Bufalina Pizza

Came here on a Saturday night around 5:30pm and were told our wait would be around 1.5 hours. You can wait at their bar or walk around and check out other stuff near by. We ordered the Caesar salad and two marinaras with anchovies on them. The Caesar salad was delicious. It was crunchy, light, and not overdressed. There were only 4 anchovies on it which was a bit disappointing. The pizza was disappointing. The sauce was really acidic and when you have a pizza with only sauce, garlic, and basil, the sauce and dough really make or break the pizza. The basil they used was dried basil, which I was hoping for fresh. The pizza was too undercooked for me. The dough was really chewy and lacked flavour. I asked for olive oil (which I was charged $1 for) to help give the pizza more flavour. We asked if we could add anchovies. When we got the bill, it turned out to add anchovies cost as much as the pizza. Our pizza was only $14 and to add anchovies was $12. Our total bill water tip was $91. The staff took off the anchovies from our bill after I brought up how it was never mentioned that I’d be paying double for my pizza so I really appreciate the gesture. But overall, the pizza and experience was a big 2 for me.

Red pie. Neapolitan style; one of the best pizzas in Austin. Amazing happy hour. Fresh ingredients, good wine list and vibe. While my go-to is a NY slice, I would gladly take Bufalina any day. To address a couple of points from other reviews: 1) Service and wait times: Every popular restaurant in Austin is busy, including the ones that take reservations and book out months in advance, so yes prepare for a wait esp. at happy hour. Service has always been good so far and relatively fast. Staff always friendly. Have been during the week and prime time happy hour on a Saturday. 2) Quality: Ingredients are really good, definitely not overrated. Pizza crust has a perfect balance of chew and crunch, not too thick. Pizzas are spot-on for Neapolitan style and have an interesting range of toppings. Good wine selection. Salads and dessert are also solid. 3) Price: This isn’t papa john’s or the “by the slice joint,” it’s a restaurant. Pizzas will probably run you around $15-20, but that’s become a pretty standard fare to dine out in the US unfortunately. If price is a factor, try the happy hour, it’s a really good deal!

In the last two weeks, I've been to Bufalina on Cesar Chavez 4 times, I can't stay away. Jackie has been our server twice and she's been the absolute best. We love to go and it's an added treat when she is there. The food is incredible, fresh, and I can't wait to eat through the entire menu. The wine menu itself is the size of a Bible and the servers are all super knowledgeable, so you actually know what you are getting yourself into. Easily my favorite restaurant in Austin, if you can't tell from how much I've just raved about it!