but that's as far on the flavor analysis as I'm willing to go. After 9 pm all large pizzas are the price of a small. It's a standard neighborhood pizza joint that hasn't changed in forever. The interior is something to behold, but what brought me back here after a long hiatus was the nice patio setup they have out front for summer. They're also doing breakfast on the weekends now. Unfortunately the place closes at 10 pm on weekdays. That's not unusual for a restaurant in this area, but it's a shame because they have a nice patio setup now and with Pizza Luce, Sandy's, etc. in the neighborhood open later, it'd be nice to be able to enjoy that patio with hours similar to the competition's.
(3)John D.
Our family has been going to Fireside pizza for over 20 years and the last two years have been terrible. It seems that Fireside has increased advertising and killed the atmosphere. The pizza has changed from thick crust and ample toppings, to paper crust and hardly any toppings. I had a piece last night that had ONE piece of sausage on a SAUSAGE PIZZA! We also felt uncomfortable because at 9:00pm they started their closing duties (they don't close until 11:00pm). So while we were eating the staff were vacuuming, moving stuff around, and gathering in the front socializing with each other. Not the kind of service we are used to over the past 20 years. It's really sad what this place has come to. I can't imagine the original owner would let it come to this. We have decided that this is the last year we continue our family tradition at Fireside Pizza. We are sad to move, but our decision has been made by the management at this once 'special' place.
(1)john f.
The pizza was good....,however.... The inside was cozy and fun. The SERVICE WAS THE WORST....there was no service. We had to wait for the waitress to take our beverage order.....when she served our pizza, she tossed it down on ther table and left. We had no napkins or silverware. We never saw our waitress for the rest of the night; except when she brought the check two minutes after serving the pizza. We had to ask for soda refills by walking up to the front desk, they never cleared away our dirty pizza dishes or asked if we would like to have the remaining pizza boxed up. I did leave the waitress a tip and I'm not sure why...since I never received any service.
(3)Mike E.
Fireside Pizza...it's like going back an era, to a time when life was simpler, families were tighter knit, and each restaurant had its own unique vibe. My boss took our company here a couple days before Christmas. Anytime I get a free lunch, I'm bound to enjoy the meal...so that decreases the credibility of this review considerably. I'm just saying. My boss's name is Chad, so I call him Chadillac. As we sat down and began sipping on diet soda (of course you order diet soda when you're about to house an entire thin crust pizza!), Chadillac pointed to the booth where his parents had their first date. It was an emotional moment. But seriously, you can imagine that hundreds of married couples have had first dates at Fireside. It just feels like home. And the further in life I get, the more I realize how important it is to find places that make you feel at ease. Our world is a high strung, tightly wound world, and Fireside is definitively neither of those things. Beyond the nostalgia, the pizza is good, but not great. It's not in the league of Savoy's or Pizza Luce, but if you're in the neighborhood, you will not be disappointed.
(3)Mary M.
I'm no stranger to enjoying a down-'n-dirty restaurant every once in a while, especially for a staple like pizza. Alas, this wasn't one of those "it's so bad it's good" places. It was just bad. Our server was absolutely pleasant, and that's great. They had live music with an accordion player and upright bass player. Kitschy but fun. Why the hell not, right? Now on to the food. And let me say that I went into this with LOW expectations. The side salads seemed like they'd be more at home at a gas station, with dressing packets to boot. The pizza itself had a ton of raw garlic. I don't mind garlic at all. My beef is that it overpowered everything else, throwing it off-balance. My fiancé's pizza was fine, he went with a sausage one. We ordered two smalls and finished the equivalent of one small. It just wasn't that appetizing. And the interior really hasn't seen an update or a deep clean since 1960-whatever. By the end of the meal, I was just ready for it to be over with. It's a bummer that this is one of two or three places to eat within walking distance of my house. We went to Sandy's down the street and had a burger after because we were still hungry, but definitely not hungry for our remaining pizza. I can see that this place has a certain charm, but it's not winning on food, and that's usually how an institution becomes an institution.
(1)S W.
I'm sorry Fireside. Comparing you to Lola is like comparing Smack Shack to La Belle Vie. My bad. I think I was smokin' something when I was lukewarm toward the fireside special. I've only had the special. I've come here umpteen times meaning to order something else at some point, but have never. I am not usually a repeat-the-same-order person at all. It's just that good. I categorize the fireside into "gonzo pizza" - it's neither New York nor Chicago. Nor is it Naples. It's just its own thin crust. I consider it "unintentionally gourmet." Can't compare with Crescent moon either, because they're also so completely divergent. Can compare with Luce/Corporate Heinousness/Lake Harriet Pizza/Leaning Tower etc. Blows these out of the water. I like this pizza better than Luce. Which is too sugary, never tastes that great an hour from the oven, and was all there was on my local radar prior to Punch. If only someone had pointed me here then. See prior review for the awesomeness of the decor.
