Cheap Eats: Big Mario’s
Big Mario's brings a touch of the East Coast to Cap Hill
By Allison Austin Scheff December 9, 2010
This article originally appeared in the November 2010 issue of Seattle magazine.
Wicked Slice: Another NYC-style pizzeria joins the fold
Need proof that the Neapolitan pizza craze is being supplanted? Last month, we heralded Fatty’s Corner Pizzeria in Greenwood; this month, it’s BIG MARIO’S, another New York City–style pizza joint, which opened in mid-July next to Caffé Vita on Capitol Hill. (Vita’s Mike McConnell is a co-owner.) The slices here are as good as any NYC-style pies in Seattle—though you’d never see a pear and Gorgonzola pizza in any self-respecting New York pizzeria (still tasty at $3.75/slice), or a Sicilian pie with so few toppings, and a vegetarian option, to boot (also $3.75/slice). I love the white pie, with sweet onions and three cheeses ($3.75/slice), inspired perhaps by “Big Mario” Vellotti himself. (In a photo above the cash register, the legendary New York pizza pro is wearing a killer white-on-white suit, Saturday Night Fever style.) The owners have made the place look old, with pleather upholstery, wood paneling and a mirrored bar that’ll have you convinced it’s 1977. Order a Hamm’s with your slice and all that retro-hipster stuff will begin to make sense. Capitol Hill, 1009 E Pike St.; 206.922.3875; bigmariosnewyorkpizza.com. $
Published November 2010