Southside Pizza's Mexican pizza is loaded with seasoned ground beef, pineapple pico, shredded lettuce and jalapenos. (Contributed photo)Slick's Burgers co-owners Eric Taslimi and Robb Peterson are continuing their efforts to bring quality food to the city's fast-casual dining scene with their latest concept, Southside Pizza.
The business partners opened Slick's Burgers, offering burgers with creative toppings along with craft brews, in St. Elmo in 2013. They later moved the restaurant to Main Street on the city's Southside, where Peterson is a resident.
Noticing the lack of a neighborhood pizza joint, they found a location where they could create their own and fill the void.
"We thought it had 'pizza shop' written all over it," Taslimi said of Southside Pizza's Main Street location, which they opened in October.
The New York/Brooklyn-style pizza features a fairly thin 20-inch crust, and can be purchased whole or by the slice. Slices are available in five or six different varieties at a time and are ready to eat within two minutes, Taslimi said.
"We put a lot of work and effort into the dough," said Taslimi, explaining that it's made from scratch - as is the pizza's sauce - and allowed to age for two to three days before baking. "We're sort of chef-driven as opposed to an assembly line slapping out food."
In addition to pizza, Southside also offers salads and classic Italian subs such as meatball and chicken Parmesan.
Diners can grab a seat on the restaurant's large patio or indoor dining area, or pick up their pizza from the walk-up window.
Residents of the Main Street area can also choose to have their pies delivered via bicycle, and Taslimi said they are working to set up their website and delivery system for customers farther from the restaurant.
Southside Pizza is at 612 E. Main St. and can be reached at 498-2193.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com