(4)Ken W.
I like the pizza here - they have classic greasy stuff, or fancier new stuff, if you like that. The Fireside Ale is also a really tasty beer. I'm not sure who makes it, but it goes great with the 'zza. It's a great place we can walk to from our neighborhood.
(4)Chaunce S.
Quick: what comes to mind when you think of Richfield? Pizza, right? Of course not. And Fireside Pizza isn't helping. I'm not sure which pizza other Yelpers were eating (or, perhaps, smoking), but ours was just shy of the nondescript banality embodied in frozen pizzas. They even served it on a cardboard round, like the kind you get with "Homerun Inn" pizza from your local frozen food aisle. To add insult to injury, a large pizza tips the twenty dollar mark. Specifically, the cheese was freezerburned (so that for sure was frozen). They put a wisp of tomato paste (?) onto their uncrisp thin crust. I asked for a side of red sauce for dipping, otherwise the slices had a texture reminiscent of the cardboard round upon which it was served. Our order came very quickly. Like ten minutes...Hey, don't most frozen pizzas take about 10 minutes? Hmmmm.... If I could go back in time, I would either go to Grandpa Tony's on Snelling in St. Paul, Mama's on Rice Street, or buy two large pizzas at Papa Murphy's. Our server was nice. The decor was fun. Oh, yeah - their beer selection was very limited. That was more insult to injury in my book.
(2)Rhonda G.
Yet another thin crust pizza, but I won't hold it against them, because it's been around since 1960. So they could be one of the originals. They do cut in normal slices. Every place has their version of the special. In this case it's canadian bacon, green olives, mushrooms, sausage, onion, and pepperoni. Why it's not a 5, the first 2 ingredients are the dominant ones, and you can barely taste, let alone see the sauce. But I will come back to try their Italian fare. They serve pepsi in pitchers. The Fireside sign is very attractive, and I bet it would be a fun patio in the summer. The booths are interesting, as seating is all booths, probably roomy for their time, when in the 60's someone 200 lbs. would have looked enormous because everyone else was thinner. They offer specials M-Th, that look worth checking out. Great retro atmosphere and aroma.
(4)Justin M.
We had a late lunch at 2:30pm on a Sunday and we were the only people in the place. I do have to say the "fireside pizza" was very good. The crust is thin and very crispy and everything tasted very fresh. I have been going here for years and they never disappoint. Nice and homey atmosphere and great happy hour! I would recommend if your looking for good pizza and don't want to drive downtown.
(4)Glen S.
I'm very content with the pizza here. This used to be one of my "high school hang outs" back in the day because the pizza was cheap and we thought we were cool going to a place like Fireside. They were always nice to us, though I'm sure we didn't tip well. Fireside is a nice place to try. I mean, it's been around 50 years and how many businesses can actually say that? It's a good pizza. I'll leave it at that.
(3)Taylor B.
I'm in love with this cute and cozy retro pizza joint. They have booths with curtains for a romantic evening. Upon the waitress's recommendation, my family and I tried the " Kiss Me Pizza." Olive oil, garlic, spinach, basil, and mozarella cheese. Yummified. And on the way out, there's a cool pinball gumball machine. Yea.
(5)Bert B.
Fireside's pizza is solid. Not the best out there in the Twin Cities, but it is a good thin crust pizza. We live in the area so we usually call them for delivery. The only thin crust pizza in the immediate area that I rank better than Fireside's is Broadway's (but I am just a bit outside of their delivery area unfortunately). We occasionally dine in as well. Despite what some reviews say, we have always gotten good service.
(4)Nicole P.
It was exactly what i expected, nothing fancier than a Minnesota Pub Pizza. My boyfriend and I shared the Veg Lover's pizza (no green olives add banana peppers and sausage on half). they forgot to take of the green olives; and there were a lot of them. when we pointed this out to our waitress she was very nice and offered to make us a new pizza. I'm not that picky and wasteful so we said "thanks but no" and i just picked them off .... a hole pile of them!. And we were given a discount on our order for the mistake. no biggie The interior decor was kind of a trip; there are large fake trees in the center of the place and the booths along the side have curtains you can close to shut yourself in i suppose. and the rest of the decor is sports memorabilia with lots of autographs from mostly hockey players. There was a 4 piece jazz band there on a Wed night, a great trumpet player, guitar, clarinet and singer. They were too good for this place and should have been at a cute wine bar. All in all i wasn't disappointed by the place because i didn't go in with very high hopes, but I'm not sure if i would go back because there are so many other better pizza places in that area.
(3)Melissa A.
I had my first takeout pizza from Fireside last week as I seek out neighborhood / non-chain restaurants in Richfield and beyond. I'd heard that Fireside has been around for 50 years so I was immediately intrigued. The pizza was quite good, nothing overly fancy but good! It reminded me of a small town pizza shop similar to one I enjoyed growing up as a kid. Good pizza, good prices and a pretty cute restaurant.
(3)Ted C.
Great pizza. We give the pizza five stars. Service is average, therefore the overall 4 star rating. It's fun to go to an old school place and get some good chow. Cheesy bread is superb!
(4)Ashley K.
Beyond excited to have this place open in the neighborhood and hopefully I can improve my review as time goes by. The ambiance is fantastic - upbeat, eclectic and funky decor. Besides from the normal issues a restaurant has when opening - slow service, lack of menu items, chaotic bar, delayed food - I will give those time to be fixed... my concern is the price point. For the neighborhood, portions, lack of quality in ingredients, presentation - it's a little too pricey. $70 for a date night with basic food and 2 drinks each is a little much for Penn Ave. We'll try happy hour next time :)
(4)Angela P.
Oof. There's a lot of room for improvement right now. My SO and I went in at around 7:30 on Thursday night. A young gentleman almost seated us by the window but was told that was where a party was going be be seated, so we got a table over by the TV. That is the last contact we had with a Fireside employee. The dining room was about 2/3 full. We sat and waited as a server went by our table several times and never so much as looked at us. We watched some baseball on the TV. The waiter breezed by us a few more times. We heard a gentleman at the next table over commenting that they'd been waiting more than 30 minutes for their pizza. After over ten minutes, we got up and left. I've never done that before! It was really loud in there. It wasn't a pleasant "bustling restaurant" kind of background noise, it was the kind of obtrusive din that makes it hard to relax or have a conversation. The space could benefit from some kind of noise absorption to keep the sound from bouncing around the dining room so much. I hope I have the opportunity to upgrade my review. I used to love Fireside; their pizza was my favorite in town...so delicious that I'd get insatiable cravings for it. I really hope they haven't changed that. It's hard for me not to say "I miss the old place," because I really did love the cozy neighborhood feel of it. But it's better changed than closed, I suppose. It's going to be a while before I give Fireside another try, though.
(1)Emily P.
The new Fireside Foundry is classing up the neighborhood! Open space with full bar and new menu is a welcome change. Our first meal, a Minnesota Banh Mi and a small pizza was satisfying. Our waitress Rachel was personable and fun. Excited to have a new local joint!
(4)Mike S.
The old fireside is gone and in it's place is a new steampunk fireside foundry. The pizza is still the same as I remembered. However the cozy atmosphere is gone. It's way to loud inside now to the point where you have to almost shout to have a conversation. I will not be back.
(2)Nancy H.
Bummed the Restaurant is closed as its my favorite Pizza Place when I visit Mpls. I had to go to Broadway Pizza, which is "ok." Please open fast! Nancy from California.
(5)Laura G.
I have to say, I think it is time for consumers to take back the service industry! There used to be a time when "the customer was always right." Not anymore. If this were a different time, maybe we could have spoken to the manager. Maybe we could have requested something be taken off of our check. Maybe we could have refused to pay the check entirely. Maybe, we could even have just spoken with the manager and requested an apology from the sorry excuse for a waitress we had to endure this evening. First off, when we walked in, there was no clear communication. The hostess looked at the server while she was actually talking to us, so I had no idea we'd been acknowledged and was confused when she started walking toward a table to seat us. It was pretty loud because of the live music they had playing, so communication was important. They also had the singer's amps up too loud for such a small section and my boyfriend and I had to shout over the music to hear each other. Plus, the live one-man singer/guitar player was a bit out of place here. He was good and all, but it may have fit better in a sports bar type place. That being said, his music was good and he chatted with the audience between songs, giving it a welcoming environment. Unfortunately, the server cancelled that out. She never smiled once or asked how it's going or anything. She took nearly 10 minutes to even get to our table for drink orders and when she did, she didn't say anything, just whipped out the order pad and stared. Then, she brought the pitcher of soda without a word and didn't even pour the first servings. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that is standard practice. Hell, even Perkins does that when they bring a coffee pitcher. Then, after it took almost 20 minutes to get our appetizer (cheesy bread) she dropped it off, again, without a word. The pizza came out relatively quickly after that, but again, tossed onto the table without a word. No "Here you go, guys, enjoy!" No "Need anything else right away?" Nothing. The cheesy bread we had was some cheap, store bought "French" bread that was barely toasted and came with, I'm sorry, cheddar? Really? Cheddar on Italian cheesy bread? I guess... But what made it worse for me was it had barely a hint of garlic. Again, maybe this is just me, but I feel that cheesy bread should always basically be garlic bread with cheese on it. Couldn't stomach more than one piece of it. To make matters worse, the sauce that came with was some generic canned tomato sauce with barely any flavor to it. I greatly appreciate a good marinara sauce, so this was just a culinary sin to me. My boyfriend says his pepperoni and sausage pizza was salty and barely had any toppings on it and mine came out burnt and was very salty as well. I think if they had replaced about half of the canned olives that came on it with some fresh tomatoes, it may have helped balance it out a bit. So I've heard this place has been around for 60+ years. That's cool, I guess. But it was pretty evident that the place hasn't had a deep clean since it opened all those years ago. I went to the bathroom to wash up before our food arrived and found yellow stained toilet bowl, trash can with an easily visible layer of grime, baseboard buildup like I have never seen before (visible splashes of dirty mop water on the wall about 5-6 inches up) and grime (mold, maybe) buildup behind the sink faucet. I got back to the table and started looking around when I noticed the server station/bar area had the same nasty build-up. It was completely black at least 6 inches up from the floor and you could see where it faded into the natural wood color. Gross. Then my boyfriend went to wash up and I could see when he came out he was holding his dripping wet hands up and looking around. As he passed the server station, spoke with the waitress briefly before she scurried off, he shrugged and helped himself to a stack of napkins. He came back and reported to me that he asked her about the paper towels/napkins and she said "Yeah, whatever," and shrugged him off. Now that's what I call service! Oh yeah! And we never saw the server again until we flagged her down for boxes on her way to another table. She didn't offer to box them for us, ohhhh, no! She never even cleared any dishes and expected us to box our own leftovers on a cluttered table full of dirty dishes. I had to get up and use a neighboring table for this. Then when I went up to the counter to pay, she greeted me with nothing more than a dirty look...Here's a tip for you: Bad food+bad service=No tip! The food was all either canned or frozen and, to be honest, I could have made a better dinner at home. To top it off, for 2 sodas, one order of cheese bread, one large and one small veggie pizza, I paid about $45 for the whole mess. My SMALL veggie pizza alone was $15.99 and was no bigger than your average frozen pizza. Watch out, this place is a triple threat: bad service, bad food and dirty facilitie
(1)Ethan R.
Pizza was pretty decent, nothing I was left clawing my eyes out in joy over, but also not chinese buffet pizza either. I am fairly certain the cheese bread is actually "Italian Dunkers" (for those of you who went to an upper Midwest grade school), not that I'm complaining, just noting. Beer by the pitcher is a good deal too.
(4)Claire W.
We were so excited to try the "new and improved" fireside but unfortunately we had a horrible experience. We got there around 7pm, normal dinner time on a Friday night, and It seemed that the owner and his friends where having a good time seated right next to us on the patio. They each had a giant cigar in their hands so we started our meal off knowing we would probably have to sit by that for awhile. Our waitress than told us not to order something because it usually is "disgusting" we appreciate the honesty but for a new place there should be no reason for disgusting food. We continued our meal with hearing lots of swearing, talk about drugs, women in inappropriate manor and other offensive conversation all coming from the cigar fellows with in arms reach of us.The pizza came and tasted just as great as it always had but we than got home and realized how badly we stunk of cigars and decided it was not worth it. It was one of the most unprofessional situations I have ever witnessed at a restaurant and I hope people see the true colors of the person who is running that place. We will not be returning and we will be telling others about what we experienced.
(1)Rina E.
The pizza is a little pricey, but, Man... what a pizza!!!!! The sauce is fantastic, not sweet... has a pepper-y flavor. The crust is divine, tastes like a butter cracker (almost). We ordered their version of the Margharita pizza.... Holy-Moly. Awesome! Plus, it feels like a down home pizzeria, not a chain. Pop gets served in coke glasses with a pithcer, beer in a pitcher, lots of TV's to watch the game, and old booths with curtains if you wanna make out. LOL! We go there about once every 2 weeks. It's something we crave now.
(5)Sarah L.
It was very small and had a small-town welcoming atmosphere. The service was nice, but when asked about the size of a portion, they made it sound like it was really big...which really wasn't. Our party of 5 got squished into this very small booth (with curtains on it) and there was not nearly enough elbow space between us. If you are looking for some really salty pizza, this is the place for you! As for me, it was not to my liking at all. I was so thirsty afterwards from the excessive salty flavored pizza. However, it looks child-friendly and a nice place to hang out. If you are looking for taste, and depending on your taste, it may be something you may or may not like. I don't think I'd want to go back anytime soon.
(2)Mark L.
I like their sauce. It has a hint of spiciness instead of sweetness. It is a 60's pizza joint which is rare today. It is not a destination, but I am happy it is nearby.
(3)